Casio AE-11W – Restoration

One day I got an email from Amalio. He wrote from Spain about a Casio AE-11W that had stopped working. The watch was a gift from his grandparents, many years ago. He replaced the battery himself, but nothing happened. He took it to a local repair shop in Madrid and they told him the watch was too old to fix. So he searched online and found me.

The AE-11W came out in 1985 and runs on module 694. Resin case, acrylic crystal, nothing exotic on paper. But look at the display and you do a double take. The upper half shows a clock face with hands, hour, minute, and second, all moving smoothly. Except they are not real hands. There are no moving parts at all. The watch draws them on the LCD, pixel by pixel. It is a fully digital watch that looks analog. That was Casio’s trick with the AE family, and collectors never forgot it.

Today a clean AE-11W in good condition fetches quite serious money on eBay. It is one of those models that looks simple but carries real weight in the vintage Casio community.

The Watch’s Condition at the Start

The watch arrived from Madrid in bad shape. Visually, it was heavily worn. The resin case was covered in scratches, and the acrylic crystal had taken a beating too. The kind of wear you see on a watch that was actually lived in, not stored in a box.

Technically, it was completely dead. Fresh battery, AC reset, nothing worked. No display, no reaction at all. Once I opened it up, the reason became clear. There was battery leakage inside the case. Corrosion had reached the PCB and broken one of the power traces, the small conductive path that carries current from the battery to the module. No current, no watch. That’s why even a new battery made no difference.

Two problems to solve. One technical, one visual. Time to get to work. 🔧

The Restoration Process

Step 1: Technical Diagnosis and PCB Trace Repair

I started with a full technical diagnosis. I used a multimeter to test every trace on the PCB one by one. That’s how I found it. One trace was broken, right in the power path from the battery to the circuit. No continuity, no current, no watch.

To fix it, I used silver-based PCB trace repair paste. It contains real silver particles, which makes it conductive. I applied it carefully over the broken trace to bridge the gap, then left it for a full day to cure. Before reassembling the module, I cleaned everything thoroughly with isopropyl alcohol to remove all residue from the battery leakage and any dirt that had built up inside. Once the paste was dry, I put the module back together. The watch turned on. 🛠️

Step 2: Crystal and Case Scratch Removal

With the technical side sorted, I moved to the visual restoration. The crystal and case were both heavily scratched, so this took some time.

For deeper scratches, I used a technique I picked up one evening on YouTube from @Daddy_Digi. If you don’t follow him yet, go fix that. The method is simple but clever. You apply a tiny drop of super glue directly into the scratch, let it fill the void, then sand it flat. This way you don’t have to sand down the surrounding material to the depth of the scratch. It saves a lot of plastic and gives a much cleaner result. Cheers for the tip, mate. 🤝

After that, I sanded the case with wet and dry sandpaper starting from 1200 grit up to 2500 grit, keeping a matte finish on the resin case. The crystal got a finer treatment, sanded up to 7000 grit to prepare it for polishing.

Step 3: Crystal Polish

Once the crystal was sanded smooth, I applied Polywatch paste with a felt cloth and worked it in until the haze was gone. The result was a clear, sharp display with no visible scratches.

Step 4: Case Finishing

The case got a different finish. Instead of polishing it glossy, I used a dry and wet magic eraser to matte the surface and unify the texture. This brings the resin back to something close to its original factory look, consistent and clean without any shiny patches.

Step 5: Case Back

The case back was treated separately with a non-woven abrasive pad, which removed surface marks and left a smooth, even finish.

Step 6: Final Clean, Assembly and First Start

With all parts done, I washed everything, dried it carefully, and put the watch back together. Then the best part. I fitted the battery, pressed AC reset, and the display came to life. Clean screen, all segments working, hands moving across the LCD exactly as they should. 😊

Casio AE-11W After Restoration: The Final Result

The difference is hard to miss. A watch that arrived scratched, dull, and completely dead left looking sharp and running perfectly.

Technically, the AE-11W is fully working again. The display is alive, all functions respond, and those LCD hands move across the dial exactly as they should. A broken PCB trace and some battery leakage was all that stood between this watch and another decade of use.

Visually, the transformation is significant. The crystal is clear, the case is clean and evenly matte, and the red accent frame around the display pops again the way it should. The super glue scratch fill method made a real difference here. Less material removed, better result. I will keep using that technique. 👍

Amalio got his grandparents’ watch back. Working, clean, and ready to wear. That’s what this is all about.

This AE-11W is one example of the restorations I do. I also restore vintage Casio watches for collectors around the world. You can see more of my previous projects here: 👉 casiorestore.com/projects-restorations

I work internationally and shipping is not a problem. I have already completed restorations for collectors from Spain, the UK, Sweden, Ireland, France, and more. Every project is discussed individually, so we always agree on the scope and shipping before starting. 🛠️

The process is simple:

• Write to me on Instagram: @vintage.casio.restore
• Or send me an email: vintagecasiorestore@gmail.com
• Describe the problem with your watch
• Send clear photos
• Tell me your country

If your Casio deserves a second life, I will be happy to help. 👍