product photography - Avoiding reflections when taking close-ups of a wrist-watches dial

I am currently trying to make a close-up of the dial of a wrist-watch. The result I am trying to achieve should look like this:

My biggest problem is that the glass reflects almost everything. The best shot I got so far is this one:

However, it was more of a "lucky shot". And still, there are shadows inside the dial (on the left side) which I'd also like to avoid.

Most of my shots end up like this:

You can see all the reflections on the glass, even the lens of the camera on the right side.

My setup:

• Camera: Panasonic DMC-FX60


• Light: Tried both normal daylight coming through the windows and LED.


• The watch is mounted on a stand like this one:

How can I achieve lower / no reflection at all on the glass like in the first picture?

Answer

You can use a dulling spray of clear lacquer from the art store. You can use a mixture of water and talcum powder and spray this over the watch. Best to tent the watch with a white sheet or towel suspended above the item to be photographed. Use cloth that has no pattern. Light the watch using flood lights from the hardware store. You direct several lamps at the tent from above. Cut a hole in the tent and photograph through a small opening. Mounting a polarizing filter on the camera will help. Compose and rotate the filter while peering through the viewfinder. You will find a filter rotation position that minimizes reflections. If the camera is a digital, use a circular polarizing filter. A professional set-up would have polarizing filters over the lamps as well. Best of luck