daby Posted July 3, 2009 Report Share Posted July 3, 2009 I have had a BCE graphite for about 18 months now and about 6 months ago I noticed when screwing in the crown it took less than 1 turn of the crown to screw down tight. Then gradually it was less than a 1/4 turn and now it won't screw in at all. The thing is the watch keeps great time and also looks great so I don't want to write it off or spend the money on a whole new one. I am hoping somebody can tell me if it can be fixed. If it can be fixed do I need to order parts or is this a mechanism that comes in standard sizes than can be fixed by a local repairer. I have read a few articles in the repair section and they advise glueing down the crown or cutting the stem slightly shorter to give the visual look of the crown sitting tight to the case. If this is a good solution can somebody tell me how to remove a crown head from the crown stem (once removed from the watch) to allow me to do this. Hoping somebody can help me as my wrist is currently looking very sad without my BCE on it. Thanks Guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offshore Posted July 3, 2009 Report Share Posted July 3, 2009 It may be that you are screwing the crown tighter down on the stem. So you would need to remove the crown and stem, and then see if you can unscrew the crown from the stem. Then check that the crown is screwing down correctly on the tube. If that is OK, it then is a matter of reattaching the crown to the stem, and getting the correct position for the crown on the stem. Then Loctite it in that position. If however you can't screw the crown right down on the tube, you will need to sort out what is not threading correctly. And replace either crown or tube or both. See how you go. O/S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daby Posted July 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2009 Thanks for the tip Offshore. I think I will have a play with it tonight and see how I get on. I will try what you said as I think this will certainly help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offshore Posted July 3, 2009 Report Share Posted July 3, 2009 Shoot me a PM if you need a hand. O/S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daby Posted July 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2009 Shoot me a PM if you need a hand. O/S Well..... I removed the crown and then proceeded to try and unscrew the crown 'head' from the stem. I have a real low end Breitling rep that I practiced on first and it unscrewed nicely. When I did it on the BCE the crown head did not want to budge from the stem. So, I applied a bit too much pressure and then SNAP! the stem broke. I guess maybe it is not supposed to unscrew. Now I am in the market for a new BCE crown. If I can't get one it's bye bye watch. Anybody have any ideas where I can get a crown and stem for a BCE? Thanks for your help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offshore Posted July 3, 2009 Report Share Posted July 3, 2009 Sounds like you need to try the "alum" trick. http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showto...080&hl=alum http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showto...810&hl=alum Or stick the crown in vinegar for a week. Nothing to loose! O/S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daby Posted July 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2009 wow, it looks like you guys really have thought of everything. The crown and stem actually came out nicely from the case. The stem broke in my hand while trying to remove the crown so no bits are left in the watch. I guess I can order a 7750 crown stem from CousinsUK and hope the genuine fits . They have a 9mm and 12mm, not sure which I need so I will order both. The problem is I still have the worn crown stuck to the broken stem so I really need a BCE crown. I have mailed Angus at Puretime as he has provided me a dial in the past but if he can't get the crown then I am out of ideas. If anybody knows who is best to contact to get a Breitling Chronomat Evolution crown please do let me know . Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offshore Posted July 4, 2009 Report Share Posted July 4, 2009 I doubt you have a gen 7750, so the gen stem won't fit. If you can get the broken bit out of the old crown, you will only need a new stem. You may even be able to get away with a stem extension. Check your options, before ordering too many parts. Offshore Edit- Actually, unless you have a fair bit of experience working on watches, you may be better to find someone local to you, to have a look at it. Otherwise the situation may go from bad to worse! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daby Posted July 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2009 Cheers Offshore. You are right it is not a gen 7750. Thanks for all your advice on this topic. I will let you know the end result with what success I had and which option worked in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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