bertieng Posted November 19, 2009 Report Share Posted November 19, 2009 Want to remove the sapphire on my 111 for coating. Wonder how to do it. Is it necessary to remove the bezel as well? Seems pretty hard to pop off the bezel without making marks on it and on the case since it sits so tight on the watch unlike the Rollies. Can the PAM experts chim in for some advice? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanikai Posted November 19, 2009 Report Share Posted November 19, 2009 I'm no expert.. but you need not remove the bezel.. you do have to remove the crown and the tabs that hold down the movement .. and pop out the crystal.. some of the Pams are tight.. and better to use a crystal press .. one member yers ago slashed himself with a broken crystal.. You will need a crystal press to put in back on.. with the proper tools it is a breeze.. I recommend the screw down press,.. a set of screw drivers.. a ball case back opener and a blower.. should be very inexpensive at "Watch Bitz" I highly suggest you go to, here > Watch Bitz.. in the accessories section and order the basic tools for this..you will not be doing this as a profession so the minimal basics is good to start with..they are at great prices .. and will save you a lot of $$ over the expensive tools.. later you can add as your hobby and knowledge grows. AC Lani Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drulee Posted November 19, 2009 Report Share Posted November 19, 2009 No need to remove the bezel, but a crystal press would be useful to re-install it properly. To remove, you should also use the crystal press, but it will probably pop out with a bit of pressure applied on it from the inside. By the way a hand press is fairly cheap, but you will also need to by some large dies for it - as they all come with standard smaller dies. EDIT: Yeah, what Lanikai said Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertieng Posted November 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2009 Thanks a lot. Now it is more cleared. Have been thinking always it needs to take the bezel off like in the Rollies. SOunds the PAM is much easier to handle in the sapphire removal. Presume the sealing gasket will also come off, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brodie Posted November 19, 2009 Report Share Posted November 19, 2009 The crystal gasket sits in a groove within the bezel and usually stays there when you pop the crystal out. You can gently pry out the gasket if you want. Just be careful when pressing the crystal back in as it is easy to crush the gasket and the crystal will not sit straight. In fact, I think it is recommended to replace the gasket with a new one, but not sure where to find one. If anyone knows, I'd love to know as I could use a few myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiker01 Posted November 19, 2009 Report Share Posted November 19, 2009 The crystal gasket sits in a groove within the bezel and usually stays there when you pop the crystal out. You can gently pry out the gasket if you want. Just be careful when pressing the crystal back in as it is easy to crush the gasket and the crystal will not sit straight. In fact, I think it is recommended to replace the gasket with a new one, but not sure where to find one. If anyone knows, I'd love to know as I could use a few myself. +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted November 19, 2009 Report Share Posted November 19, 2009 Bertie- As has been mentioned, no need to pop the bezel- The crystal is not seated by the bezel, but rather sits in a chanel inset of the case: And the crystal gasket sits in this lip, like so: Somewhat similar to how the crystals are installed in the old 16610 Subs, like the original Noobmariner. You will need a rather large die for the bezel to sit against while you're pressing the crystal out, however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drulee Posted November 19, 2009 Report Share Posted November 19, 2009 The crystal gasket sits in a groove within the bezel and usually stays there when you pop the crystal out. You can gently pry out the gasket if you want. Just be careful when pressing the crystal back in as it is easy to crush the gasket and the crystal will not sit straight. In fact, I think it is recommended to replace the gasket with a new one, but not sure where to find one. If anyone knows, I'd love to know as I could use a few myself. You could ask JacksonTse, he was the only dealer I could find that sold me case gaskets, so he may sell the crystal gaskets as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted November 19, 2009 Report Share Posted November 19, 2009 In fact, I think it is recommended to replace the gasket with a new one, but not sure where to find one. If anyone knows, I'd love to know as I could use a few myself. +1 @Hike and Brodie- Maybe try that JacksonTse fellow. I think he can get spare crystal gaskets... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiker01 Posted November 19, 2009 Report Share Posted November 19, 2009 @Hike and Brodie- Maybe try that JacksonTse fellow. I think he can get spare crystal gaskets... Got a link for his site? Thanks! Hike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted November 19, 2009 Report Share Posted November 19, 2009 PM sent... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w0lf Posted November 19, 2009 Report Share Posted November 19, 2009 That's a beatiful jf caseset there, Ubiquitous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted November 19, 2009 Report Share Posted November 19, 2009 Why thank you, sir w0lf! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertieng Posted November 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2009 Thanks for all the inouts, folks. I asked for the bezel removal is wondering if Oxiclean will attack/darken polished surface. BTW, Ubi, what tools do you used to get the bezel out without leaving any marks on the parts? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted November 20, 2009 Report Share Posted November 20, 2009 Bertie- The Oxyclean trick only really works for the Ti models; if you're trying to do this with a polished SS case, you might not achieve the results you're hoping for. With regards to removing the bezel; you need a very sharp knife to wedge between the case and bezel to create a slight gap between the two surfaces. Once you've created a decent gap, you can use a caseback knife to work the bezel up and off the case. This is difficult to do without marking the case since we're talking metal to metal contact- You may need to polish any scratches out once the bezel is removed. Removing the bezel on a gen is much easier since most have a notch for the caseknife to fit into; the reps lack this convenient feature. Someone may have a better solution for this task; the process outlined above did work for me when removing a few of my bezels, however. If you can, I'd say leave the bezel be if you don't have to remove it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertieng Posted November 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2009 Thanks for the inputs, Ubi. Understood the Oxiclean issue. So I can leave the polished bezel on the Ti case while soaking it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted November 20, 2009 Report Share Posted November 20, 2009 I think you'll be fine to soak the case with bezel Good luck, Bertie! Let us know how it goes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offshore Posted November 20, 2009 Report Share Posted November 20, 2009 Ubi/Bertie, If you MUST get the bezel off, (and I read that probably you don't), there is only one sure way without doing damage. This tool- , will do that very job....cleanly and efficiently. Unfortunately there is no alternative than to use various of the snap case back tools. I have used the Seiko style caseback tool to some effect, however, short of jamming a set of razorbades or case knifes under the bezel at 3 or 4 different points, you need to have one of these. It is VERY well engineered, and does work! A shameless promo, I know, but these are the only, and best answer I have seen. O/S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted November 20, 2009 Report Share Posted November 20, 2009 There you have it- That looks like a great tool indeed, O/S! Nice design, and with the blade configuration, this means that lifting the bezel up/off will be even and level; no risk of warping or bending. That's the way to go, methinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertieng Posted November 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2009 Yeah, I know that tool, but it is very expensive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickHiC Posted January 14, 2010 Report Share Posted January 14, 2010 (edited) Old thread resurrected. I removed the crystal on my standard cartel 112 and ruined the gasket. Checked with JacksonTse and he doesn't sell just gaskets. Anyone know where I can source one? I've done a lot of searching and seen only requests and no suppliers. Edited January 14, 2010 by RickHiC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caruwe Posted January 14, 2010 Report Share Posted January 14, 2010 You can buy gaskets at Cousins UK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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