1680 Bezel Replacement issue

[sishac]

Hi everyone - last night I decided to try and remove the bezel of my asian 21j 1680 (from Reg) because I wanted to shave the crystal down a bit and age the insert. I used a case knife and popped the bezel up and off of the crystal from the 5 o'clock marker. When I took the bezel up, there was a ripped thin black gasket along the base of the crystal and nothing else.

I went to put the bezel back on, expecting it to "click" on and it just sits there and doesn't attache to the case. Initially I didn't see the spring, but now that I do...an 8 sided spring...how do I get the bezel to attach to the watch using this spring?

Also, I've read that a genuine watch uses a flat tension spring that goes around the crystal...this is what the bezel snaps into...assuming that my crystal is the right size (currently it has a Clark 127 that needs to be shaved down a bit), can I buy one of these tension springs (I saw one on ebay for $20) and use that over the crystal instead of using the 8 sided spring that is currently in the bezel?

Thanks

[Ronin]

Your version is not interchangeable with Gen parts.

The tension wire you describe can sometimes be a PITA. Trial and error getting it back in the right spot and in its groove. In a worst case scenario, you may even need to install it with the insert removed, and glue the insert in after a sucessful bezel install being super careful not to glue it to the case or crystal.

HTH

[sishac]

Thank you for the reply. Well, it worked great before I took it off, I guess trial and error will get it back on.

Tonight I went to Harbor Freight and bought a watch crystal press, a digital caliper, and a set of metal files. When I got home I checked the thickness of my watch...it is 15.9mm....as I believe the gen 1680 is between 14 and 15mm thick, I need to now shave about 1.5mm from the crystal. Once I remove the movement from the watch, I can remove the crystal and then measure that to get an accurate reading of how much work I have to do.

In addition, while I was attempting to fade my insert in a bleach solution (the pepsi GMT version came out gorgeous, while the 1680 just sort of matted up a bit), I started to work on the case edges with a metal file. I think that I will need to follow up with some sandpaper, but I think that I made a small dent. In addition, I started to work a bit on the crown guards. After I get the movement and crown out I can give it a few swipes on the inside of the crown guards to open them up a bit (they are really tight with the crown) and then also maybe shorten the tips of the crown guards a bit.

Fun, Fun, Fun!!!