Gen crown/tube upo mod advise

[the_rymeister]

Hi guys I got my gen crown tube and new stem in the post today and probably gonna install it this weekend on my upo 45mm If I get a few hours. Just after a bit of advise in removing the old tube. I've seen a few topics regarding the mod but was wondering if there is a good way of removing it without any damage to case. I've got some araldite to re fit the gen tube as I realise the case isn't threaded like gen case. The rest of the mod seems straight forward. One other thing i thought of is, if i araldite the gen tube to the case and in the future the thread happen to strip( which i hope wont)will the tube be easily removed?Any advise would be great.Cheers in advance.ry

[importr]

Mask off the surrounding case and crystal with thick electrical tape in case you slip:

There may be better ways to do this, but I've done it to 4 Omega rep watches now and i know it works

To remove the useless rep tube, all i did was grip it with fine needle nose pliers, squashing it into a flattish shape. Then just twist carefully and it will come out. Its just bonded in.

Pack a bunch of rodico or blu-tac into the hole to remove any specs of dust etc.

To bond the new tube - i use a 2 part epoxy resin. Not stringy Araldite (although that may work), i choose to use Chemical Metal or JB Weld. These 2 products are the mutts nuts! And you can remove excess with a fine screwdriver after setting.

After 24hrs setting, i then shave down a toothpick to a very fine 'blade', apply cryanoacrylate (Loctite) and carefully apply it to the reverse side of the tube so it bonds to the case and the epoxy. Make sure to have the glass face down during this bit, or it Will fog up with glue fumes!

When you refit the crown (and glued in stem) be sure to apply silicon grease to crown o-ring. The lube will help the crown screw on easier thus reducing the torque on your freshly bonded tube

ps. you'd have to be quite ham fisted to strip a gen crown & tube assembly. But if you did, I'm sure it can be removed again.

[the_rymeister]

Thanks mate for the great step by step advise, with regards to applying lock tight do you mean putting a thin layer around the tube from the inside of the case? And is this purely for sealing case or does it help stick the tube to the case? Thanks

Ryan

[importr]

yes, thats what i meant. Apply the loctite from inside the case, to the back of the tube. I find that there is always a tiny gap between the tube and case in this area. The loctite seems to bond very well with the other epoxy.

[the_rymeister]

Thanks again buddy just bought some chemical metal and some lock tight. Will carry out the upgrade at the weekend, would you use lock tight to bond crown to stem or just a tiny blob of superglue? Cheers

[importr]

I would use loctite, as it is runnier than most glues and will get into the threads. Just be sure that you set the stem at the correct length or you'll have problems later on.

[the_rymeister]

Cheers I'll set the length of the new stem to the rep stem and crown removed. Thanks for the advice much appreciated

[ryaku]

Out of curiosity, was the tube removal an easy fix?

I heard some tubes just unscrew other don't

Thanks for sharing

[the_rymeister]

It's not going well with this mod for me.... I eventually removed the old tube and slightly damaged my watch in the process, I then cleaned the hole where the tube was with a small rat tail file. I used chemical metal in the end, bonded it over night. Felt ok until I put the watch back together and the new crown wouldn't screw into the tube????? Must be a stem issue, after rebuilding the keyless works 3 times and rebuilding the watch I changed the stem, now it screwed in once then the tube snapped off! So now I've had to bond again. Not looking very promising. Does anyone know a better way to bond the gen tube as this doesn't seem to be working.cheers

Ryan

[ryaku]

Ryan,

I did the same to my 42mm PO yesterday and I must admit the tube was a [censored] to remove.

It didn't screw out at all. I had to shatter it in pieces with a file.

At one point I thought I had completely ruined the case.

At the end I just use some epoxy to glue the gen tube in place.

I was scared I had put some epoxy also on the internal thread of the tube but thankfully when I tried to screw in the crown, it was working well.

I made the same for the HV (by the way, thanks again FxrAndy for the gift) and was not quick at all.

I must have been not very lucky but there was no way to unscrew the 2 freaking tubes.

Edited November 27, 2011 by ryaku

[the_rymeister]

Thats exactly what I thought about getting the tube out. Quite a worrying mod if you havnt done anything like this before.especially when the watch is only a week old and Ive only worn it once due to the problems I've had with it.

i thought the Same regarding the glue on the internal thread.i was worried about getting glue in there.

Did your gen tube stick ok? And did you have any problems once your watch was back together ie screwing in the crown?

It's as if the stem and crown now are too long, as when I'm trying to screw in the crown to the tube I can see the watch winding.(When the case back is still off)

Cheers

Ryan

[ryaku]

Ryan,

tube seems to be well glued to the case and the crown screws in well.

As for the stem lenght I cannot say a word since I haven't tried yet to mount the movement and other parts (still waiting for my coated crystal and a reliable movement).

I'll be ordering e new stem soon so that I can size it properly.

One last thing, I have the feeling the tube sticks out 1/2 mm too much so that the crown looks longer.

Despite that I'm happy I didn't screw up everything. Not yet.

Edited November 27, 2011 by ryaku

[the_rymeister]

That's what I thought last time I stuck on the tube. It felt lovely when you screw the crown onto the tube when there is no movement in the case. Hope it sticks this time or I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Wish I had never tried this mod as so far it's making my watch a worry every time I'll set the time and it shouldn't be like that.

[ryaku]

Crap, that means I'll be in the same boat as you once the watch is all together.

Edited November 27, 2011 by ryaku

[the_rymeister]

Hope it works for yours buddy. Might just be my stem as I have had several issues with all the keyless works already. I really hope my tube sticks this time. I'm not very confident.did you just put the glue on the threads and a little in the hole?

[ryaku]

Yeah, exactly, just a little bit of epoxy on the threads and a bit on the outside (very tiny quantity).

I know very well it's not easy at all to apply glue .... and to be honest I was very surprised such a small quantity was enough to keep the tube in place (touching wood...)

Next week end I should have the chance to try to put together all the other parts except the crystal. Enough to say if I'm all set or if I'm not.

[the_rymeister]

What glu did you use could you post a link. As I tried chemical metal which is metal like glue with yellow hardener . It felt solid when it was dry but soon as I tightened crown it pulled the tube off the case. Wish the case was big enough to tap a thread and fit the tube like gen .

You'll have to post up some pics of your watch as you put it together. Good to see other projects.

[ryaku]

It's called Devcon, bought on CousinsUk, not sure if it's the best choice for this kind of jobs though

[RWG Technical]

The only correct way to install any tube that is too small for the case hole, is to do what I do:

1. Take a round piece of high carbon steel, install in your lathe

2. Drill for the new tube, cut off the drilled section and press the new tube in to the carbon steel spacer ring

3. Re-install in the lathe, trim and reduce the carbon steel ring until it fits the case hole, work in a slight taper for a secure fit, remove from lathe,

4. Press fit the new assembly with the tube and spacer into the case

5. Perfect fit not only with alignment for the stem, everything is secured and waterproofed

This is really the only way to do this job, of course it requires a lathe and tooling and skills, but if you want a perfect durable no problem job, this is how you do it.

[ryaku]

This is really the only way to do this job, of course it requires a lathe and tooling and skills, but if you want a perfect durable no problem job, this is how you do it.

Rob, that's the tough part

Joking aside, as usual you're completely right,

for a good job you need tools and skills, but sometimes it's fun to try out as long as we are disposed to trash a watch.

[RWG Technical]

Understood...I tried the glue process and had terrible results, tubes pulling out, misalignment with the stem, etc, which is why I do it this way now.

Not everyone has all the tooling, but my services are available if asked

[the_rymeister]

Cheers Zigmeister wish I had a lathe! I'm guessing it's quite expensive to get you to machine fit a gen tube? Thankyou very much for the advise though. It's appreciated but like most of us it's money and tools most lack when trying to mod our watches and we have to try the cheaper route first.

[RWG Technical]

.

[the_rymeister]

Ok thanks Zigmeister much appreciated

[correctime]

Now that's a thought. And a kind gesture, The Zigmeister. How risky is the US/Canada and Canada/US customs journey?? That is of course if the offer is an open invitation.