Clark Swap on PT 1665

[Tiyal]

Aloha All!

I received my Clark tropic 39 last night and promptly got stuck in the swap.

I really would appreciate some guidance here.

The crystal fits fine just a little snug.

I slid the plastic gasket over the new crystal then attempted to press the bezel retaining ring on.

the fit is just too tight. I tried to heat the retaining ring and freeze the case with no luck.

This is where it gets ugly

I pulled out the vise grips :drunk:and tried to force the ring down (don't ever do this)

now I have a bent retaining ring

Questions

#1 has any one had luck with this swap and what is the recipe ?

#2 Can I straighten the retaining ring?

Direction I'm headed

repair the retaining ring and or find a replacement.

Sand the ID of the retaining ring down to better fit the gasket / crystal

listen to you advice

thank you

[ww12345]

I think you need to have JMB mill you a new bezel. That's what he did on mine. That stupid plastic ring is pure junk, and not worth keeping.

[Ronin]

1st off you shouldn't need the plastic ring. That was to take up slack on the PT crystal. If the steel bezel is still to tight, you need to open it up using a Dremel. A little at a time. Take your time. Sand a little, heat, test fit.

Also, a 30mm 12 point socket is what I use as a makeshift press. (I use a "Great Neck" socket sold @ AutoZone)

[Ephry73]

Man that sucks Tiyal! I never had any problems with the retaining crystals and Clarks, but I have never had one where I needed a gasket for it. I would heat up the crystal ring(the metal one just to be clear) and try to flatten it with constant pressure just to see. If not, JMB will be the best bet for sure.

E

[sneed12]

I would think just throwing the metal ring in a vise and bending it flat will get it most of the way fixed. Not all the way of course.

I had the same problem, and I grind on the crystal, not the metal ring--the crystal is the cheap, replaceable part!

[alligoat]

I'm with WW12345 on this, send it off to jmb and have him make a crystal retaining ring for you. Then you'll have something which is a copy of the gen assembly. That damn nylon gasket is junk, a product of chinese reverse engineering.

[automatico]

"I'm with WW12345 on this, send it off to jmb and have him make a crystal retaining ring for you. Then you'll have something which is a copy of the gen assembly."

I agree 100%.

It is also a good idea to get a couple spare crystals exactly like what you use on the watch if you plan to keep it.

Why?

Because the next batch of crystals may not be the same. I have 3 or 4 brands of aft/mkt crystals and they are not exactly the same. Some fit...some don't.

[Ephry73]

+1 to Automatico

E

[freddy333]

I agree with most of the recommendations above, but, in addition, use a proper crystal/caseback press or a hobby vice fitted with appropriate die that fit the case & bezel. The bezel ring should fit snugly (so you cannot remove it by hand) but not so tightly that you have to force it on. If using a press, the ring should slide right on (evenly) with minimal pressure.

[ww12345]

IIRC, the outer diameter of the rehaut is slightly too big - anybody else remember if that is the case?

[woof*]

So other than the plastic gasket, the PT has gen construction for the bezel and no paperclip wire spring?

[ww12345]

Correct. The PT retaining ring works OK out of box, but for some reason the rep factories decided to cut them a hair-and-a-half too large, and then just shove that plastic junk in to take up the additional slack.

One note to the OP: If you are going to waterproof it, you need to install the crystal gasket (mounted underneath the retaining ring). Otherwise, the watch will fog up.

[woof*]

Correct. The PT retaining ring works OK out of box, but for some reason the rep factories decided to cut them a hair-and-a-half too large, and then just shove that plastic junk in to take up the additional slack.

One note to the OP: If you are going to waterproof it, you need to install the crystal gasket (mounted underneath the retaining ring). Otherwise, the watch will fog up.

Thanks!

The 1665 I bought from Josh was paperclip style, I had already put gen T39, gen 703 and an Ingod rail dial... and after awhile it really bugged me. So it's with Jmb now with all it's parts being swapped into an old school Mbw 1665 case set.

[ww12345]

Cool! Where'd you get the MBW case?

[praetor]

yep, sent mine of to jmb. He's a miracle worker. Now it has gen crystal with gen like construction.

[Ueno]

I agree with most of the recommendations above, but, in addition, use a proper crystal/caseback press or a hobby vice fitted with appropriate die that fit the case & bezel. The bezel ring should fit snugly (so you cannot remove it by hand) but not so tightly that you have to force it on. If using a press, the ring should slide right on (evenly) with minimal pressure.

Hi Freddy, which appropriate die would you recommend if you know of any?

Thanks.

[Ronin]

Hi Freddy, which appropriate die would you recommend if you know of any?

Thanks.

Great question, I have not seen a deep enough die to clear the crystal, thus my use of the 30mm 12 point Socket... :|

[Tiyal]

Great question, I have not seen a deep enough die to clear the crystal, thus my use of the 30mm 12 point Socket... :|

This is the direction I took,

My watch smith straightened the bend in my retaining ring, so i opened up the ID (inner diameter) until I could seat the retainer (this was in no way easy or cut and dry, I sanded and pressed with the 12 point socket (thanks Ronin) then repeat until hours later a tight fit with a perfectly seated o-ring.

The crystal cracked laterally along the top of the case seat on the the first try due to over-compression but has not totally failed and is not noticeable.

I beat up the case pretty bad when I went at it with vise grips I marked the gouges and sanded and buffed them out while putting a fresh finish on the case and band.

It looks awesome with the new crystal!!!

Another $25 to clark and a little finesse and the 1665 will be good as new!

Until then no swimming in the ocean

If your thinking about attempting this swap, just send to JMB for the custom bezel retainer.

Thanks to all those who chimed in

[Ephry73]

Not too bad. Just order the extra crystals for spares and you will be ok.

E

[ww12345]

You are lucky you damaged the $25 crystal, instead of the $65 crystal!

That lume looks pretty good. Did you do it yourself?

[Tiyal]

Thx

Lume's mine, some one needs to put up a detailed how to for lume on the rolex dials with dot markers and vintage no dot markers and hands!

Technique I used is after the basic fill in and build up the dot is sanding, after the lume dries i go back and sand it down carefully to smooth out the imperfections. then apply a clear coat to the entire dial which smooths out any scratches and darkens the black back ground.