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Bezel Remover


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Has anyone ever used a bezel removing tool to remove the bezel on a NOOB mariner. I know the golden rule is never to remove a NOOB bezel, but I wonder if its a matter of the proper tool?

Esslinger and Ofrei both sell a rubber tool for about $25.00

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"I have a proper bezel removal tool and it still messed up two noobmariner bezels."

The trick is not to use a bezel remover of any sort. Noob bezels are held on the case by a spring wire and there is simply not enough room between the bezel and case for the spring wire to pass by when prying the bezel off.

On F520117 'noob' cases you can remove the bezel (if you feel like taking a chance) by:

1...Remove the movement.

2...Remove the crystal and gasket.

3...Remove the bezel insert by prying it out a little at a time being careful not to bend it

4...Insert a 50mm+/- long by .005 to .007 thick strip of feeler gauge between the bezel spring and bezel using a high power magnifier and bright light to see what is going on between the bezel and case as you slip the gauge strip between the two. There is not much room so make sure to get the strip pushed in far enough so that the bezel spring is pushed out against the bezel about half the way around the bezel.

5...Gently pry the bezel up mid way between the strip with your fingers or a blade while pushing all the slack to the side with the gauge strip in it.

If the bezel does not come off easily, it will bend or chip the case.

No guarantee that this will work the first time but this is one way to do it.

The feeler gauge will cut fingers like a knife. The 50mm length is an estimate but it needs to go about half way around the bezel.

As always...practice on someone else's watch. :pimp:

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I've removed mine twice. Each time with great difficulty, yet only once scratching the case. In both instances, however, I bent the bezel. Each time I spent about an hour with two pieces of pine board and my vise, sandwiching the bezel between the pine and squeezing in the vice. Rotate, squeeze, rotate, squeeze, check on a level metal plate with a light shining behind, repeat.

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