Alternative to crystal press for AP that works

[mt666tm]

I swapped bezels today and found a way to press the crystal without a press. Figured I'd share this for those who might need to do a swap and don't have the appropriate equipment.

1st off I had to take the whole watch apart anyway because last night I was going about my business and 'BAM' ... I smacked the watch hard on something and it was bad The bezel was dented, crown dented, stem tube appeared bent and disloged. Very painful to endure. Long story short I was able to remove the stem and repress the threads onto the tube with a clamp and straighten everything else, then press the tube back into the case after completely resanding it, and all was well.

Now for the crystal; this Safari has the bezel screws sticking up a bit and i don't like it, so I had an extra bezel in the watch box waiting for a reason for me to swap it out. The rep crystal is not stepped with two gaskets like the gen, so just pop it out with your thumbs. To press it into the new bezel just get a socket of slightly smaller size and rubber band two sheets of quad-folded toilet paper on one end. Then install the bezel gasket, place bezel brushed side down on a paper/wood surface and use the papered end of the socket with the heel of your hand pushing uniformly down. This will get the crystal to flush with the bezel... now to get it to pop out a little use the old bezel. Place the old bezel brushed side up, put a piece of clear plastic on it (to protect the bezel surfaces), and place the new bezel with brushed side down on top. Use the socket to press it down just a bit more and it will pop out a bit through the opening of the old bezel. I even used a small rubber tipped hammer to tap around the edge to get it perfect.

It worked out very well, and only took 5 minutes... So now the watch is good as new , save for the small dent in the crown that I was almost able to remove. I will leave a part of the dent as a memento so that I remember to mind the watch!

Some pics:

And of my poor bent stem tube:

Good as new:

Edited February 26, 2012 by mt666tm

[mjmj]

thank you for sharing the tips.

[Libertatia]

grave digging a bit, but this ''tool'' saved me from buying a press which I would only ever use a couple times in my life