dieselpower Posted September 3, 2012 Report Share Posted September 3, 2012 A friend bought a noobmariner about 5 years ago. His bezel insert has fallen out. I have no idea which one to buy to get his watch up and running again. Anybody know what to go for? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted September 3, 2012 Report Share Posted September 3, 2012 Well, BK's old formula was a Jewelryoutlet550 insert with a watchmaterial pearl. You have to enlarge the pearl hole slightly for the WM pearl. Also, you have to shave the outside of the insert down a little to fit in the bezel since the old noob bezel was just a little smaller ID than gen spec. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieselpower Posted September 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2012 Thanks for that, given that I have no specialist tools to speak of and limited skills (I'm not totally useless) can you give my any hints as to how these modifications might be achieved? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted September 4, 2012 Report Share Posted September 4, 2012 I've wallowed out the hole for the pearl with an x-acto knife, then glued the WM pearl in. A small set of files is what you need to reduce the OD of the insert- just go slowly and keep test fitting it. Glue it in with G-S Hypo Cement, or carefully with an epoxy- you don't want to glue the bezel so it won't turn. One other thing, BK use to file the back side of the insert so that it would sit lower in the bezel and look more gen like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieselpower Posted September 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2012 Cheers alligoat. Just for the record I recently replaced the bezel insert on my MBW 5513. I had a spare old MBW 1665 bezel insert and I wanted to bleach and fit it to my 5513. I bleached it ok and popped the pearl off with my fingernail. When it came to removing the bezel insert from the bezel of the 5513 I found that it was glued in place with a rubbery type glue which had a really firm hold, anyway I set to with a small screwdriver and managed to prize it out but completely ruined the insert in the process. That was ok though as I was fitting my bleached replacement. I then gave some thought to which glue I was going to use to fit the replacement. I did not want to use epoxy as I intend ultimately to fit a gen insert and I suspected that epoxy would be very difficult to remove from the metal of the bezel itself once I had prized the insert off. Also I did not want to use a glue similar to what had already been used as I would like to get the insert out without damaging it. I then remembered a product that a plumber recommended to me for sealing small leaks in plumbing fittings. It is made by a company called Fernox and is called LS-X. It is a silicone based clear 'glue' about the consistency of toothpaste and it adheres to metal but not so much so that it makes a really strong bond, also it can be cut easily with a blade when it has set and needless to say it is waterproof. I used this and the insert has remained in place (so far!) and I firmly believe that when I come to remove it I will be able to do so without damaging the insert, then it's a case of scraping away the residual LS-X and I will be able to fit a gen insert and have salvaged my bleached old one. So, if I go down the route you describe I will glue the WM pearl in with epoxy (nice and permanent) but use LS-X for the insert to bezel bonding. Would it be possible the rub the OD of the insert on fine wet and dry paper rather than using a file? I have no files but imagine it would be difficult to get an even edge all the way round using a file. Don't mean to question your obviously far superior knowledge in these matters but I would like to get this right first time and I know what I'm like, I do tend to go a bit OTT especially when glues and files are involved! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieselpower Posted September 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2012 Well, BK's old formula was a Jewelryoutlet550 insert with a watchmaterial pearl. You have to enlarge the pearl hole slightly for the WM pearl. Also, you have to shave the outside of the insert down a little to fit in the bezel since the old noob bezel was just a little smaller ID than gen spec. Where do I buy these items? Had a look round but can't find info (ie contact details) as to where to get them from. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted September 4, 2012 Report Share Posted September 4, 2012 Using wet/dry is fine! Here's watchmaterial- http://www.watchmaterial.com/viewitem.asp?idProduct=1800 I guess Jewelryoutlet550 is gone- but they were the same as wholesaleoutlet990 on ebay. Also, watchbandman50 is part of that same group of thieves! Kurtyiu also has inserts for a decent price. Some guys have mentioned Clarks as having good inserts- nostalgia_ 2000 on the bay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieselpower Posted September 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2012 Cheers. Have sent the info on to my mate, hopefully he will order the above then he'll entrust me with the fitting - the man's a fool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieselpower Posted September 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 6, 2012 WM want $75 shipping for the pearl. Outrageous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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