panerai153 Posted February 2, 2014 Report Share Posted February 2, 2014 Terrible rainy afternoon here, so I was taking some watch photos. I picked up my 6542 out of the watch box, and the bezel assembly came off in my hand. It looks like the retaining ring is attached to the bezel. The crystal is OK, I didn't look closely, but it doesn't look like it has any cracks or chipped off edges. I would like to get this fixed, anyone know who I might contact to get it repaired. It's possible the crystal is too small in diameter, or the retaining ring is too big, but I really don't see what caused the problem. Here are some photos of what it looks like. It's not wearable in this condition, so I need to get it fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike on a bike Posted February 2, 2014 Report Share Posted February 2, 2014 mymanmatt maybe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike on a bike Posted February 2, 2014 Report Share Posted February 2, 2014 cc you know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted February 3, 2014 Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 The ring and bezel go together as a set. If you get a smaller retaining ring, chances are the bezel won't snap on securely. You could try a crystal with thicker walls or maybe JMB can machine a retainer ring for you with a slightly smaller inside diameter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc33 Posted February 3, 2014 Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 Imo the retaining ring wasn't installed right to begin with, it happens, to put it back on you can do it with a small tool, put the assembly back on and press down using your hands to get it started, you should only have a slight gap at this point, then using a tool and only pressing down on the retaining ring itself you can get it to sit properly. Go around the retaining ring and apply downward pressure with the tool at a few (5-6) spots. It is very hard to separate a bezel and retaining ring when they are not installed on a case, you will damage one or both parts if you try. But putting it back on is really easy Ps insert off during the process, reinstall insert once the assembly is back on and seated properly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted February 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 Not sure how the acrylic insert was installed, JoeyB installed it. I don't know if his snaps in or is glued in. I tried putting it back on this afternoon, and it feels like the retaining ring is sliding down over the crystal all the way to the case. If that is the case, then the crystal is too small, or the retaining ring is too big, correct? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc33 Posted February 3, 2014 Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 Yes correct, it is supposed to be a very snug fit. Sounds like you need a new retaining ring. Sometimes the retaining ring needs sanding to fit well and maybe yours was sanded a tad too much? It's going to be a nightmare to separate the bezel from the retaining ring.. You may need to literally cut the retaining ring off, phong can do it and is in Arizona he has retaining rings too but his are higher end and it looks like that may be a budget build Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc33 Posted February 3, 2014 Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 Some of the rep retaining rings have a flaw, they don't like to seperate because of the way they were engineered Gens are only meant to hold the bezel on the watch there's no pocket like some of the rep retaining rings Best I can do to show from a side view: top flawed rep ring, bottom correct gen ring. The x is where the metal wire sits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeyB Posted February 3, 2014 Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 The retaining ring is pressed on to make a water-resistant seal. I used a Clark's crystal and press fit and tested. Since then, the summer of 2012, you sent your watch to two other builders, at least one to replace the Clark's crystal with a genuine. As I understand it, the builders had trouble with the retainer on the gen crystal. The Lexan insert was mounted either using double-sided tape, or RTV cement, I don't recall which one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted February 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 Thanks for all the help and advice cc, this unfortunately isn't a budget build. This is a Ming Quy case and I have spent a bundle on this watch, mainly with movement problems. It's a 2846 and it has had it's a share of problems. Joey, I sent it to Mike if I remember right for another problem, I would have to go back and look at my old emails to get my facts correct. I may have asked him to try a genuine crystal, but as you said it wouldn't fit and he went back to a Clark, which should have worked, which it did as I wore the watch regularly for almost a year. Long story short, I need to get it fixed, that's why I posted this thread. I may get in touch with JMB and see if he can possibly make a new retaining ring that will fit a crystal tight enough to work. Looks like the only other alternative is to try different crystals and hope to find one that is thicker and fits. Any other suggestions appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbane883 Posted February 3, 2014 Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 Does the current crystal fit tight or loose on the case? I mean. Can you easily remove it without popping it off from inside or prying it up with a razor blade? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc33 Posted February 3, 2014 Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 In that case phong is my only suggestion, he has gen and rep crystals and retaining rings that are very gen like. I'm so sorry I didn't realize it was a high end build. Phong really is good at sorting stuff like that out I promise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted February 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 Dbane. I haven't tried getting the crystal off, but it doesn't appear to be loose. cc, I'll contact phong and see if he can help. Thanks for the help guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donerix 2.0 Posted February 3, 2014 Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 I have built a few 6542a (using the Silix case) and the Clark crystal always worked fine on these. If you can find one that has slightly thicker sidewalls you should be fine. Other option is that the retaining ring has just worn out over time. I got some of these from wholesaleoutlet on ebay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbane883 Posted February 3, 2014 Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 Seems to me then that the case was milled properly, but the retaining ring is now too wide. My guess is that a gen 116 will not be wide enuff either. The ring was either made incorrectly and/or was deformed by pressing it in a crystal that was to wide, there by permanently widening the ring(it's happened to me before on a gen 5513 ring). So, a cheap solution might be try an aftermarket 127. It should fit the case, but will be a bit tall. Hence, you could sand it down on a flat table with 600, until it's the same height as the 116. It should be slightly wider and hopefull fit snug with your current retaining ring. I'm fairly certain the 127 is a touch wider than the 116. Worth a try and experimenting with a $10 crystal is cheaper than getting a new ring custom made. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted February 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 That is a idea worth exploring. Thanks I actually believe that is what happened here, over time the crystal was changed out and trying to get it over a crystal that was really tight might have stretched it a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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