$tingray Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 Sorry if this been asked before but I'm looking for some tips and hints regarding reshaping the crown guards. I honestly have tried to use the search function but no luck... Tx in advance /J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 Yeh, I hate it when the Search feature treats you like an idiot! Shaping cg's is really pretty easy. You need some basic tools, case back opener, 1.2mm screwdriver, a rat tail file, and a small flat file ot two, wet/dry sandpaper, 320/400/600/1000 and some type of polishing compound. First, open the case, remove the crown and stem by depressing the button next to the stem w/ the 1.2mm screwdriver (nothing smaller or you risk screwing up tje keyless works), remove the movt holddown tabs and screws and remove the movt and dial from the case. Next, you have to decide if you're going to remove the case tube, or mask around it. If you're going to remove it, jamb that rat tail file in there and turn counterclockwise to unscrew it. Next, either pop off the bezel or if it's a noob, where the bezel almost can't be removed, mask over it. Take your small files and file the inside bottom edges of the cg's to make them straighter and more perpendicular. It's a good idea to have some pics of gens to look at as you do this. Go slowly and from time to time put the crown back in place to see where you stand. Once you're about where you need to be, start using the wet dry and progress from 320 to 1000. After that use your polishing compound and get it back to shiny. When you're reinstalling the case tube, use some lock-tite as you're threading it back in there. Clean up the case and reinstall the movement. Greasing the o-rings w/ silicone as you go along will help with making your watch more WR. Check the watch repair section for more tips, but some of this stuff hasn't been covered in a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
$tingray Posted July 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 Yeh, I hate it when the Search feature treats you like an idiot! Shaping cg's is really pretty easy. You need some basic tools, case back opener, 1.2mm screwdriver, a rat tail file, and a small flat file ot two, wet/dry sandpaper, 320/400/600/1000 and some type of polishing compound. First, open the case, remove the crown and stem by depressing the button next to the stem w/ the 1.2mm screwdriver (nothing smaller or you risk screwing up tje keyless works), remove the movt holddown tabs and screws and remove the movt and dial from the case. Next, you have to decide if you're going to remove the case tube, or mask around it. If you're going to remove it, jamb that rat tail file in there and turn counterclockwise to unscrew it. Next, either pop off the bezel or if it's a noob, where the bezel almost can't be removed, mask over it. Take your small files and file the inside bottom edges of the cg's to make them straighter and more perpendicular. It's a good idea to have some pics of gens to look at as you do this. Go slowly and from time to time put the crown back in place to see where you stand. Once you're about where you need to be, start using the wet dry and progress from 320 to 1000. After that use your polishing compound and get it back to shiny. When you're reinstalling the case tube, use some lock-tite as you're threading it back in there. Clean up the case and reinstall the movement. Greasing the o-rings w/ silicone as you go along will help with making your watch more WR. Check the watch repair section for more tips, but some of this stuff hasn't been covered in a while. MANY thanks Alligoat just the input I needed. Could it be illustrated like this? If the red coulor showing the new lines and the yellow material that should be removed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crystalcranium Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 Next, you have to decide if you're going to remove the case tube, or mask around it. If you're going to remove it, jamb that rat tail file in there and turn counterclockwise to unscrew it. I found that the right size star head screwdriver bit from your typical "multi screwdriver bit kits" fits into the case tube drive gearing almost perfectly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 You really need to remove the tube as you need to remove some metal under the bezel. Gen :: Gen :: Rep Mine look like this: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuDro Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 Pug...Thanks for the great side-by-side comparison photos! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 Yep, I agree with you Pug about removing the tube. Although on the last two noobs, I did not remove the tube or the bezel, and just masked w/ tape. Stingray, I'm only removing material from the dial side of the crown guards and typically only at the two bottom inside corners. I have removed material from the case at the 3 o'clock edge, but only to straighten up the bottom line- too much, and you end up w/ too much of a gap between the crown and the case. But a little gap on the vintage subs is ok. Removing material from the outside edges of the crown guards isn't something I've gotten into yet. But in the case of the 1680 like Pug's it certainly is a worthwhile undertaking. One of the problems with vintage MBW/WM cg's is that they are too fat when compared to gen cg's from the 70's. If I had to guess, I'd say the first gen pic of Pugs is from a 70's sub case, and the second is maybe an example of 60's square cg's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
$tingray Posted July 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 Thanks for the the input, all Pug, nice side by side pic! Will be usefull in the future ... /J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fitmic Posted July 18, 2007 Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 Please call me stupid. I still can't tell a rep from a gen by looking at the crown guards. What am I missing? I am eager to learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted July 18, 2007 Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 There are too many variations (some very subtle) to be able to explain them all here. But, in many cases, the main problem is the width and shape of the bottom of the CG (where it slopes into the case). If you look at the crowns on a gen & rep of the same model side by side, you will usually see that the lower half of the rep's crown is covered by the lower curve of the CG. On the gen watch, either there is a tiny bit of space between the crown and the edge of the CG or the CG covers less of the crown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
$tingray Posted July 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 Tutorial! It Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted July 23, 2007 Report Share Posted July 23, 2007 Torx head screwdriver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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