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How to take the crystal off


Feta1

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I have a black faced rollie daydate that all of a sudden has this "speck of something" on the crystal. I tried to get it off and it does not budge, so I am thinking it might be on the other side of the crystal. Because the watch is a black face the "speck" stands out like a sore thumb. Can someone walk me thru how to pop the crystal off or point me to were there might be directions?

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A fair competent watchmaker could do it in a couple of minutes for say $10. To do it yourself, you need the Rolex caseback tool (duct tape isn't really an option, IMO) and a 1.2mm screw driver. Open the back, take out the crown/stem, remove the hold down tabs and out comes the movement. Clean the crystal and put the watch back together in reverse order. Gioarmani recently posted a tutorial in the Rolex section on modding the crown guards where he shows you how to remove the crown/stem, after that, reomving the tabs is idiot simple and there are other tutorials around here also showing you what to do- just keep reading and searching.

Finding a rep friendly watchmaker is certainly worth the time and effort, especially if you don't want to buy the tools. It'll also make this hobby more enjoyable if you keep buying watches.

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A fair competent watchmaker could do it in a couple of minutes for say $10. To do it yourself, you need the Rolex caseback tool (duct tape isn't really an option, IMO) and a 1.2mm screw driver. Open the back, take out the crown/stem, remove the hold down tabs and out comes the movement. Clean the crystal and put the watch back together in reverse order. Gioarmani recently posted a tutorial in the Rolex section on modding the crown guards where he shows you how to remove the crown/stem, after that, reomving the tabs is idiot simple and there are other tutorials around here also showing you what to do- just keep reading and searching.

Finding a rep friendly watchmaker is certainly worth the time and effort, especially if you don't want to buy the tools. It'll also make this hobby more enjoyable if you keep buying watches.

Yeah I can't get this darn case back off to save the life of me... where can I get the tool?

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Guest carlsbadrolex

If you have more than one replica Rolex... its best to get the case opener. But plan to spend some money on it. The cheap ones are around $40.

If you should happen to find a vintage genuine Rolex case opener... plan to spend ALOT of money on it. I paid $200 for my RCO100 in 1994 and I have seen them for twice that recently.

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I have a black faced rollie daydate that all of a sudden has this "speck of something" on the crystal. I tried to get it off and it does not budge, so I am thinking it might be on the other side of the crystal. Because the watch is a black face the "speck" stands out like a sore thumb. Can someone walk me thru how to pop the crystal off or point me to were there might be directions?

As others have stated, going at this from the back of the case might be the preferred method if you can open the case. However, removal of the crystal isn't that difficult if you have a single edge razor blade and a crystal press. Insert the edge of the blade between the case and bezel and press in until it stops. Work your way around the bezel lifting as you go. Once the bezel is free, the crystal and crystal gasket ring can easily be lifted from the watch. After cleaning the crystal, you reinstall it and the plastic gasket ring onto the case by pressing it into place. Install the bezel over the crystal and using a crystal press with the die to fit the bezel, press it until it clicks into place taking care not to contact the crystal.

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