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Gen crown & tube installed on SMP chronograph


Martyd3

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Cant wait, just f%xked the crown yesterday from my SMP chrono.. :angry:;)

post-2855-1204665696_thumb.jpg

The finished product

A lot of this had been covered in other posts, but I will try to summarize what I did.

The rep tube, like the gen, is friction fit. I assume it is installed with some sort of press and the tube or case may be heated. I am not really sure about that though.

The gen tube is smaller than the rep tube, so it will need to be glued. I used Gorilla glue, which works very well.

Rather than removing the rep tube with a screw extractor (the only way to get it out), I choose to grind the rep tube flush with the case and then broached the hole using a drill bit that was slightly smaller than the gen tube (but larger than the hole with the rep tube still in place). The bit I used was approx. 2.3 mm.

You can actually ream out the hole by applying a little sideways pressure on the bit while moving it up and down it the hole. Be gentile and take your time. I used a cobalt bit and it cut quickly. What you end up with is a sleeve of metal (the old tube) that makes the hole the correct size. I was able to get the gen tube to fit snug in the case and actually press fit it using very little glue. Gorilla glue does expand, you do not need to use a lot of it and you do need to clamp the case/tube until the glue cures.

The only other thing I needed to do was to shorten the stem by a mm or two.

This method worked very well for me. Please keep in mind that I am not a watch doctor, nor do I claim to be an expert at this. I am just brazen enough to try to fix things myself.

My best piece of advice, take your time, work slowly, put your tools down and take a break if something is not working and DO NOT force parts together! Mechanical things, especially watches, do not respond well to this kind of treatment :)

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  • 3 months later...
I don't understand. I just got one last week, and I don't see any diiference between the gen and rep crown.

Did you repalce the date-wheel? The font on mine is crappy..

The issue is more than the appearance in this thread. The crown/tube cutting of the threads on the gen tube and crown is much better and at a different angle than the rep. This means that if you strip the threads on the rep crown/tube...the only fix is to upgrade to the gen, and this is a significant upgrade as the gen tube and crown thread together better.

You cannot upgrade to just a gen tube OR crown...they have to be done together.

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The issue is more than the appearance in this thread. The crown/tube cutting of the threads on the gen tube and crown is much better and at a different angle than the rep. This means that if you strip the threads on the rep crown/tube...the only fix is to upgrade to the gen, and this is a significant upgrade as the gen tube and crown thread together better.

You cannot upgrade to just a gen tube OR crown...they have to be done together.

My friendly repair guy has already replaced the stripped crown and tube, and the thread and operation of the screw-down crown is 100% improved, and it couldn't have been a genuine parts replacement, because it wasn't expensive enough!

My question related to the DW - here is where I've come unstuck. I'm actually getting used to it, but every time I see a photo of one with the correct font DW, I turn green..

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That's awesome! Gongrats! Did you do it yourself, or have someone do it for you? Original bezel insert?

Very nice :) :) :) I am looking at replacing my bezel with a gen from Ofrei. I have read in several places that this bezel is very difficult to remove, but I have not found any suggestions for it. Any tips for removing the bezel on this model?

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