Crystal Installation

[kritz]

I'm about to buy a crystal for a Pam 111h.

I have see the instructions on how to pop out the old one.

I assume the new one will "pop" in also.

do I need some type of adhesive to hold it in??

Edited July 17, 2006 by kritz

[Finepics]

No Adhesive needed. The crystal is held in with a nylon "I" ring which is located in a groove in the bezel. This will stay put when you remove the old crystal so just press the new one in. make sure you line it up and press evenly.

[ravishingrick]

I am not an expert on this subject but what I know about crystal installation is that the crystal don't simply pop in.

Crystals fit very tight to the bezel, this is needed for the watch to be waterproof under pressure. The crystals fit so tight that they need to be pressed using a crystal press. You also need some skill and experience to select the right dice for the crystal you are going to install, further more you need to be able to align the crystal perfectly to the bezel. My watch guy charges about 20 euro to do the job, I guess the most will charge similar.

If you want to do it yourself because you like tinkering with watches and plan to make this a serious hobby first invest in a good crystal press and practice on some cheap watches and only attempt to replace your PAM crystal if you can accept the consequences of ruining a hand, a dial or a crystal... If the replacement of your crystal is a one timer take it to your watch guy...

Here another members experience on D.I.Y. crystal replacement, the right tools and some comments by an experience d watch smith... Hope it helps.

http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showto...l=crystal+press

[sssurfer]

I also seem to remember that the gasket on which the crystal sits, and that seals the crystal, is made of teflon -- at least this is what my watchsmith told me.

[kritz]

I am not an expert on this subject but what I know about crystal installation is that the crystal don't simply pop in.

Crystals fit very tight to the bezel, this is needed for the watch to be waterproof under pressure. The crystals fit so tight that they need to be pressed using a crystal press. You also need some skill and experience to select the right dice for the crystal you are going to install, further more you need to be able to align the crystal perfectly to the bezel. My watch guy charges about 20 euro to do the job, I guess the most will charge similar.

If you want to do it yourself because you like tinkering with watches and plan to make this a serious hobby first invest in a good crystal press and practice on some cheap watches and only attempt to replace your PAM crystal if you can accept the consequences of ruining a hand, a dial or a crystal... If the replacement of your crystal is a one timer take it to your watch guy...

Here another members experience on D.I.Y. crystal replacement, the right tools and some comments by an experience d watch smith... Hope it helps.

http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showto...l=crystal+press

wow - thanks

I scratched my mineral crystal pretty bad -

I found what is supposed to be a sappire one at a reasonable price....

maybe I ought to wait until I can find a proper pinion - and do it all at once.

Thanks again

[sssurfer]

I found what is supposed to be a sappire one at a reasonable price....

Wow, please share where you found it as this is valuable info to many members (me included )!

So far I know exclusive_discount_uk , x-jewelry, and jimmyzfu. All from eBay.

exclusive_discount_uk (i.e. Homer): great quality at great price. But you have to buy the whole case along with the crystal.

x-jewelry: 10 USD + 12 USD s/h. ---> Got glass, not sapphire.

jimmyzfu: great quality at good price.

[ravishingrick]

So far I know exclusive_discount_uk , x-jewelry, and jimmyzfu. All from eBay.

jimmyzfu: great quality at good price.

Could you describe jimmy's crystal in more detail. I bought a crystal from jimmy a year ago for a friend. At the time the crystal was advertised as sapphire but was tested by my watch smith to be mineral crystal. It had a hardness of 3.5 while sapphire has a hardness of 9. It also looked cheap, like clear glass to me, no A.R. what so ever. This was a year ago maybe he has changed his tune. I would really like to know what the experience is of other members on jimmy's crystal. BTW: His other parts are of marvelous quality..

I have bought all his parts for a project PAM, case, bezel, CG and palp crown and wanted to fit a davidsen crystal, but it won't fit jimmy's case. The davidsen crystal is 35.5 yet jimmy's case and bezel take a 36mm crystal. Only 0.5mm of difference but the gap is to great, the crystal flops right through the bezel.... I have two options.. to go with a all jimmy configuration (inc crystal)., or to keep the rep case with davidsen crystal...

[kritz]

Could you describe jimmy's crystal in more detail. I bought a crystal from jimmy a year ago for a friend. At the time the crystal was advertised as sapphire but was tested by my watch smith to be mineral crystal. It had a hardness of 3.5 while sapphire has a hardness of 9. It also looked cheap, like clear glass to me, no A.R. what so ever. This was a year ago maybe he has changed his tune. I would really like to know what the experience is of other members on jimmy's crystal. BTW: His other parts are of marvelous quality..

I have bought all his parts for a project PAM, case, bezel, CG and palp crown and wanted to fit a davidsen crystal, but it won't fit jimmy's case. The davidsen crystal is 35.5 yet jimmy's case and bezel take a 36mm crystal. Only 0.5mm of difference but the gap is to great, the crystal flops right through the bezel.... I have two options.. to go with a all jimmy configuration (inc crystal)., or to keep the rep case with davidsen crystal...

I was going to buy from x-jewelry - The page said it is crystal!

[sssurfer]

@ ravishingrick: ugh, actually jimmyzfu's was the only one I did not try on my own. I was speaking on what I heard from other members' experiences. On what you say, now I wonder whether they were including jimmy's crystals in those experiences.

On the other hand, the crystal I got from exclusive_discount_uk along with their case is a gorgeous one, thick, and AR coated. Even my watchsmith (who is fitting the new sapphire cyclops on it to reassemble my 028A) complimented about it. I have not it in my hand right now (I should have it again tomorrow), but I am quite positive it was 35.5 mm.

@ kritz: stay away from x-jewelry! Even better, do a search here and look.

I am going to file a dispute on them, or to leave a negative feedback at least, as soon as I'll be done with the mail exchanging with them about the issue.

From them I got a class crystal (tested with 4 different tests, including thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity with proper tools), thin, and even low-quality as a glass (lots of whitish inclusions). Barely usable even as a glass crystal.

And yes, it was advertised as sapphire.

Btw: even the advertised gasket was missing.