Jump to content

How to open Helbros (France) case

gaseff

By gaseff
in Watch Repairs Help & Advice

 Share

Recommended Posts

gaseff Member

gaseff

Posted
Posted (edited)

There is no lip on the back case, don't think it pries off.  Note the watch back stands proud of the case by 1/8 of inch or so.

I pulled the crystal, and have put quite a bit of pressure on the stem - don't think it is split stem.  But, the dial is way to big too go out the back.

I bought a bezel removal tool, it does not move the face bezel at all.  

Any ideas?   Thanks!

 

 

WIN_20200303_17_06_43_Pro.jpg

WIN_20200303_17_07_05_Pro.jpg

WIN_20200303_17_07_45_Pro.jpg

WIN_20200303_17_09_21_Pro.jpg

Edited by gaseff
typo
Link to comment
Share on other sites
jdm Distinguished Member

jdm

Posted
Posted
13 hours ago, gaseff said:

There is no lip on the back case, don't think it pries off.

It does. Just go around it with a japanese type caseback tool, its tip may need to be sharpened a little. There are also lever type tools but doesn't look like it's needed for this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jdm Distinguished Member

jdm

Posted
Posted (edited)

I recommend againat using razor blades, very unsafe and no way to exert and control force without making some of handle. If a caseback knife is not available an x-type knife can work as well. 

Edited by jdm
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Nucejoe Distinguished Member

Nucejoe

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, jdm said:

I recommend againat using razor blades, very unsafe and no way to exert and control force without making some of handle. If a caseback knife is not available an x-type knife can work as well. 

Thanks for advice Jdm, that explains why I only got one finger left. 

  • Haha 2
  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • joelcarvajal
      Gamblin Gamsol for cleaning?

      By joelcarvajal · Posted

      Thank you all for the replies!  Very informative! True enough, the Gamsol took some time to evaporate and does leave a residue. So not all naphtha are created equal!  Need to find alternatives then. i was able to try Hexane recommended by Alex and it seems great.  I wonder what the cons are?
    • GuyMontag
      1972 Bulova President "E" Sea King 11ACACB movement

      By GuyMontag · Posted

      Yeah, I saw that in the tech sheet but I don't see how it can be adequately cleaned with the friction pinion still in place. I've accidentally pulled the arbor right out of the wheel once when I used a presto tool to try and remove it. Mark shows how he does it with the Platax tool. Those are a little too pricey for me so I got one of these from Aliexpress and I just push down on the arbor with the end of my brass tweezers. That usually gets it most of the way out and then I just grab the wheel with one hand the and the friction pinion with the other and gently rotate them until it pops off. Probably not the best way but it's seemed to work for me so far.    
    • Zedster
      Movement inserted from crytal side

      By Zedster · Posted

      Thanks, Jon Sounds like a plan. Obviously I'll have the face on so do you think gripping with the holder will create any problems, but I will check in the morning to see how feasible it is but I assume it only needs to be lightly held. As for holding the movement instead of the holder won't be possible in this scenario as one hand will be puling on the stem while the other pushes the spring down. That was my initial concern is how the hell can I do this with only one pair of hands. All the other times I've had to remove the stem hasn't been a problem, apart from the force required to release the stem from the setting lever, but now I need to fit the face and hands its sent me into panic mode. If it had the screw type release things would be a lot simpler but that's life 😀   Another thing I will need to consider is once the dial and hands are fitted and the movement is sitting in the case I will need to turn it over to put the case screws in. I saw a vid on Wristwatch revival where he lightly fitted the crystal and bezel so he could turn it over, is this the only option or is there another method?      
    • nevenbekriev
      Main spring

      By nevenbekriev · Posted

      Hi Jon, do You think that relation spring torque - amplitude is linear? I would rather guess that the amplitude should be proportional to the square of the torque. I had once idea to check it, but still haven't.
    • ManSkirtBrew
      1972 Bulova President "E" Sea King 11ACACB movement

      By ManSkirtBrew · Posted

      I did not. I thought about it, but I had cleaned it in my ultrasonic, and the tech sheet shows lubricating it in place already assembled, so I figured discretion was the better part of valor. Although since I have to depth the jewels anyway, maybe I pull the pinion off to rule it out 100% as part of the problem. Do you know if there's a safe way to do it? I don't want to use a puller because it would push down on the plane of the wheel, and that seems like a Bad Idea. I thought about using a roller table remover, but I don't think I have a hole stake pointy enough to push it down.
×
×
  • Create New...