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Bezel won't snap on

arron

By arron
in Watch Repairs Help & Advice

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arron WRT Addict

arron

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Good evening,

I have two Ingraham Biltmore dollar pocket watches that i took the bezels off of but for the life of me I cannot get them to snap back on.  I tried to hook one side of the bezel to the case and then put finger pressure on the other side but the hooked side always comes off.  I have tried applying some pressure using a crystal press but that didn't help.  Does anyone know the trick to getting the bezel back on (btw the back of the case snaps back on fairly easily).  Thank you.  Arron.  

biltmore bezel.jpg

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oldhippy Distinguished Member

oldhippy

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Are you trying the correct bezel for the correct case? Even pressure is the answer, look closely at the bezel and case to see if there is any mark that gives you a clue to the correct place it fits. Is the bezel bent this will prevent it from fitting correctly.  

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arron WRT Addict

arron

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Hi OH.  I am trying the correct bezel.  I threw the other bezel in the picture because it's having the same problem on a similar model PW.  The bezels are both unremarkable so they are not giving me any clues.  I was thinking about heating up the parts with some warm water to see if that would help anything.  Then maybe trying to grease one size of the bezel to reduce friction.  Hopefully I'll get'er figured out.  Have a nice day.  Arron.

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jdm Distinguished Member

jdm

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1 hour ago, arron said:

 I was thinking about heating up the parts with some warm water to see if that would help anything.

That won't do anything, a much higher temperature would be needed, but that is guaranteed to ruin the part. To press in a tight fit on soft metal one needs precisely shaped dies which will not mar the part, like nylon or delrin, and perfect alignment under a screw type press.

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arron WRT Addict

arron

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With John's advice I went back to the press and pressed with more confidence this time and the bezel made a cracking noise (not sure if that is good) and the bezel went on.  I don't see any actual cracks anywhere so hopefully it's good.  Thanks John and everyone who chimed in.  I really appreciate it.  

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mikepilk Distinguished Member

mikepilk

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On 8/24/2021 at 5:08 AM, arron said:

With John's advice I went back to the press and pressed with more confidence this time and the bezel made a cracking noise (not sure if that is good) and the bezel went on.  I don't see any actual cracks anywhere so hopefully it's good.  Thanks John and everyone who chimed in.  I really appreciate it.  

Just be careful if you have a solid gold case. I made the mistake of trying to press a bezel on to a gold Longines case, pushed a bit too hard, and distorted it badly. 

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