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The Bulova pictured is identical to the one I have, I just don’t have it on me right now. The case appears to be a screw off, not a front loader. But it is stuck VERY tightly. There is a lot of gunk and buildup, so who knows how much force has to be applied to open it. 
 

i just want to make sure there is nothing I’m missing - I see the little notch at 12 o’clock…is this significant in opening the case? I can’t imagine what it’s for. I would try my old socket wrench and super glue technique, but I worry about placing too much pressure on the lugs and breaking them. Any help would be much appreciated!

FF0D4B02-F8D6-45EA-909D-80FD9F155AF2.png

7CBAB1AA-1CAE-41FD-A66B-14F06126D25A.png

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19 minutes ago, grsnovi said:

I'd start with something like this.

something like this.jpg

Thank you, sorry I should have mentioned I’ve already tried the conventional methods. It’s stuck so tight that a regular case back opener hasn’t helped. Nor has a rubber ball. The case back opener slips right off. 

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This is a 2 part caseback. The outer retaining ring has threads to engage the watchcase. The centre is a stainless steel plate that has a spur that sits in the notch you mentioned. 

Do not try the glued on nut trick. It won't work on this kind of caseback.

If the retaining ring is gunked up with organic matter, WD40 doesn't work very well. Use a wet toothbrush to clean off as much gunk as you can and let the water soften up the gunk trapped in the screw threads. If you see any signs of rust, then a squirt of WD40 will help.

Try to open it with your caseback opener again. Make sure the jaws sit fully into the notches. A watch case holder also helps.

Hopefully you won't need the tool below.

https://www.cousinsuk.com/product/universal-case-back-tool-bergeon-5700z-swiss

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16 minutes ago, HectorLooi said:

This is a 2 part caseback. The outer retaining ring has threads to engage the watchcase. The centre is a stainless steel plate that has a spur that sits in the notch you mentioned. 

Do not try the glued on nut trick. It won't work on this kind of caseback.

If the retaining ring is gunked up with organic matter, WD40 doesn't work very well. Use a wet toothbrush to clean off as much gunk as you can and let the water soften up the gunk trapped in the screw threads. If you see any signs of rust, then a squirt of WD40 will help.

Try to open it with your caseback opener again. Make sure the jaws sit fully into the notches. A watch case holder also helps.

Hopefully you won't need the tool below.

https://www.cousinsuk.com/product/universal-case-back-tool-bergeon-5700z-swiss

Thank you!! If I’m able to loosen the outer retaining ring after cleaning with a toothbrush like you mentioned, is there anything that needs to be done with the center steel plate and the notch?

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18 minutes ago, Watcherwoman said:

Thank you!! If I’m able to loosen the outer retaining ring after cleaning with a toothbrush like you mentioned, is there anything that needs to be done with the center steel plate and the notch?

No. The centre plate just lifts off.

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42 minutes ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Eyup Hector ( hello how you doin 😉  ) can i ask why the glued on nut trick wont work here on this if its a screw on caseback ? 

because the case back does not unscrew. so using that method using the ball would all be a waste of time because all you going to do is break the case back if you try to unscrew it. Then the conventional case wrenches is a mistake especially if you type net tight as you'll just damage the case back. You can use a conventional ranch if you grasp what you're doing but you're probably still do a scratch things up you really need a special case opening tool.

By the way this back is actually quite common for Bulova it's the standard back found in most of their tuning fork watches and it comes in two separate sizes.

I'll see if I have a picture lurking in the meantime I found a picture of the wrench found in the servicing manual for the tuning fork watch and a picture of the ring found in the parts list for that watch. You have to get the ring off if you want the back off.

if not going to find this inside your case but the picture of on the left the wrong type of wrench to use the proper type on the right and why anything trying to remove the back is a waste of time because the back is a little notch and even if you could screw the back itself you still have to get that ring off.

then everything am showing as for the normal size ring there is a different looking wrench for the smaller ring found in the ladies version of this watch. But this will give you an idea.

Then in case you think this is unique ever buyout a watchmaker you might find old boxer drawer filled with peculiar wrenches like this because there are lots of peculiar case back set come off in peculiar ways. Then not just the case back casing can just get really interesting as there are so many variations.

Bulova locking ring.JPG

Bulova case ranch.JPG

Bulova case ring.JPG

Bulova case tools to use and not.JPG

Bulova service kit.JPG

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51 minutes ago, JohnR725 said:

 

because the case back does not unscrew. so using that method using the ball would all be a waste of time because all you going to do is break the case back if you try to unscrew it. Then the conventional case wrenches is a mistake especially if you type net tight as you'll just damage the case back. You can use a conventional ranch if you grasp what you're doing but you're probably still do a scratch things up you really need a special case opening tool.

By the way this back is actually quite common for Bulova it's the standard back found in most of their tuning fork watches and it comes in two separate sizes.

I'll see if I have a picture lurking in the meantime I found a picture of the wrench found in the servicing manual for the tuning fork watch and a picture of the ring found in the parts list for that watch. You have to get the ring off if you want the back off.

if not going to find this inside your case but the picture of on the left the wrong type of wrench to use the proper type on the right and why anything trying to remove the back is a waste of time because the back is a little notch and even if you could screw the back itself you still have to get that ring off.

then everything am showing as for the normal size ring there is a different looking wrench for the smaller ring found in the ladies version of this watch. But this will give you an idea.

Then in case you think this is unique ever buyout a watchmaker you might find old boxer drawer filled with peculiar wrenches like this because there are lots of peculiar case back set come off in peculiar ways. Then not just the case back casing can just get really interesting as there are so many variations.

Bulova locking ring.JPG

Bulova case ranch.JPG

Bulova case ring.JPG

Bulova case tools to use and not.JPG

Bulova service kit.JPG

Thanks John. Strangly enough i have my father's lcd 1970s Sekonda that has a caseback retaining ring. I did manage to remove the back using a Jaxa caseback tool and shaped the removal pins to suit the notches but it wasnt easy. I would have loved to get it working but someone years ago had tried to change the battery and damaged the inside. Here is a picture if you are interested. 

20220624_072527.jpg

20220624_072510.jpg

20220624_072413.jpg

20220624_072354.jpg

16560521068972366540636839223659.jpg

4 hours ago, Watcherwoman said:

Thank you!! If I’m able to loosen the outer retaining ring after cleaning with a toothbrush like you mentioned, is there anything that needs to be done with the center steel plate and the notch?

If it is like the one in the picture ive just posted of my father's sekonda, once the ring is undone the plate will just lift off. Be careful putting the ring back on, its a real pain and will cross thread itself quite easily. Back up the ring until you hear or feel the ring locate onto its first threads. 👍

Edited by Neverenoughwatches
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2 hours ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

I would have loved to get it working but someone years ago had tried to change the battery and damaged the inside. Here is a picture if you are interested. 

it's a shame about not functioning but a lot of the early electric watches don't function. Then yes I definitely like two see the inside of watches. Always a minor irritation of people not showing is pictures of watches in a watch repair discussion group. Like somehow were supposed to know what the inside of every watch in the universe looks like.

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2 hours ago, JohnR725 said:

it's a shame about not functioning but a lot of the early electric watches don't function. Then yes I definitely like two see the inside of watches. Always a minor irritation of people not showing is pictures of watches in a watch repair discussion group. Like somehow were supposed to know what the inside of every watch in the universe looks like.

And here is me thinking that you did know what the inside of every watch in the universe looks like 🙂.  Do you think that there are watches on the wrists of extra terrestrials 🧝‍♂️ , i like to think so.

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4 hours ago, JohnR725 said:

 Like somehow were supposed to know what the inside of every watch in the universe looks like.

You know, it would be rather fun to put together a post full of nothing but pictures of rare or unique watch movements.  Like maybe an Omega with the co-axial escapement. And the movement of a Seiko Spring Drive.  And maybe also a Grasset pocket watch with a helical mainspring.  Or maybe even a style of quickset movement, like the PUW 663S, that have a kind of "power-take-off" shaft running through the movement at an angle to drive the day-date functions.  Just pictures and more pictures of unusual and ingenious movements which not all of us may recognize and know about.  It would be a pleasant time waster, but also educational.

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4 hours ago, KarlvonKoln said:

You know, it would be rather fun to put together a post full of nothing but pictures of rare or unique watch movements.  Like maybe an Omega with the co-axial escapement. And the movement of a Seiko Spring Drive.  And maybe also a Grasset pocket watch with a helical mainspring.  Or maybe even a style of quickset movement, like the PUW 663S, that have a kind of "power-take-off" shaft running through the movement at an angle to drive the day-date functions.  Just pictures and more pictures of unusual and ingenious movements which not all of us may recognize and know about.  It would be a pleasant time waster, but also educational.

Brilliant idea. Any pictures that anyone can find so not limited to movements actually worked on by forum members. Or beginners may struggle to come up with much. Or actual worked on movements. ? If so then I have a compilation of the world's shittyest movements ever made 😆 

Edited by Neverenoughwatches
Couldnt work out how to spell shittyest, shitest, shittiest, shitist, shiteyestist. 🤷‍♂️.
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