Glued on crystal for a front loader?

[Lotus]

Hey guys, I've had this Timex Red Dot skindiver for a while now and have just gotten the tools to start to crack it open, namely a crystal remover/inserter. I tried to remove the crystal to take out the movement, but no matter how hard I pull or twist on the remover, or how firmly the claws are stuck on the sides of the crystal, it will not come off. This leads me to believe the crystal is glued into place. It could be possible, given this is a cheap timex and they are famously known to be hard to service. If it is glued, how would I remove it, given I have no access to the inside? Thanks for the help!

[watchweasol]

Hi not impossible that its glued in, usually front loaders either the crystal comes off with the bezel intact or via a crystal lift.  I have had some glued in with UV cement and Hypo cement  try a little warm water round the edge or spirit to soften it up if its glued  then use the lift.  Which lift do you have.  I assume its the claw type

 

 

 

 

 

[Lotus]

3 hours ago, watchweasol said:

Which lift do you have.  I assume its the claw type

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, I have the claw type. I will try the warm water to soften the glue.

[HectorLooi]

If your claw tool is one of the Chinese or Indian made ones, the tool might not be performing properly.

I had both the Chinese and Indian made ones previously. They work ok for a few times, then they start to require more and more force to work until something fails.

I finally got a vintage Vigor claw tool from eBay and could not believe the difference. 

Timexes are very different from regular watches but once you get the hang of it, it's actually quite simple.

I hope our resident Timex expert, @JerseyMo, reads this post. He'll be the best person to advise you. And he seems to have an inexhaustible stash of Timex spare parts.

Good luck! 

[JerseyMo]

On 12/25/2022 at 7:30 PM, Lotus said:

. It could be possible, given this is a cheap timex and they are famously known to be hard to service. If it is glued, how would I remove it, given I have no access to the inside? Thanks for the help!

"Cheap Timex" and "Hard to service"?  Them's figthin words partner!   I may have worked on one or two or 5000 vintage Timex and will say with 100% confidence that from the factory no glue used on crystals. The red dot diver has a very low profile crystal and it requires the use of a crystal wrench to lift off.  Or you can use the internal air pressure method. I'll let you research that one. Before adding some additional tips for the red dot.