Replacing armoured crystal in a front loading watch case…

[Zendoc]

Hello All,

I’m replacing the crystal in an Omega Dynamic, # 165.039, which houses a cal 552, installed through the front of the case.

The replacement Sterncreuz crystal is, like the original, with tension ring.

I removed the crystal using a compressed air technique to pop it out.  (I have a crystal lift, but I’m always fearful of marking the crystal edges and so avoid using it as much as possible).

Now to the replacement -  any tips on putting the crystal back in?  Am I obliged to using my dreaded crystal lift to complete the task, or how about a crystal press?  I’ve put lots of crystals in using a press, but never with the movement in the watch. The thought of using one with a front-loader makes me very nervous, with the fully assembled watch sitting under the press.

How would more experienced folks proceed here?

Any advice, gratefully received…

John

Down Under…

[Curare]

Hi John

I just did a Seiko Lord-Matic a front loader without a split stem, I used a crystal lift to remove it, although I had to have it that tight I though I was going to break the lift before the crystal would budge. So I decided that the press would be a better option as I think crystals with tension rings resist a lot of compressing.

I used a crystal press to repalce it and the bezel with no issues, obviuosly a different watch to the Omega.

I just took my time and kept inspecting the installation progress bit by bit

Regards

CJ

[Waggy]

I am pretty sure the correct practice to insert a tensioned crystal is to use a crystal press - although I always hate doing it as one slip and the crystal can skid across your dial, this happened to me on a Tissot, mangled all the hands and scratched the dial down to bare metal. I much prefer to remove the bezel and install the crystal into the bezel and then the bezel back onto the watch, not sure if this is an option for you?

[oldhippy]

The correct tool is a crystal press. The popular crystal lift isn't made to fit tension ring crystals. 

[Zendoc]

Thank you for your reply, Curare.  You offer me hope ! Yes, my experience is that crystals with a tension ring require a very heavy screw down on the crystal lift - I’ve cracked a couple.  I think I’ll use a press to install the new crystal and keep my fingers and toes crossed that I don’t mash the underlying dial and movement.

Waggy - there’s no bezel on this particular omega case and the movement loads from the front (there’s a spit stem), so the only option is to directly fit the crystal into the case with the movement in place.  And what happened to you could so easily happen to me!  I have woken in my sleep, heart racing,  seeing the fragments of smashed crystal gouging the dial and mangling the hands!

I’m hoping someone who has worked on an Omega Dynamic might have some direct experience and will let me know how they managed the surgery.

Thanks to all.

Cheers,

John

 

Oldhippy - thanks for your comment.  So, you’d just go ahead and place the crystal using a press, movement in situ, in the case?  OK - that’s what I’ll do.  

Cheers,

John

[Waggy]

2 hours ago, Zendoc said:

 I have woken in my sleep, heart racing,  seeing the fragments of smashed crystal gouging the dial and mangling the hands!

Definetly one of these moments:

[Malocchio]

With a crystal wrench you should be able to insert armoured crystals in addition to removing them. I have this Seiko S-14 but I have only removed one crystal so far. Btw that went really smooth. A lot more comfortable than the brass jaw lift.

[Neverenoughwatches]

52 minutes ago, Waggy said:

Definetly one of these moments:

Lol, i remember watching that for the first time and thinking   Indiana there is no way that small bag of sand weighs the same as the gold statue

[oldhippy]

I had two different tension ring tools one was screw down the other was press I liked the press better. Just to let you know how well my workshop was equipped I even had the Omega glass fitting tool and the Tissot. 

[Zendoc]

Oldhippy - I see you’ve used all approaches then.  I too have a screw down press and a lever press here, but I’ve had more practice using the screw down. I wonder, though, whether I might be able to be a little more controlled and gentle with the lever style press?  Not sure, I guess I’ll find out, but not until the moment of truth, when the die and the crystal meet under pressure, just a few millimetres from the dial and hands.  Yikes.  This is an adventure