Baume & Mercier - Removing Stem

[sstakoff]

Working on a B&M Capeland GMT Alarm. The watch has 2 stems. One for the typical winding/time setting functions and the other for the alarm mechanism.

I removed the standard stem with no issues. The second stem is giving me quite a tough time. I release the stem by pressing the set lever. The stem comes loose, but it gets stuck in the case tube! Best I can guess is that the tube has somehow become slightly crimped or bent. I removed the trainwheel bridge as seen in the pic. I am able to slide the stem out enough to remove the sliding pinion, but not enough  to remove the winding pinion. I cannot remove the movement in this state, so I'm kind of stuck and looking for advice.

I think a last resort would be to cut the stem, remove the movement and then work on fixing the stem tube, but I really don't like that idea!!

Stu...

 

 

[oldhippy]

Undo the screws that hold the ring that supports the movement in the case and see if that helps.

[sstakoff]

Undo the screws that hold the ring that supports the movement in the case and see if that helps.

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Already removed the case clamps. There is no additional ring. Unable to work the movement out as it gets caught on that stem. Ugh.

[oldhippy]

Is it a push down piece or undo a screw to take out the stem. If a screw completely undo it. 

[Cad101]

Get a pair of needle pliers grip the thread of the stem and unscrew the crown hopefully you will be able to remove movement out of the case.

[oldhippy]

16 minutes ago, Cad101 said:

Get a pair of needle pliers grip the thread of the stem and unscrew the crown hopefully you will be able to remove movement out of the case.

If you do that just be careful not to damage the thread on the stem.

[Cad101]

Hopefully he would only cause any damage to the un-used thread of the stem.

[sstakoff]

Even if I took the crown off the stem I cannot lift or tilt the movement enough to remove it. Taking the crown off will offer me a better view into the tube to see what the issue is. I may try that. I'm concerned about twisting the stem though. I normally secure the stem with a pin vise on the stem boss to remove a crown. In this case I'd need to secure the stem by gripping the square end. The torque may distort the stem since I'm gripping further down.

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[ro63rto]

Is that an AS5008 movement?

[sstakoff]

It might be - I don't see any AS marking on the movement near the balance. I think it might be a 5008. I've seen mention of a GP59 in the description on another website. The Baume/Mercier ref is 65322 - Capeland GMT alarm.

[sstakoff]

I may try applying some grease or oil to the boss of the stem. I don't think it will work, but worth a shot. When pulling out, it doesn't feel like it's tight or being squeezed by the crown tube. Rather, it feels like it hits a sudden stop.

[Cad101]

Is there an inner case ring that has somehow become twisted blocking the hole I cant tell on your photo.

[sstakoff]

No inner case ring. There's plenty of play in the stem itself. It is clearly getting hung up in the crown tube. 100% certain

[sstakoff]

It's odd because the watch overall is in very good condition. I measured the crown tube with a vernier in several positions to see if it was crimped, but it appears to be very well in the round at 2mm. I purchased the watch on ebay in non-working order at a very attractive price. When I opened it, one of the blue screws that secures the automatic work was out of place, wedged between the barrel and the case. Once I plucked that out, the watch came to life. It does need a cleaning, so that's my motivation for removing the movement. Generally I'm not a case person - so not sure if the crown tube is pressed in and can be replaced. I assume it is... Any views on that?

[vinn3]

it  sounds like someones been in there before you.  you need a tech. drawing with instructions.

[dadistic]

I'm thinking that a bent stem could catch in the case tube, maybe you could spin the crown and stem while looking closely?

[sstakoff]

Tried that. Stem looks good. Have tried rotating while pulling. Also when stem fully inserted and locked by the set lever the crown rotates with no wobble. Frustrating!

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[sstakoff]

Finally!!! I used a bit more force as was able to remove the stem. Inside the crown tube there is a bit of a flaking of the wall which was causing the stem to bind. Also, not helping the situation is that someone used some type of adhesive - likely when they installed the crystal. Some of this adhesive seeped into the case proper and essentially attached the movement side to the case. After the stem was out I was able to work the movement out without problem. I suspect that if the adhesive was not there I may have been able to wiggle the movement out of the case with the stem still partially inserted.

Anyway - thanks to all who offered their suggestions!

Stu

[oldhippy]

Thank goodness you finely got there. Now you can keep all on here with how your repair goes. Well done.

[sstakoff]

Forgot to mention that prior to applying additional force I put some 9010 on the stem boss. Not sure if it helped but it didn't hurt!

My next challenge will be figuring out the appropriate lubricants to use in reassembly. Does anyone know if there's an oiling chart for the AS5008 or similar????

Stu

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[ro63rto]

www.awci.com/wp-content/uploads/watch-tech-guides/Maurice-Lacroix/ML-5008.pdf

[sstakoff]

Excellent. Thanks so much. That's really helpful.

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