Watch back.

[sunnyside]

I have encountered a problem with a screw that holds the back on to a ladies gem Ingersoll watch. I purchased the watch as new and it still has all the protective film on the glass and back. I suspect that the person I purchased it from may have attempted to remove the back to put a new battery in and has chewed up one of the screws a bit. The question is if I fail to get the screw out with a screwdriver what other options are open to me for removing the screw. 

[WileyDave]

3 hours ago, sunnyside said:

I have encountered a problem with a screw that holds the back on to a ladies gem Ingersoll watch. I purchased the watch as new and it still has all the protective film on the glass and back. I suspect that the person I purchased it from may have attempted to remove the back to put a new battery in and has chewed up one of the screws a bit. The question is if I fail to get the screw out with a screwdriver what other options are open to me for removing the screw. 

Does it look like this? Since you mentioned "one of the screws" I am assuming there is more than one. These are not very robust and can be stripped too easily, perhaps previous owner did not follow, righty tighty, lefty loosey rule.

I would try a flat bladed screwdriver, (small enough to span the distance between original phillips) there might be enough bite to get it out, unless it's completely rounded off. Maybe someone else with more experience will chime in. Hope that helps you, I know I didn't answer your question. (about options).

[sunnyside]

Thanks WileyDave for your reply. Yes that is exactly how the screws look on the watch in question, as in your picture. I have tried carefully using a slot head precision screwdriver however the screw is in so tight that I cannot get the grip or pressure on the screwdriver to turn the screw probably because the blade and shank of the screwdriver is so flimsy. Any further advice would be most welcome.

[clockboy]

You can purchase a Seiko X head screwdriver that might fit. If not I would suggest using a X head screwdriver anyway otherwise the heads will become damaged.

[Watchtime]

you also could use a dremel to drill the damaged screws out. Problem will be to find new screws that fit.

[WileyDave]

12 hours ago, sunnyside said:

Thanks WileyDave for your reply. Yes that is exactly how the screws look on the watch in question, as in your picture. I have tried carefully using a slot head precision screwdriver however the screw is in so tight that I cannot get the grip or pressure on the screwdriver to turn the screw probably because the blade and shank of the screwdriver is so flimsy. Any further advice would be most welcome.

If the watch is new(er) it should not take that much effort to loosen, unless its been overtorqued, (tightened) to the point of being stripped. Try a smaller size screwdriver  and make sure watch is well padded to avoid cracking crystal. Too much pressure can do that.

[sunnyside]

Thanks gents for taking the time to give your ideas on this post. I have decided to go down the route of attempting to drill the screw out as there is no way that it can be removed with a screwdriver due to the head of the screw head being so badly chewed-up. I have ordered a Archimedes hand drill and  assortment of small size drill bits if this fails to do the job then it will have to be the Dremel. My next problem will no doubt be finding a replacement screw, fingers crossed on that one.

 

[StuartBaker104]

It's poosible someone used a threadlocker on it. If you still have anything left on the head to get a screwdriver into, it may be worth heating the screw with the tip of a soldering iron to help loosen it (assuming no plastic nearby)

[WileyDave]

3 hours ago, sunnyside said:

Thanks gents for taking the time to give your ideas on this post. I have decided to go down the route of attempting to drill the screw out as there is no way that it can be removed with a screwdriver due to the head of the screw head being so badly chewed-up. I have ordered a Archimedes hand drill and  assortment of small size drill bits if this fails to do the job then it will have to be the Dremel. My next problem will no doubt be finding a replacement screw, fingers crossed on that one.

 

I initially was going to recommend this, but there is such a big risk in drilling case screws on this style watch, that I thought it might be better to try everything else first. If you have acquired lots of watches that have similar size screws, or you can have local watchrepair/jeweler who can match, it should not be a problem to replace. Steady hand, focus and confidence will get you closer to success, just don't try to take all of screw out at once. It's your watch and nobody is waiting for it, so if you have to put it down and go back to it, that's okay too. I have drilled stripped/rusted screws with pivot drills, but did not care about movement. Good luck!

[Alaskamick]

I think it would be a good idea to remove the other three screws first using the correct screwdriver.

Attack each screw with confidence and plenty of downward force to avoid slipping.

You will then know whether you have a big problem or just one bad screw to deal with. 

Also it will give you some more confidence.

I had the same problem with an Omega screwed back and I got it out by drilling carefully with the smallest size drill bit in a Dremel then worked my way up in size until I could see the threads being cut. Then it was just a matter of picking out the old screw bits with a fine pointed tool such as a hardened scriber.

Keep the Dremel vertical at all times as the last thing you want is a broken bit jammed in the hole.

It is no problem if you do slight damage to the threads on part of the circumference as there will still be loads of material for the new screw to grip tightly.

Sets of micro bits in solid carbide can easily be obtained on eBay. Go in slowly and carefully and you will have success.

[clockboy]

I know this is a bit of a swerve ball but I did encounter a fake Raymond Weil watch once that looked like the back was screwed on but in fact the back was just a snap back & the screws were just part of the back & they really did fool me for some time.   Might be worthy a check. 

[WatchMaker]

All good advice above.

Just three extra tips that might work that I've used in the past - albeit not a screw on a watch

1) Use a fine metal saw blade (or file) to cut a channel across the width of the screw for a thin flat bladed screwdriver.

Sure I can see this is going to be a bit tricky given the space you've got to work with but if you're patient just using a couple of teeth of a blade this might be a go. The basic principle is that a thin channel across the width of the screw will provide a lot of torque for the flat bladed screwdriver and almost certainly budge the screw.

2) Consider a screw extractor 

Here's an example: https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Tools/Precision-Screw-Extractor-Set/IF145-118 that I found with a quick google; you might be able to find a single one of the right width. They basically work by having an opposite thread so as you turn to loosen the screw the extractor is biting into the head to get more purchase.

3) Epoxy

If you were to use a strong epoxy glue to affix something appropriate to the screw head that would then give you the leverage to attempt to turn the screw this might work. Obviously use something that adheres across the maximum surface area of the screw head. Worst case your item-of-leverage just comes away because the glued surface is not sufficient to withstand the torque you're applying and you're free to try another method. So this might be an easy / low risk one to start with.

Good luck!

[sunnyside]

Many Many thanks for all your help your advice has been invaluable without the confidence you all gave me I would never have attempted drilling the screw out with my Dremel however, I can confirm that the offending screw has now been removed successfully. My next problem there always seems to be one unfortunately is where I can obtain replacement screw/s from. I would really appreciate any help or guidance from members where these little bs could be resourced, to enable me to complete this what potentially could be a total project success. Thanks again.

[StuartBaker104]

You can buy screw assortments from Cousins https://www.cousinsuk.com/product/case-screws-wristwatch1, but if you can post a drawing with dimensions someone here might be able to help further

[sunnyside]

Thank you Stuart for your post. I have done a drawing (not to scale) of the screw/s I need to complete the job in a hope that someone on WRT as you mentioned can help me out. I am more than willing to pay any costs etc involved. Many thanks.