Need advice to take off dial

[Vashikovich]

Hi there,

I'm very new to this forum and, well, also very new in watch repair. I actually just have just put my eyes on watches a couple of months ago. I bought my own first watch some months ago, an imitation one, and it got condensation inside so I decided to buy some watch repair kit to clean it myself and broke some watches ._.

Long story short, I have another watch, a SKMEI 9083, which I just dropped yesterday and the second hand came off. I thought it would be just an easy task to open the watch, reattach the hand, and close it altogether.

I was wrong.

The dial cannot be taken off from the back (seems to be). I ended up forcefully taking off the movement, making the hour and minute hands off as well in a very rough way, rendering it entirely unwearable than before.

I just wonder, is it true that I thought the dial must be taken off from the front where I have to open the crystal first? How do you think? I've attached some pictures of it.

 

Thanks in advance

[clockboy]

Thats a strange one. It looks like the dial is just wedged into the crystal or is actually under the crystal lip.  You might have to remove the crystal with a crystal lift tool.

[Geo]

I suspect the crystal should have been popped out with compressed air when the back was still in place.

[wls1971]

 

When trying to repair a watch like this it is best to look at the watch under a loupe to determine if there are any obvious breaks in the case, i.e obvious bezel or back to the case, if not the watch is probably a front loader which means the movement complete with dial comes out from the front of the watch after the crystal and stem have been removed.

The crystal on this type of watch is either a crystal that needs to be removed with a tool called a crystal lifter or as already stated by Geo popped out with compressed air. The stem will probably be what is termed  a split stem which is in two parts it is pulled out from the side leaving half the stem attached to the winding crown and half in the movement..It could also be a stem that is held in place with a catch at the side of the dial once the crystal is removed but in most cases it will be a split stem.

Before attempting to remove a dial the hands should first be removed again with the correct tools called hand levers

When removing a dial forcing anything is a bad idea you could easily bend or damage a dial using any amount of force if you look at the under side of the dial on your watch there are two prongs sticking out from the dial these are called dial feet and they fit into holes on the main plate of the movement, the dial is held secure usually by screws that come in from the side edge of the movement gripping these feet, on older watches particually with enammel dials they can be held with screws between the plates, but in the case of your watch it will be from the side, so remove the dial you just loosen off the screws to release the grip on the dial feet.

Observation is the key to working on watches you are unfamilliar with look and look again before you act

Edited May 12, 2017 by wls1971

[WatchMaker]

Hi Vashikovich

if you're seeing that the dial is resting on a 'ledge' then this must have been a front loader i.e. the movement was put in and then the crystal applied afterwards

I've found your watch on ebay for under £10 new so it's going to be questionable how much effort you want to throw at this by getting specialised tools like a crystal remover.

Being more at the budget end of the spectrum the tolerances of the crystal fit may not be that tight i.e. it might actually push out without too much effort. If it were me therefore in your situation I'd find a strong rod of some material that won't scratch the crystal ... even a matchstick might do. I'd then put this through the date window and, ensuring you push exactly vertically (to minimise breaking your chosen rod) see if the crystal will pop out.

You can then remove the dial and try and get the watch back together. As per the good advice from wls1971, you need to be treating things delicately e.g. if getting those hands back on press vertically and gently otherwise you'll break something.

Or give up and spend that tenner on a new one! 

[Vashikovich]

I always thought that watchmaking was a beautiful and complex process. But, well, in a low end construction it actually consists of many brute-force-requiring tight-fit assemblies haha.

I followed WatchMaker's instruction per se and voila~ It's just a bit dirty on the inside afterwards because of my dusty atmosphere and lack of blower to and clean cloths.

Anyway, thank you for everyone, now I can spend that tenner on additional cheap watch 

[WatchMaker]

Glad you managed to get the crystal off. 

If you decide to put your watch back together you should find that equal concerted pressure from your fingers is enough to pop the crystal back on a watch like this without needing specialised tools. Put the watch on a bench where it won't slip and use a cloth on top of the crystal to press very firmly and evenly.

Getting dust out? It can be a frustrating process - especially if using a loupe magnifier which shows up everything! There's a good recent article here with some top tips: 

Watch making is a complex process but don't despair. I only started a relatively short time ago myself compared to some of the esteemed people on this forum and know it's a case of practice-practice-practice. So best advise if you want to pursue this as a hobby is to get some relatively inexpensive and easy to work on movements and have a go! You'll have some frustrations along the way but also a lot of pleasure if you get something up and running again!

Good luck!

Edited May 15, 2017 by WatchMaker