Can you install an armored crystal without the claw tool ?

[Chopin]

Title is self-explanatory. Can you ?

I have a vintage watch that had a beat up acrylic crystal and I've gotten a new one for it. Both are ATC crystals.

Do I really need the claw tool ?

[qhartman]

I've always done acrylic crystals (both tension ring and interference fit) with a crystal press. I have one of the "claw tools", but I've never had success with it. Even on high dome crystals, it slips off before putting enough pressure on the crystal to pop it out.

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[noirrac1j]

If you don't want to have the agony of cracking the new crystal, you'll need a press.

 

J

[nickelsilver]

The claw tool is for "wedge-ledge" crystals, not armored. Press is the way to go.

[Chopin]

My press never works with acrylic crystals. Any tips ? They just won't go in.

In the past I would remove just a tiny bit of material from the edges (without leaving a mark, obviously) and it would go in the slot.

[qhartman]

I always use a cupped die that puts pressure right at the edge of the crystal. It can be tricky to get everything lined up, but usually after one press I find that most of the crystal is in. Then, I rotate the case with the crystal and press repeatedly until I got the sweet spot that gets the rest to snap in. I'm not sure if my press doesn't quite press evenly or what, but this technique works consistently for me, and I haven't cracked a crystal yet. I do press harder than it feels like I should be.

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[noirrac1j]

2 minutes ago, qhartman said:

I always use a cupped die that puts pressure right at the edge of the crystal. It can be tricky to get everything lined up, but usually after one press I find that most of the crystal is in. Then, I rotate the case with the crystal and press repeatedly until I got the sweet spot that gets the rest to snap in. I'm not sure if my press doesn't quite press evenly or what, but this technique works consistently for me, and I haven't cracked a crystal yet. I do press harder than it feels like I should be.

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Perfect.

J

[qhartman]

And I forgot to mention, I do sometimes need to file the edge of the crystal if the stock is slightly large.

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[nickelsilver]

I do some overflow work for a watchmaker friend. He's Omega factory authorized and all that. On the odd case (oddly enough often omega) I just can't get the armored crystal in. Stop by his place, and he has 100% succes rate. His method is two-fold. 1-He has a large flat pusher in his press, and he lays the conical die on the crystal and the presses it with the flat pusher. 2- he rubs his finger on the side of his nose, then on the perimeter of the crystal. That little bit of "nose grease" makes a huge difference.

Of course a micro smear of silicone would work too but it's sooo messy.

[chrisdt]

Perhaps its the time to mention tension ring crystals. I've never been able to fit the ring inside the standard crystal even although  the crystal fits perfectly without it. I have a few Tissots including front loaders and all seem to have tension rings. I have seen special crystals with a gold or silver ring included but at a a prohibitive price. Is that the way to go ?  I have fitted quite a few without the ring and used a tiny smear of cement and got perfectly good results. Hardly notice its not there unless you look at a certain angle...

[rodabod]

The tension rings provides... well, additional tension and therefore waterproofness.

It’s important also when you want the watch to look original as sometimes the tension ring is sized specifically to suit the bezel and dial. 

[rodabod]

Oh, and yes, crystal lifts (claws) are not for ATC crystals, though they can be used in some cases (for removing on front loader cases, etc). 

[nickelsilver]

Perhaps its the time to mention tension ring crystals. I've never been able to fit the ring inside the standard crystal even although  the crystal fits perfectly without it. I have a few Tissots including front loaders and all seem to have tension rings. I have seen special crystals with a gold or silver ring included but at a a prohibitive price. Is that the way to go ?  I have fitted quite a few without the ring and used a tiny smear of cement and got perfectly good results. Hardly notice its not there unless you look at a certain angle...

Tension ring and armored are the same thing. They typically come in white or yellow and generally work well on the vintage watches they mostly are used on.

On some pieces like chronogrphs the tension ring is also printed, which can be troublesome if a genuine replacement isn't available. If lucky a generic armored crystal can be adapted, this usually involves some lathe work.

[chrisdt]

So to sum up on tension rings am I right in saying that when renewing a flexi glass crystal with a tension ring I have to buy the new crystal complete with the appropriate coloured ring and not be able to use the old ring with a standard crystal?

[rodabod]

You can re-use the old ring if it fits. I always aim to do this for conservation work.