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Can you install an armored crystal without the claw tool ?

Chopin

By Chopin
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qhartman Watch Enthusiast

qhartman

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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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Chopin Super WRT Addict

Chopin

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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.

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qhartman Watch Enthusiast

qhartman

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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 Distinguished Member

noirrac1j

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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

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nickelsilver Distinguished Member

nickelsilver

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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.

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chrisdt WRT Addict

chrisdt

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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...

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rodabod Distinguished Member

rodabod

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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. 

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nickelsilver Distinguished Member

nickelsilver

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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.
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chrisdt WRT Addict

chrisdt

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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?

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