Removing and Replacing a Bezel

[harb]

Here's Jocke's photo-tutorial on removing/replacing a Rolex bezel - http://www.vikbobil.se/bezel.html
[Text and pictures: Jocke]

Rolex bezel tutorial.


Here I will try to show how you pull off the bezel, the insert and then put it back together again.

I start with this things at the working bench. A cloth, a knife, masking tape,a pair of gloves and of course a Rolex watch.



Here I start with the masking tape, just make sure you get it between the bezel and the case.



Then I put in the knife between the bezel and the case.



And just bend a little until it pop off.




Then I pull off the bezel and be careful so you don´t lose the spring at the 12 o´clock position.

[harb]

Here is the backside of the bezel and you can see how it works.



Then I press with my thumbs from the backside of the bezel insert until it pop off.



And after that so will it looks like this.



Then I put back the bezel at the case with the spring at the inside.



Then I lay the bezel insert inside the bezel and look so it line up. Then I press it down at the bezel and when it´s there at more than the halfway round I pull off the complete bezel again.

[harb]

Now I can put the last part together nice and easy.



I do that at the same way as I do when I pull it off, just with my thumbs. No tools like pliers here, that will destroy the bezel insert.



Sometimes it dosen´t works and it´s a pain to get the last part in place. Then I use to put a cloth at the edge of the table and that will help you a lot. With that trick you can´t go wrong.



After that it´s ready for the watch and looks like this.



Then I put it over the spring nice and easy and look carefully so every part is in place.

[harb]

Now it´s in place and as you can see it should be a little lower at the case so the crystal will be higher than the bezel.



Then I press down the bezel on both side at the same time until I hear a click. When you do that it´s in place. You can even see the crystal come out and the ratchet spring starts to work.



Now the only thing who is left is to see if it lines up.




It looks ok and if not, just do the same thing again.

Good luck and if you don´t feel safe to do the work, just let your watchmaker do it. I´m sure he do it for free.

I hope you have enjoy this trip and you can use the tips. Jocke

[MIKE SRT8]

Thanks for posting harb, interesting write up.

[harb]

Here's a video clip on how to remove and replace a bezel and insert.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ev6D...eature=related

[MIKE SRT8]

Thanks harb, even better.

[jimmy1022]

I never realised it was as easy as that,
my (strange as it may seem) bi gmt will be sporting a coke bezel tonight!!
wish me luck.

[Nairn1980]

Recommend this......I used it and it worked out great!

[fish800]

It didn't work on my Daytona :-(

Maybe I shouldn't have used the cold chisel and lump hammer...

[wheelnut]

I never realised it was as easy as that

famous last words,
great explanation though Harb

[Ceathreamhnan]

Inspired by the DIY recently and Nairn's previous thread about changing the bezel, I decided I couldn't put up with this any more:



So with an ordinary dinner knife and a cloth as per Nairn's description, I levered off the bezel. Once you get the first part up, there is a flat rebate at every quarter of the case that allows you to get extra leverage (that is leverage in the sense of a noun ) After working at the second corner it pings off easily. You can see the rebate in later pics.



Under the bezel is a thin steel shim resting on the case as a kind of bearing. The outer lower edge of the bezel must clip over this although in pulling it off I didn't see this at the time.





Taking off the shim, and the tiny spring wire that provides the bezel click, means I could clean the case up a bit:





Replacing the shim and the wire, you can see there is a slot where the spring is held:



Looking at the inside of the bezel, there is some grease applied at the factory. This is where all the dirt collects! If you've an old Rolex diver, this may be a health hazard area!



One thing that surprised me here is the thickness of the bezel insert; it's not a thin sheet of stamped aluminium but a thicker machined disc. I'm surprised Rolex don't charge more for them (oh no - what have I done!)



Pushing hard with the fingers on the inside of the bezel insert and it pops out. The bezel surround then clips back on the case easily. This gives it a faint Breitling appearance - not to my taste
You can see how the wee spring engages in the bezel teeth. It's a pretty low-tech solution. At one point I lost the spring on the desk and there was some anxiety



These show the pearl assembly pushed through the insert, and the machining on the back.





The hardest part is next - after lining up the insert to suit on the bezel, you have to push it in all the way round. The last part takes quite a bit of force, accompanied by a loud Click! I used the knife back, applied through the cloth to do this.



Well that's better. I may not have proper OCD but this made me feel more satisfied



Sorry about the horrid flash lighting but my mind was focused on the watch rather than the aesthetics...

[learningtofly]

I popped a new insert on this yesterday, and whilst it took literally a couple of minutes (well, 2m 45s, actually) I thought it might be useful to emphasise the difference between modern and vintage insert swaps.

Vintage watches will usually have friction bezels, which means that the bezel will turn in both directions with infinite variation in how it can be positioned. Ratcheted bezels are different - they're unidirectional but also have definite clicks; this means that they have to be positioned very carefully when fitting them if the pearl is to be lined up properly with the 12-hour marker. The easy way to do this is as follows:

1) Mask off the case and then prise off the bezel with a flat blade.
2) Gently push out the insert - thumbs are the best tools for this.
3) Ensuring that the ratchet pin/spring is still positioned properly on the case, push the bezel (without insert fitted) into place. It'll click audibly as it snaps into position.
4) Line up the new insert (first making sure that the bezel isn't "between clicks"), using a loupe if necessary to position it correctly; then push into the recess on the bezel.
5) If necessary, place a soft towel or similar on a table and use it to push down on the insert; sometimes they can be stubborn and need a little pressure all around the circumference.

There - not a difficult job, but a bit fiddly at times. It's certainly something that anyone can try without sending the watch off first.