Bezel Changing.

I received a request for technical advice recently from a member of a watch enthusiast's web forum here in New Zealand, to which I occasionally contribute.

The watch in question is a Helson Buccaneer dive watch, which comes with two different bezels. The owner wanted to know how to safely remove one bezel to fit the other. I was feeling expansive at the time, so I suggested he send me the watch and I'd put together an instructional piece for the forum. You can find the forum post that also has some photos here:

http://timekeeper.co.nz/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2028

To be honest, removing bezels can be a bit of a dark art, with some being relatively easy to remove, and others being virtually impossible, certainly without doing major case damage.
I recall needing to replace a cracked glass seal in a name brand dive watch a year or so ago, but being unable to remove the glass without first removing the bezel, as the outer edge of the glass was a couple of tenths of a millimeter larger diameter than the inner rim of the bezel. I eventually managed to remove it, change the glass seal and get it back together, but it was a major challenge and the bezel action was a bit rough after-wards. Talking to one of the watchmakers at the official service center a week or so later, he admitted that he was in the habit of putting the case in the lathe and removing a tiny bit of metal from the inner edge of the bezel so he could knock out the glass. He reckoned it did less damage.

Anyway, with some trepidation (my reputation was on the line after-all) I pulled the Helson out of the courier bag and had a look.
Oh good, it uses the same basic fitting system as TAG Heuer, with a stainless steel ratchet spring and a separate stainless wire retaining spring. I'm very familiar with this type, as I service a lot of TAGs that I've replaced quite a few of them. It should be fairly straight forward.

I had a quick look on Youtube to see what other videos there were on the topic, and decided there was room for one more, using correct tools and technique.

SO HERE IT IS!

As per usual, for best definition, click the 'watch on youtube' tab.

Blair.

Un-casing the Grande Classique.

The Grande Classique range from Longines has been in production for many years, and it's a very rare week that I don't get at least a few of them in for a battery change. Sometimes, though, a battery isn't going to make it go, and that is where things start to get a bit more interesting. Normally, it is a straight forward matter to extract a watch movement for service, but the Grande Classique's unique, tapered case presents a somewhat more interesting challenge.

Watch the video to see how I tackle this job.... and kids, don't try this at home. Done wrong, this will result in a shattered sapphire glass... and major expense to replace it.

Again, this is shot in HD, so it is probably best to click the "watch on Youtube" button to get the most out of it.

Blair.