Tudor + Sand

[khalifam]

Hey folks,

Went for a dive yesterday and it was really sandy, my bezel is completely stuck and will not turn.
I've tried to rinse it under warm water and turn it (works like a charm on my sub) but not doing the trick. I don't think a toothbrush will work as there's hardly any space for the toothbrush to get in there.

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[minute_man]

Try using some hand soap.
This will help loosen the bezel eventually but will probably need a follow-up.

[waterman1]

This was my main issue with the Pelagos. Otherwise it’s an amazing watch. Use dishwashing detergent and warm water. Soak. Turn and keep turning with the soapy water until it clears. It can take some time.

[durand]

I once swam in a river in Aspen, CO and the silt completely locked up the bezel on my Black Bay. I used a credit card to pop the bezel off, rinsed out the springs, the nylon ring, and washed the whole thing with hand soap. Popped it all back together and it sounded/felt great. Taking the bezel assembly apart is really the only way to completely clean out the sand. Trying to soak it and turn it until it's clean will do more damage than just popping the bezel off and cleaning it out.

[minute_man]

Originally Posted by durand

I once swam in a river in Aspen, CO and the silt completely locked up the bezel on my Black Bay. I used a credit card to pop the bezel off, rinsed out the springs, the nylon ring, and washed the whole thing with hand soap. Popped it all back together and it sounded/felt great. Taking the bezel assembly apart is really the only way to completely clean out the sand. Trying to soak it and turn it until it's clean will do more damage than just popping the bezel off and cleaning it out.

Didn't know it's an easy thing to do on modern Tudors!

[rajcuatrista]

I would wash with soapy water, if you don't get results heat the bezel with a hair dryer, DO NOT USE THE HOT SETTING and buffer the heat with a towel.
BTW would love to know what method yields you results!

[khalifam]

Hey all, soaked it for about 20 mins with warm soapy water... Then with a towel I turned the bezel (was really stiff) and voilà

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[campfire]

Glad it worked out.

[Polarexplorerii]

Nice work

[kieselguhr]

I usually use the Bergeon N4932 or a pocket knife to pop the bezel to clean if there’s sand underneath after a dive.

Although I wouldn’t advise this method for the faint of heart or the keep watch pristine forever club members.

[rajcuatrista]

wonderful

[khalifam]

Originally Posted by kieselguhr

I usually use the Bergeon N4932 or a pocket knife to pop the bezel to clean if there’s sand underneath after a dive.

Although I wouldn’t advise this method for the faint of heart or the keep watch pristine forever club members.

Watch pristine club... Am in there?

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[ciceroyeah]

Originally Posted by khalifam

Watch pristine club... Am in there?

NICE!

The bezel "character" on your Harrods BB almost looks like intentional scratching . Though ideally you might want to pop off the entire bezel assembly, or at least lever it up a mm by jamming a credit card in there, so that you can rinse out all the sand and it won't be scraping around damaging the mechanism.

[samson66]

Originally Posted by khalifam

Hey all, soaked it for about 20 mins with warm soapy water... Then with a towel I turned the bezel (was really stiff) and voilà

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I was going to suggest exactly this. Same thing happened to by Black Bay ETA during a vacation with a lot of swimming and snorkeling in salty water. The bezel froze up like a rock but thanks to suggestions here on TRF I did the soaking trick and worked like a charm. Glad it worked for you too.

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[watchwatcher]

I actually had a similar issue with a Pelagos once. Took a shower with it and it's worked perfectly thereafter.

[Brian Page]

A water pic works great for this task as well

[tudorbaja27]

Water + Floss = Sand out = Working bezel.

Done it plenty of times.

[Enyaw1]

Originally Posted by watchwatcher

I actually had a similar issue with a Pelagos once. Took a shower with it and it's worked perfectly thereafter.

When I got my Pelagos out of the box I rotated the bezel and it felt really rough and notchy so I rotated it a few times and it suddenly got buttery smooth with a nice ticking sound. I figured it was just the newness wearing off.