CHEAP DIY bezel remover - no marks or scratches !

[Andrew001]

Hi guys,

Another small contribution to this watch loving community.

Removing a rolex bezel can prove to be quite tricky, especially if you want to do it without scratching the case or the bezel itself !

This is a simple straight forward project, so i'll leave the pictures do most of the talking.

Inspiration for this came from looking at this Bergeon tool :



The bergeon extractor is not that expensive but i needed the tool fast so ordering one online wasn't an option for me.
I didn't know exactly where to start but after a quick trip to the hardware store... i came back home with this :






A 1.7 USD plastic compression fitting .
Not exactly the right shape ootb but after some simple mods here is what i came up with :




I've used a lathe to reshape the body of the fitting and an exacto knife to reshape the teeth of the white part .
If you don't have access to a lathe you can just grind away the parts on a piece of 80 grit sand paper against a flat surface.

Testing the DIY bezel remover :




The fitting works in a similar way to the bergeon tool above.
You just need to fix the bezel inside the teeth first , tighten the fitting so the teeth 'bite' into the bezel and then, just give the watch a few twists.

The bezel popped out right away !

[bondtoys]

Great, but how would anyone want to remove a Daytona bezel?

And I hope that you've had it pressure tested after you've put the bezel back

[Jocke]

The first I think, if you remove a Daytona bezel with that tool the bezel will not fit properly to the watch. That tool will works
like a charm on a rotable bezel but not with a fixed.

[TimingIsEverything]

Originally Posted by bondtoys

Great, but how would anyone want to remove a Daytona bezel?

And I hope that you've had it pressure tested after you've put the bezel back

The bezel has no bearing whatsoever on water resistance.

[pickettt]

Mad points for ingenuity, but I like my bezel right where it’s at.

[MagPI]

Originally Posted by bondtoys

And I hope that you've had it pressure tested after you've put the bezel back

Huh?!

[Jocke]

Originally Posted by TimingIsEverything

The bezel has no bearing whatsoever on water resistance.

If you look at the pic so can you see the crystal is still inside the bezel.

[bondtoys]

Originally Posted by TimingIsEverything

The bezel has no bearing whatsoever on water resistance.

Haha, you could not be any wronger!

He has removed bezel, crystal and crystal gasket and is putting everything together again.

The bezel is crucial to press the crystal gasket on the rehaut and now tell me again that the proper fit of the crystal gasket has nothing to do with waterresistance.

If he is not aware of that, he should stay far away from those kind of stunts which are totally pointless.

And even if ( and he hasn't) he manages to remove the bezel alone, the pressure on the crystal gasket is different and it‘s important that the bezel is refitted properly again and the waterresitance is tested. For example you can damage the crystal gasket by putting on the bezel again.
As far as I know, Rolex recquires to replace the crystal gasket when the bezel/crystal have been removed.

Additionally, like Jocke has said, he has now put an amount of force onto the bezel, crystal gasket and probably the rehaut by using an incorrect tool.
He may have permanently bent parts of the bezel/gasket/rehaut now.

Usually the bezel is removed without putting force on the bezel assembly - for a good reason.
The Bergeon tool puts 4 thin blades under the bezel and lifts it up. No pressure force like with that dodgy tool

[imgook]

Wild! Why would anyone want to do this??

[SearChart]

Ok then!

[brucethemanlee]

And the purpose is?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Andrew001]

Originally Posted by bondtoys

Haha, you could not be any wronger!

He has removed bezel, crystal and crystal gasket and is putting everything together again.

The bezel is crucial to press the crystal gasket on the rehaut and now tell me again that the proper fit of the crystal gasket has nothing to do with waterresistance.

If he is not aware of that, he should stay far away from those kind of stunts which are totally pointless.

And even if ( and he hasn't) he manages to remove the bezel alone, the pressure on the crystal gasket is different and it‘s important that the bezel is refitted properly again and the waterresitance is tested. For example you can damage the crystal gasket by putting on the bezel again.
As far as I know, Rolex recquires to replace the crystal gasket when the bezel/crystal have been removed.

Additionally, like Jocke has said, he has now put an amount of force onto the bezel, crystal gasket and probably the rehaut by using an incorrect tool.
He may have permanently bent parts of the bezel/gasket/rehaut now.

Usually the bezel is removed without putting force on the bezel assembly - for a good reason.
The Bergeon tool puts 4 thin blades under the bezel and lifts it up. No pressure force like with that dodgy tool

Indeed, the whole assembly was removed altogether, but once removed the crystal and gasket can be easily separated using a plastic die press.

When putting the watch back togheter again, the crystal and gasket must be placed over the rehaut first and then the bezel pressed over. Pressing the whole assembly at once is certainly a bad ideea and as you said, yes , a new gasket is highly recommended.

Regarding the pressure put on on the bezel by the plastic teeth, i can assure it's far too low to bend the bezel or rehaut and even so, it's evenly distributed acorss the perimeter.

Anyway guys, this is not an advertisement for a new product or service, this is just a simple DIY tool you can build for cheap.

The reason of having and using such a device is very simple, i brush, buff and polish my own wathces and to properly do so, one must remove the bezel.

On top of that , I live in a city that hasn't got any talented watchsmiths imo and being fed up with all sorts of issues like, dust under the crystal after servicing and other things like that, i took things into my own hands :) .

[Fat_ninja]

You guys...

[Andad]

[Jostack]

Nice job!

[Zakalwe]

People moan about there being nothing but $$$ posts and investment threads.

Then this comes along.

As somebody who is about as handy as an arthritic quadruple amputee, I appreciate the ingenuity.

[Onikage]

Kinda cool. Not on my Daytona. If I had one.

[NineToes]

I’m impressed

[DoDe]

It may be wrong, but I like it

[77T]

Originally Posted by Andrew001

The reason of having and using such a device is very simple, i brush, buff and polish my own wathces and to properly do so, one must remove the bezel.

On top of that , I live in a city that hasn't got any talented watchsmiths imo and being fed up with all sorts of issues like, dust under the crystal after servicing and other things like that, i took things into my own hands :) .

Why were you unable to wait for a proper tool to be shipped - I get that this great MacGyver tool project worked out - but what was the rush?

Do you remove the caseback, crown, movement and pushers before polishing?

Just my 2¢...in future, you may want to start by removing the caseback first to reduce risk of dial damage and bent hands. Then the crown, then the movement, then the pushers.

Thanks for sharing your toolmaking technique.

Just curious, what tool do you use to press the bezel back onto the midcase?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Devildog]

Originally Posted by 77T

Why were you unable to wait for a proper tool to be shipped - I get that this great MacGyver tool project worked out - but what was the rush?

Do you remove the caseback, crown, movement and pushers before polishing?

Just my 2¢...in future, you may want to start by removing the caseback first to reduce risk of dial damage and bent hands. Then the crown, then the movement, then the pushers.

Thanks for sharing your toolmaking technique.

Just curious, what tool do you use to press the bezel back onto the midcase?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

In fairness to the OP, it looks like he may well have removed the movement before removing the bezel. The crown has been removed and the caseback is not fullt screwed down (IIRC you remove the movement first and then the pushers on a Daytona)

And after all, the thread was about a cheap bezel removal tool. Not what the OP was doing to his watch or why he was removing it.

[77T]

Originally Posted by Devildog

In fairness to the OP, it looks like he may well have removed the movement before removing the bezel. The crown has been removed and the caseback is not fullt screwed down (IIRC you remove the movement first and then the pushers on a Daytona)

Thanks - you are right. I hadn’t noticed that in the pics while viewing them.

Yes, you’re also right that the pushers are removed after the movement.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro