Fitting odd shaped crystals

CWR Technical Pages

Polishing plastic watch crystals

Fitting odd-shaped crystals

First, remove movement, band, and anything else such as a rotating divers bezel from case.

Fitting an odd-shaped crystal.

1. Remove old crystal from bezel.

2. Remove all old glue and dirt from bezel shoulder.

3. Clean bezel and case.

4. Measure distance across bezel in both directions.

5. Choose a crystal as close to measured distance as possible.

6. File away excess until crystal just fits bezel.

7. Buff edges of crystal with buffing wheel and a plastic polishing compound.

8. Clean crystal.

9. Apply a small amount of plastic crystal cement to bezel shoulder (I use G-S cement).

10. Insert crystal.

11. Clean watch dial and hands.

12. Replace movement into case.

13. Put on case back and divers bezel, etc.

Consider the design of the watch and the style of the original crystal.

When fitting glass crystals, follow the same procedure as above, but use a diamond file or grinding wheel to trim and use an epoxy to adhere it to the bezel. You may need to use an epoxy solvent to remove old epoxy. I use Attack solvent and ultraviolet epoxy.

To clean dial, always use blower and a sharpened piece of pegwood or toothpick to remove dust and broken pieces of glass from surface. Then use Rodico or something like it to remove any other residue. (Rodico is like silly putty and can be purchased from most material distributors.)

It is always best to remove the hands when cleaning the dial or to straighten them.

To straighten hands, use sharpened pegwood and tweezers, hold hand steady by inserting pegwood through the hole in the hand and use tweezers to manipulate hand. You can also use a hand or balance tack to hold hand steady.