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Citizen Eco Drive Stem Removal

20K views 14 replies 10 participants last post by  nzwatchdoctor 
#1 ·
Hi guys, I normally repair manual watches only but I agreed to take a look at Citizen Eco Drive for a friend with the intention of changing the battery. After some looking around I found instructions for removing the bezel and glass but I am absolutely stumped by the stem removal. It's a C600 model with the "monoblock" onepiece case. Inside, sitting on the stem, is a small gold-coloured "setting stem strap" per the manual's description.

How in God's holy name are you supposed to remove the stem? My suspicion is it's a two-piece male/female thing but I'm afraid to pull the crown too hard and permanently break it. I pulled to the extent I was willing to risk then gave up; I can see no other way this is supposed to be removed, especially as there's another inner white plastic ring preventing closer inspection.

I'm yet to find a single manual describing how this particular movement's stem is removed. There's no "dimple", no button, nothing.

I'd really appreciate someone letting me know what I'm supposed to do with this thing. And what the heck is that small "setting stem strap" thing for?!

Many thanks in advance,

David.
 

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#3 ·
Once the glass and bezel are removed there is nothing further to see- it's just the solar cell, dial, and hands. If there's any hidden button under the actual dial that would involve removing the dial itself- which in my experience is universally held in place by feet which can only be released from the back of the movement!

The thing is, I can't find a single reference to this issue ANYWHERE- it's almost as if everyone else on the Internet is equally stumped by it.

Someone out there has to have removed a stem on one of these c600 monoblocks before?!

Nightmare!

David.
 
#10 ·
Actually, there is a very small U shaped brass piece, flat, with a 'grabbable' end, that fits into a groove on the stem. You have to remove the brass piece first, then the stem pulls out. It's very easy to loose those suckers, probably why your watch didn't have one. Beautifully designed case and movement to work on, once you know how to go about it.
 
#5 ·
Unbelievable

Thanks for the tip. Sadly I've now come across the most ridiculous feature I've seen in a watch in 25 years.



I kid you not, the release point for the stem on a C605 is on the BACK of the movement...a movement put into a monoblock watch that does NOT open from the back and has no stem release anywhere on the front!!



Don't go near these things. I completely disassembled it after finally snapping the stem clean off. I guarantee you there's no way to remove the stem without completely stripping the movement while it's still in the case, and even then it's next to impossible.



To anyone considering buying these things be very careful about attempting to open them- the reason you can't remove the stem is simple: the c605 solar series was clearly created with inbuilt obsolescence in mind- they last 15 years then die and you're forced to buy a new one if it's in a monoblock case.


Pretty shameful if you ask me.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Nope! It has nothing on the case back except a citizen logo. It's a solid titanium case with no opening at the back - you have to remove the bezel and glass to access the movement, and from there there's absolutely no way to remove the stem. See the attached photos. I only got to this stage in disassembly because by snapping the stem I could remove the movement - had I not done that I wouldn't have been able to lift the clips to access the canon pinion level. There's no point me replacing the capacitor now because if I need to adjust anything else I'll have to snap the stem again. It's finished.


You can see the release point under the secondary battery on the back (first photo below)- there's a little arrow if you look closely. And that's it! On the damned back of the movement where you cannot acces it!!

And none of the holes you see in the image is in any way connected to the stem release on the back.

This fully explains why there is absolutely ZERO info on the internet about disassembling this series - because they were never meant to be disassembled if put in a monoblock case. People clearly just bin them when the thing eventually dies.

I'm just amazed.
 

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#8 ·
On the off chance that a different movement in a monoque case has a similar stem release, here is the one in a B876. It is the small pusher between the movement holder and the dial. It has a sort of U shape and a small screw driver fits it perfectly. Slight pressure downward into the U and the stem releases.


Good luck.
 

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#14 ·
Not exactly an engineering coup on the part of the designers. Need to have the crown in the proper position before applying any force, either to the lever or the outward pulling on the crown. If you have proper magnification it should be easy to ascertain whether or not you're making any progress. Of course, for those un-cooperative watches, there is always the sledge o matic. Beats the hell out of sniffing glue when it comes to stress relief.
 
#15 ·
I've just finished a Tissot that comes out from the front. There is no split stem or lever like on a Seiko TV dial - the stem just has to be forced past the set lever ;-(
Terrible design. I was very careful to regulate the movement over a few days before casing it so I didn't have to take it out again (I had to!).
 
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