4
Authored by
samanator
As part of assessing a modification I'm looking at doing I needed to figure out how to get the bezel off. After many google search variations I all I could deduct was that a thin blade knife needed to be placed between the case and the bezel and twist the knife. The problem was nothing was fitting in the gap. I found a really thin blade knife that you can purchase for about $3 from any oriental grocery store (these are also great for slicing tomatoes). This sort of went in but no way was it going to be enough to be able to get any leverage. Then I stumbled on something. I was aligning the smooth indented grooves on the watch case with the smooth indented grooves on the bezel. Wrong, align the bezel so the smooth indented grooves on the case are aligned to the knurled (for lack of a better term) outward grips.
Wile I don't have it in the picture I suggest putting electrical tape over the exposed part of the blade that is not under the case and bezel so no accidental scratches occur.
The blade should slip right in all the way now. Next, take a pair of pilers and grip the back edge of the knife blade in the center where the blade has gone the deepest under the bezel and twist.
The bezel will pop right off every time. Not a mark to be found. Be sure and watch that the retaining clip under the bezel does not fly anywhere.
(Sorry I had to stage these photos since I did not have someone to take them while I held the watch)
Please note depending on your work surface it is easier to set the watch on the edge when removing the bezel (which I could not do in the pictures since I was by myself) and watch where you hold the watch so the blade does not do more than remove the bezel.
This is good to do maybe once a year and then clean and lubricate the mechanism (mine was pretty bad after six years ).
When replacing make sure you have the pins in the clip aligned and the contacting surfaces lubricated and then snap the bezel back into place. A press may be required.