I am an occasional user too and I have that Horotec screw down press and find it excellent for acrylic and tension ring crystals. I haven't tried it on any other more 'challenging' tasks. I find it very stable and well engineered and positive in use.

 

Thanks @size11s Does it work for speedy bezels as well?

 

Thanks Al. Seems a little knowledge can be dangerous.

Do you have any recommendations for a lever press sub £100? Alternatively, if the answer is simply that it’s not possible to get a decent press and dies in that price range, and I’m looking at £400-500, then so be it.

 

None that I am aware of - 100 pounds isn't a lot when it comes to specialty tools like watchmaking gear...

 

I have never tried it on a bezel and don't have a Speedie.

 

I thought that might be the case. It seems there’s cheap junk at one end of the spectrum, and professionally grade equipment at the other but little or reasonable quality in the middle.
I’m really only looking at armoured/tension crystals so might give the screw press a go on a couple of cheap watches/crystals.

 

Let us know how it goes. Just make sure you use the right style of die, and support the case well so the it remains flat during the installation.

 

These threads are gold. Thanks again archer.

 

I have the Horotec press and have used it to install flat sapphire crystals into dive watch cases (new gasket, of course). It does help to loosen and rotate your work as you go; I might remember Al recommending that elsewhere, but I might be rong.

If you see a video of someone installing a sapphire crystal with one of those case closer toys that Harbor Freight sells, I can guarantee you the gasket is not new.

 

Quick update to this thread - this applies specifically to the Omega Speedmaster Date models (there are many) like this one:



This came in for a full service and some cosmetic work. That included a new bezel requested by the owner, but with these the construction is different that a normal Speedmaster Pro. So first the movement is removed from the case:



Next I use the fixed bezel remover to remove the bezel from the case frame:



This removes the bezel and the crystal - the crystal is pressed into the bezel:





Now much later in the service, and the movement has been serviced, the case frame refinished, and pushers replaced - with the movement mounted in the case frame, you can see that there is no crystal:



There is an O-ring that goes onto the case frame, that seals the bezel and case frame:



New bezel, along with the crystal, and new crystal gasket:



Gasket goes in first, making sure that the internal bevel is facing up to receive the crystal:



The crystal is pressed into the bezel:





Now the bezel and crystal assembly are pressed onto the case:



Done:



So unlike the typical Pro model, the bezel cannot easily be swapped.

Cheers, Al

 

Thanks for posting this. Very informative.

 

These instructionals are invaluable, no doubt. But sometimes you really have to have experience and talent. I have an Omega 176.005 that I bought without a crystal. It's the type that inserts with a hard plastic seal around it as Al described. It went to 3 different watch makers before I found someone (the 4th) who could successfully install a new crystal and gasket. The first attempt was made by a professional often recommended on these forums (not Al, of course) and ultimately, after a few attempts, his recommendation was to send it to Omega. One thing making it tricky is that the new seals are round while the case and crystal are TV shaped. The gasket is flexible and has to be formed into the case, but I don't believe it sits perfectly against the perimeter of the case recess (before the crystal is installed) as it wants to return to its round shape. I can imagine how that would complicate fitting the crystal. At least 5 crystals were broken before success. Here's the exact culprit:

 

Did you use an Omega crystal gasket? Here's the description...

098EG0030 | L FORM CR GASK 34X34 T1.1 H2.8

The dimensions imply that it is a rectangular seal, rather than round...

 

Actually, the first 3 failed crystal install attempts made by the aforementioned professional were done before I owned it. This is why I bought it without a crystal. The seller recounted the story to me. I later contacted that watchsmith and asked about this. He tersely confirmed the story and told me to send it to Omega. So I don't know what gasket he used. Otto Frei had the gasket for the 176.005 listed as 098EG0028OME-098EG0028. I bought some of those and some crystals and gave them to at least the next guy, who was unsuccessful. I don't recall if the successful watchsmith used my gasket or not, but it seems it was incorrect!

 

again very helpfull thank you.

 

@Lancaster

Just as a follow-up to this, I added one of the correct seals that Omega calls for to a recent order, just to see what it looked like...



So this provides us with a couple of valuable lessons. One is that using the correct seal can save you 5 broken crystals. The other is that using a watchmaker who has the right parts access is key to #1.

Cheers, Al

 

Seems odd that none of the first three repairers could intuit that if the crystal was shaped the correct gasket would be too. Instead they kept trying to use a round gasket, I suppose because they didn't have access to the genuine Omega gasket. But where did the unending supply of crystals come from?

 

Had the crystal pop out of the exibition back.
Does the crystal "sandwich" the seal between the case back recess edge and the crystal edge?

 

Yes, the seal goes between the case back recess and the outside diameter of the crystal. It's basically like installing the front crystal on a dive watch. Once that hard plastic (usually grey) seal has been used once, you will need a new one.

 

Thank you. I used this case for a eta 2891-a9 movement. Hopefully i can put it in a proper case eventually.
Being the case is unknown, do I measure the bezel groove diameter or crystal diameter?