Is there any way to get an omega bezel to be functional? I love my 2231.50,
but the bezel is just stiff, stiff, stiff no matter what, i've got to flex like Arnold
to move the damn thing.

What i'd really like to do is remove the spring and make it bi-directional,
i don't care about the clicks. I use the bezel quite a bit, and it's easy
enough to align an arrow and a minute hand.

I've got a bi-directional murphy bezel on a seiko, the functionality is superb,
any chance anyone knows how to get my 2231 working that well?

thanks all,

peter

 

It could be dirty under the bezel. Assuming the watch is still water resistant, put it underwater and turn the bezel all the way around a few times. Might make it easier to turn, I've had good luck with this method.

 

oh, i've tried flossing it, and i got it a full service and asked that they
do whatever they could...so the watch is clean. i do notice that if i run
it under warm water and spin it, it improves a bit, but this is not really
practical in everyday life

i'm looking for a mechanical solution, i hope this doesn't seem
sacrilegious, but i'd like to do away with the clicks and get it to
be bi-directional, is it possible to have the existing bezel in place
with no spring tension?

 

Unless the bezel is bent, is packed with dirt, or hasn't been lubricated properly, it should spin fairly easily - not needing a lot of force.

The click spring is needed so it doesn't spin completely free, because if you remove it nothing will hold the bezel in a particular spot. You might be able to fit a click spring from a GMT watch, as those are designed to rotate in either direction, but the only way to know for sure would be to try it.

But these are separate problems - making it turn either direction won't solve the tightness issue, and I suspect it's either bent or hasn't been serviced properly.

Cheers, Al

 

SUCCESS!

here's what i did...i used a pvc pipe fitting and a hose clamp to make
a bezel remover...i removed the bezel, took out the bezel spring, and
gave the spring a good massage, decreasing it's memory, so-to-speak.
then i persuaded the directional pieces to lie flatter, with a screw driver.
snapped the whole thing back together, and it turns beautifully, clicks
intact, but so much more easily!

if anyone wants more specifics on doing this, write in and i'll give you
more details.

thanks,

peter

 

hi al,

i decreased the tension on the click spring, and i wonder is these things made with a lot of uniformity, or do they vary?
the omega is my "grail" watch, but i also am happy to solve my own problems, do you think what i did was valid? i did
have to tuck a loose end of the click spring in after i pressed the bezel back into place, proof that i decreased the
memory or diameter, and so i'm assuming, decreased the tension?

and, honestly, i have no concern about resale value on my "investment" ( i bought it pre-owned ) because i'm planning
on dying with this watch on, hopefully not too soon

thanks,

peter

 

I can't really make out for sure what you did, so let's start with some nomenclature that might help. There are 2 springs used on this bezel assembly - see below:



The bezel spring is the spring that comes off with the bezel when you remove it - it is made of round wire and has flats on it, and is on the left in the photo above. The click spring sits on the case and has 3 raised tabs one it, and is on the right in the photo above.

Other than removing it and cleaning out the groove in the bezel where it seats, you typically don't need to do anything with the bezel spring. This is the spring that actually holds the bezel on the watch, and I will often lubricate the groove that it fits in on the case with Fomblin grease. I also use Fomblin grease on the 3 tabs of the click spring, as shown below:



Lubricating these spots is sufficient, and if the bezel is still tight after that, something is wrong with the bezel, or someone has messed around with the springs previously. If the bezel is tight, the first thing to check is that it's not dirty underneath as they often are. Then check to make sure it's flat - I use a granite plate to make this check and it won't take the bezel being bent a lot to make it not fit properly.

Cheers, Al

 

Please take the watch off before death. Otherwise, someone either in the ambulance or at the morgue will help themselves to it. For your convenience, these are the warning signs of death:

Drowsiness, and an inability to operate heavy machinery

Profound stiffness and a feeling of severe coldness

A rotting smell

 

only part-way there, and my lovely wife will relieve me of the watch first, i'm sure...

thanks al, for the lesson, it's very much appreciated. this is something a handy guy
who lives in the middle of nowhere can do himself, as opposed to the actual clockwork,
which i'd never touch.

so, i decreased the diameter of the bezel spring, which cut down on some of the torque,
perhaps that was a meaningless exercise. and i depressed the 3 raised tabs on the click
spring a bit by nudging them down with a screw driver. i might be just lucky about this,
but the reassembled bezel works just like i'd like it to, i can operate it with 2 fingers
without any strain, and it stays put. can't ask for much more. in the past, i sometimes
just gave up on trying to set it, and this was after sending it to nyc for expensive service.

i'll have to find some fomblin grease now

thanks again, if i do this again, i'll appreciate your expert advice as a reference,

peter

 

As an fulltime EMT I will tell you that about 90-95% of people working in EMS would not look twice at your watch, dead or alive...unless we need to remove it for a procedure. So unless I'm the one working on you, don't worry about the watch in an ambulance

 

one last question, if you can,

if one removed the click spring, would that yield a bi-directional rotating bezel?
i understand the bezel would not lock, and i guess the bezel spring then would
be providing the only friction that would hold the bezel in place ?

 

Yes...not sure how well it would work, but if you try let us know.

 

thanks al,

i feel lucky enough to have improved the watch without damaging it, i can live
with it now ( i'm a yoga teacher, and i time many postures, and a well-working
external bezel is the easiest way to do that imho.) but if i take it apart again,
i'll try removing the click spring, i see no reason not to have the bezel spin
both ways, especially if it means moving the bezel 5 minutes instead of 55
minutes every single time....

and just so you don't think a seamaster is wasted on me, i live on a river, and
swim all the time...

thanks again,

peter

 

Just wanted to ask if meanwhile somebody managesld to succesfully replace the unidirectional click spring with the bidirectional one?

 

yes, i did, but it amounts to removing the click spring entirely, and just letting the bezel spring hold the bezel on.
the design of that bezel makes it difficult to turn, but it also makes it unlikely to be accidentally turned, as well, so i had
no problems with the bezel once the click spring was out, and that renders the bezel bi-directional.

 

Thanks!
Removing the click spring entirely is not the method i would like to pursue.

I would rather be interested if somebody has tried installing the bidirectional click spring from the Seamaster GMT (e.g. 2534) on the regular 2254/2531 Seamaster 300m.
Would one requre also to fit the GMT bezel or would the regular bezel work?

If the swap works, does somebody have the part number for the bidirectional click spring?

 

Hi Al. I'm thinking of removing the bezel from my 2254.50 altogether and had a couple of questions if you don't mind:

1. Is there any technical reason not to do so, i.e. would it compromise the watch's water resistance, etc.?
2. Is this something I can do at home or would I need a watchmaker's help?
3. And do you by any chance have an image of a 2254.50 without a bezel you could share?

Thanks so much!

 

No - won't affect the watch in any way, other than not having a bezel, and leaving the crystal more exposed to damage.

To do this without damage requires some tooling, so it would probably be better to get a watchmaker to help you.

The best I have at hand right now...click spring is installed here as I'm about to put the bezel back on.

 

Thank you sir! I have to say that from that angle, it looks pretty awesome without the bezel. To ask a final silly question - would you have reservations about removing the bezel entirely? i.e. do you think it's a crazy move? I very rarely bash / scratch my watches so I'm not concerned but...

 

Not something I would do personally, but it's up to you...