First impression - Sloppy Vevor 5700 or inexperience?

[mseamaster]

Today, my Vevor 5700 screw caseback opener arrived.

Naturally I got 3 of the broken watches I bought specifically to practice and started opening and closing them.

However the press feels sloppy. I can't align the jaxa right and it often slips. It feels like it's misaligned compared to the position of the watch. On one of the cheap broken watches, it rotated so hard, the crown broke and the watch fell apart to glass, movement and case.

Of course that's non issue since it's a badly broken non-working watch anyway... But I am afraid of this happening on a real watch...

Also the press itself makes a really nasty sound when I press it down, I sprayed some nice lubricant all over and wiped the excess. But it didn't help.

I will try to make a video when I get home.

 

[mseamaster]

Tbh almost all the replaceable notches for opening the back mostly seem to big/unusable... as if I am going to work on 50mm watches or so.

Honestly it feels like it would be easier to just use a good quality jaxa opener with say 3 points which wouldn't slip.

 

[mseamaster]

Just an update for anyone interested. Tried on standard seiko cases and it works fine. No wobbling.

Of course I placed a thin plastic bag on top of the watch back to protect it from scratches. The watch itself rotates a bit in the holder, since I don't want to to tighten it too much in place, even though the mechanism holding it is plastic so it can't get scratched.

 

[JimInOz]

Just post a pic of the equipment you're using.

Edit: I can't understand why you are using a Jaxa with a "Vevor 5700" (just looked it up).

As I said, pics are better than words.

Edited: Jun 16, 2024

 

[mseamaster]

This is the 5700 Vevor. I got it on eBay, but it's available at many places. It was recommended to me here on the forum(thanks guys) so that I don't get a sloppy jaxa and mess something up.

 

[Dan S]

I have had great luck with these openers when used properly. Use the clamps between the lugs to hold the watch. The white things in the back. Don't use the case holder, it is not as secure. Also, I'd suggest using different tips, not the sharp pointy ones but the ones that fit better into the entire groove in the case-back.

If you watch a few YouTube videos, it might help.

 

[mecha_h]

The white clamps in the back will def. keep the watch from coming off. I doubt the pic you posted is of the setup after the incident but just to be sure those clamping pins need to be surrounding the case at roughly 2,4,8,10 o'clock... where the lug meets the case body.

 

[mseamaster]

Dan S

I have had great luck with these openers when used properly. Use the clamps between the lugs to hold the watch. The white things in the back. Don't use the case holder, it is not as secure. Also, I'd suggest using different tips, not the sharp pointy ones but the ones that fit better into the entire groove in the case-back.

If you watch a few YouTube videos, it might help.

The sharp ones seem fine with a good plastic bag over the watch. But I will try the other ones too. I will look for some videos too. Thing is, for smaller watches(30mm), the experience wasn't good. While trying on a LM, it just works.

mecha_h

The white clamps in the back will def. keep the watch from coming off. I doubt the pic you posted is of the setup after the incident but just to be sure those clamping pins need to be surrounding the case at roughly 2,4,8,10 o'clock... where the lug meets the case body.

Thanks, I will try using the white clamps.

 

[JimInOz]

Like Dan said, get rid of the clampy part and use the white blocks according to lug width.

Use of a thick bit of plastic on the bed of the platform will protect the crystal when applying pressure to the caseback (I use washers/O-rings).
The tips of the pins can be lightly polished to remove any sharp edges, I don't use a plastic sheet over the caseback and don't get any scratches.

When the watch is properly set on the platform and the blocks are comfortably against the case, gently lower the opener down to the caseback and align the pins with the caseback slots/holes.
While maintaining gentle downward pressure on the winding handle, spin the lock nut up to the head stem so that you have light pressure on the caseback. You should be able to take your hands away and it will be all ready to remove the caseback.
Start opening the case, when you see movement, loosen the lock nut slightly and repeat.
After doing a few of your junkers, you'll get the hang of it.

 

[Archer]

I rarely use the adjustable pin opener you guys are showing. Almost all watches can be opened using non-marking urethane dies.



As you can see, a couple of the dies have deteriorated, but this is 15 years of near daily use, so they do hold up well. The blue one in the background is a Horotec die I bought recently. Not as grippy as the Bergeon are, but still works okay.



I only use the pins when absolutely necessary, which is rare. Just something to consider.

 

[JimInOz]

Al, I got a set of those suction dies and they were as grippy as if they were coated in talcum powder.
They were generic "Horotec" and when I complained to the supplier they ignored me.

Trying to find a set of Bergeons in Australia is a real challenge.

 

[Archer]

JimInOz

Al, I got a set of those suction dies and they were as grippy as if they were coated in talcum powder.
They were generic "Horotec" and when I complained to the supplier they ignored me.

Trying to find a set of Bergeons in Australia is a real challenge.

They are definitely not as grippy as the Bergeon, but I find with any of these if there are any greases from fingers, etc. on the case, they don;t work nearly as well. So next time you try yours, wipe the case back and the surface of the die down with some alcohol, and let it dry, then try opening the case - should improve things.

 

[Pip]

Archer

They are definitely not as grippy as the Bergeon, but I find with any of these if there are any greases from fingers, etc. on the case, they don;t work nearly as well. So next time you try yours, wipe the case back and the surface of the die down with some alcohol, and let it dry, then try opening the case - should improve things.

Good info. They are a significant investment for a hobbyist like me but not out of reach. I was looking at them on Cousins yesterday and the "FL" set you have doesn't seem to be a thing anymore, you can either get a Soft set or a Hard set - no idea on the difference but I'd hazard a guess that the hard set may be stronger gripping and therefore more useful overall? May have that completely wrong of course, would not be the first time.

 

[mecha_h]

I have a couple of the red horotec (soft?) i bought to try out rather than picking up a full set. They work fine on 90% of what i put under... bearing in mind, i don't do a ton of modern divers, etc... so those may require the hard dies and more torque... I really only use the pins (or the rolex openers) to crack the case if the suction won't cut it... once the case has been cracked loose, i switch to either a ball by hand or put on a rubber suction die. i have found pins are more likely to slip during the unscrewing vs cracking.

 

[mseamaster]

Archer

I rarely use the adjustable pin opener you guys are showing. Almost all watches can be opened using non-marking urethane dies.



As you can see, a couple of the dies have deteriorated, but this is 15 years of near daily use, so they do hold up well. The blue one in the background is a Horotec die I bought recently. Not as grippy as the Bergeon are, but still works okay.



I only use the pins when absolutely necessary, which is rare. Just something to consider.

Very nice.. would these be compatible with my 5700 clone? It says 5700 on the box photo. I will look in AliExpress for a similar set. Btw what you think about rubber balls? I read you can easily open, but then closing would be hard, right? I mean, you can't tighten with a rubber ball or can you.. I ought to get more tools soon, but I am getting too many watches atm 😁

 

[Archer]

mseamaster

Very nice.. would these be compatible with my 5700 clone? It says 5700 on the box photo. I will look in AliExpress for a similar set. Btw what you think about rubber balls? I read you can easily open, but then closing would be hard, right? I mean, you can't tighten with a rubber ball or can you.. I ought to get more tools soon, but I am getting too many watches atm 😁

No idea if they work with clones. Yes they can tighten case backs as well.

 

[ExpiredWatchdog]

@JimInOz, is that contraption with the blue base a dry tester? If so, what brand, pressure range and resolution of the indicator. I suppose it's mostly manual operation.

Thanks

 

[JimInOz]

ExpiredWatchdog

@JimInOz, is that contraption with the blue base a dry tester? If so, what brand, pressure range and resolution of the indicator. I suppose it's mostly manual operation.

Thanks

Yes, it's an Elma Leak Controller 2000. Specs provided by Elma are vague but you can check out all of the info here.

https://www.elma-ultrasonic.com/en/...quipment#tabs|p5459:undefined|p5463:undefined

Not as sophisticated as the higher end stuff, but it gives me confidence when I tell somebody that their watch is water resistant.
If they have a watch intended for diving, I test the case sans movement in a wet tester (one immediately behind the case tool).

 

[ExpiredWatchdog]

Thanks for the link. I had thought about making one using a machinist's "tenth" indicator but I really haven't studied the expected deflection and know that the Proofmaster has way better resolution. Yours is 39 microinches while the Proofmaster is a small fraction of a microinch, for four times the price.

It is interesting to see that Elma is a going concern since so many references are to vintage equipment.

 

[JimInOz]

ExpiredWatchdog

Thanks for the link. I had thought about making one using a machinist's "tenth" indicator but I really haven't studied the expected deflection and know that the Proofmaster has way better resolution. Yours is 39 microinches while the Proofmaster is a small fraction of a microinch, for four times the price.

It is interesting to see that Elma is a going concern since so many references are to vintage equipment.

I've found the quailty of Elma products is quite good.
So far I have the Leak Controller 2000, the Elma Antimag demagnetiser and the Elma Solvex SE cleaning machine.

When my cheapo watch winder dies I'll be lashing out on something like this (if SHMBO is OK with it 😁).