I need to replace the crystal on my Seamaster 166.028. I have found there are 2 different crystals available 1 with a yellow retaining ring and one with a silver retaining ring. Is there any way to tell which I have without taking the watch apart?
The dial appears to be gilt in colour. Use the gold colour trim. Be sure to use a genuine Omega replacement. The trim ring on the Omega is usually different to the trim ring on a generic crystal. (Your dial appears to be gilt. If white, use a white trim ring.)
No such thing as a silly questions, just silly answers. Your watch looks like it has a silver ring now so if your only choice is silver or yellow then I would go like for like. I'm not implying Canucks answer is silly by the way.
Thanks guys ! I didn't realize that it was the ring you can see at the edge of the dial. DOH! If I had only known. And also are they that hard to replace, I do most of my own Pocket Watch work, sometimes to my own detriment.
These tension ring crystals can be tough. You should have a suitable crystal press in order to fit one. I usually chamfer the bottom edge of the crystal around the outer perimeter, just a bit. It usually helps getting them in. And the odd one wil crack on you when fitting. You might be best off removing the movement and crystal, cleaning up the case, and sending just the bezel WITH the Omega CASE NUMBER (not serial number) to a material supplier to have a genuine Omega crystal fitted.
Do you have a good crystal press? The scratch looks deep but doesn't seem to be a crack so it can be buffed out relatively easily with a little bit of elbow grease.
I was thinking of going this route except for 2 things. 1. Deep scratch 2 places said too deep to polish out. You can easily catch a finger nail on it. 2. Crack at about the 7 o'clock position, so really should be replaced anyways.
With the proper crystal and a good press, you can just take the new crystal out of the package and press it straight into the case.
No press, so I guess this one is off to the pros. But I will try to source an Omega crystal my self with Ofrei's or some one.Tthanks again guys.