What's going on with this bezel? The case is labelled stainless steel, but the bezel looks something else. Could it really just be dirt?Vintage Longines Admiral Automatic Steel Men’s Wrist Watch $1 NO RESERVEPurchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

 

Is there a bezel there at all?

 

Missing it

 

It´s gone

 

So, should there be a bezel? I thought this was a one piece case. Perhaps I miss used the word "bezel".

 

It's the tarnish below the bezel that is not there.

Mentions in listing

"The steel 33.5mm case is in good condition but missing front bezel. "

 

Thanks Standy. I thought these front loaders didn't have removable bezels, & wasn't trusting the seller to be correct.

 

A front loader MUST have a removable bezel, otherwise the movement & dial wouldn't come out the front.

....and First Prize for Reading Comprehension in the month of June goes to........ STANDY!

(I was eliminated for my Bulova / Valjoux incident )

 

I thought they have pull out stems & squeeze out crystals. No bezel.
Does the Seamaster Cosmic have a removable bezel?

 

Every Seamaster and Seamaster DeVille that's in a front loading (monocoque) case has a removable bezel. Same with the Constellation 168.015 and 168.025 front loaders. Never really dealt with Cosmics, but there must be something holding the crystal in.

 

Gravity

 

So how do they stay on down in your part of the globe where everything is upside down?

 

They are too scared of the wildlife to pop off

 

I just finished working on my Admiral 1200 that looks similar except for mine has a small second hand. It is a front loader. The ring or bezel holds the crystal in. Mine had a lot more of the same type of crude under the bezel. It had a bit of a green tinge to it and was putty like. I had thought the previous watchmaker had used it to seal or keep the bezel in place. After cleaning, the ring snapped on firmly, so it was not obviously needed to seal or retain the ring.
Also, caution if the crystal is removed, as the watch hands are radium painted. Any dust off the dial or hands should be carefully managed so it is not inhaled or ingested.

 

This is what the bezel should look like. Yours is missing one.
This picture is before I cleaned it. There is a hint of the dirt around the dial edge. There is also a little booger on the small second hand which was made of the same dirt.