I've been mulling this over for quite some time and have finally started the process. Having put together a concept
(which Pbdad thought would be cute to steal the name DEEPSEA Tactical- but failed miserably in its execution), it's time to see
it to its fruition.
[Insert cut and paste history and stupid facts about the gen DEEPSEA here]
[Insert who has the best DEEPSEA version here]
Let's get down to business....
First, the concept:
This may change slightly. At this point, I'm considering using a SINN rubber strap instead of the metal bracelet as that's the type
of strap I prefer to wear and it fits perfectly.
The work begins:
Arrived in the mail, a brand new bezel remover purchased from here:
I was so excited, till I looked a little closer....
Seriously?????????? Damaged blade even before I get to use it??????? :facepalm:
Ugh. Here it is outside the box...
Deep breath. Other than the defective blade, this thing really is very nice. Over $100 nice? Meh, I suppose so, I just can't get
over that some retard sent it out with a damaged blade.
First, to experiment on my junk case. Why is it a junk case? Lots of reasons, first and foremost the model number is 116117. Stupid.
So, being new to the whole bezel removal process using my new defective tool, I put the case in with the blades between the
case and bezel. Then I cranked on it good. Nothing. Cranked even harder.... nothing. I shouldn't have to work that hard, so I
took it out to see what was happening....
Son of a beech.
Lesson number 1: make sure your watch case is firmly seated. I tried again with the case in a different position. Lesson number
2: no mater how hard you crank, it doesn't matter.
How hard did I crank it? I guess hard enough to have the crystal pop out all by itself...
After all that cranking, the bezel doesn't turn any more. :facepalm: Oh well, on to case number 2, which by the way says 116660 on the
side as it should.....
Sorry, this shot doesn't show the 116660, now to be a little more gentle....
HA! Success right? Nope, photos out of order.
Here's the trick (at least for me): Put the case in the defective bezel remover tool and tighten to something that feels nice and
firm. THEN, use a wedge to pop the bezel off. In my haste, I used one of my chisels. Since I am having the case bead blasted, I
wasn't worried about damaging the finish- at least that's how I consoled myself after noticing the superficial mark I left on the
brushed finish.
DO NOT USE A CHISEL!
I'm sure that some other form of wedge would work better as long as it's something like a nice hard plastic- maybe a decent ice
scraper.... use your imagination, just as long as it's not metal.
Here's the bezel hanging out inside the defect bezel remover. Look how nice and dirty it is. Also notice the silicone adhesive
used to put the Trevor insert on. God, what a slob.......
To remove the silicone adhesive, I soaked the bezel and insert in some lighter fluid...
Time to clean the groove where the bezel spring sits...
I thought that using the broken tipped X-ACTO blade would work best, so I used it. I'll use some more lighter fluid to give it a
good cleaning before washing it with soap and water.
Hammer, plastic tube, and a portable vice to hold the case nice and steady. Paper towel underneath to catch the crystal when
it pops out.
Now it's time to remove the crystal. Because I save everything, I was luck enough to have a plastic tool from a sink installation
kit that only needed a tiny bit of sanding to fit perfectly inside the case and behind the crystal.
OK, just a few gentle taps was all it took.
Awwwwwwwwww.... poor little crystal, don't cry, you'll be back together soon, I promise.
Oh crap! I forgot to mention that after removing the bezel, you want to remove that little clicker thing! You'll be up sheet creek
if you lose it!!!!! Put it some place safe or you'll be the one crying!
As a side note, these rep cases only come with one, whereas the gen comes with 4. Makes for a very nice smooth rotating bezel.
Not sure if I'm going to try to do that on this one also- maybe if I can put the parts together.
Now it's time to remove the tube. Looking around my tools, I found something that came in a $5 special Christmas kit from
Home Depot that fit the bill.
Some guys would clean everything up and make it look nice an pretty for the forum because they worry about what you think
of them. Not me. The tube came out very easily- this is actually the simplest part of the whole tear down. If you're going to have
your watch water-proofed, I'd take the tube out and have it installed with some Loc-Tite. Why you say? Because I said so.
Don't forget to take out the plastic ring that holds the crystal in place. Now to clean the parts, take a look at the case and make
sure the bezel turns nice and smooth on it (without the spring in place). I noticed that there was some kind of damage- probably
from me trying to remove the bezel a long time ago with a blade, so I'll be fixing that before it goes for bead blasting and coating.
The coating will be from a company that does gun coating, so it should be fairly durable- if it's good enough for a gun, it's good
enough for my wrist.
-Updates to follow...................................................................
(which Pbdad thought would be cute to steal the name DEEPSEA Tactical- but failed miserably in its execution), it's time to see
it to its fruition.
[Insert cut and paste history and stupid facts about the gen DEEPSEA here]
[Insert who has the best DEEPSEA version here]
Let's get down to business....
First, the concept:
This may change slightly. At this point, I'm considering using a SINN rubber strap instead of the metal bracelet as that's the type
of strap I prefer to wear and it fits perfectly.
The work begins:
Arrived in the mail, a brand new bezel remover purchased from here:
I was so excited, till I looked a little closer....
Seriously?????????? Damaged blade even before I get to use it??????? :facepalm:
Ugh. Here it is outside the box...
Deep breath. Other than the defective blade, this thing really is very nice. Over $100 nice? Meh, I suppose so, I just can't get
over that some retard sent it out with a damaged blade.
First, to experiment on my junk case. Why is it a junk case? Lots of reasons, first and foremost the model number is 116117. Stupid.
So, being new to the whole bezel removal process using my new defective tool, I put the case in with the blades between the
case and bezel. Then I cranked on it good. Nothing. Cranked even harder.... nothing. I shouldn't have to work that hard, so I
took it out to see what was happening....
Son of a beech.
Lesson number 1: make sure your watch case is firmly seated. I tried again with the case in a different position. Lesson number
2: no mater how hard you crank, it doesn't matter.
How hard did I crank it? I guess hard enough to have the crystal pop out all by itself...
After all that cranking, the bezel doesn't turn any more. :facepalm: Oh well, on to case number 2, which by the way says 116660 on the
side as it should.....
Sorry, this shot doesn't show the 116660, now to be a little more gentle....
HA! Success right? Nope, photos out of order.
Here's the trick (at least for me): Put the case in the defective bezel remover tool and tighten to something that feels nice and
firm. THEN, use a wedge to pop the bezel off. In my haste, I used one of my chisels. Since I am having the case bead blasted, I
wasn't worried about damaging the finish- at least that's how I consoled myself after noticing the superficial mark I left on the
brushed finish.
DO NOT USE A CHISEL!
I'm sure that some other form of wedge would work better as long as it's something like a nice hard plastic- maybe a decent ice
scraper.... use your imagination, just as long as it's not metal.
Here's the bezel hanging out inside the defect bezel remover. Look how nice and dirty it is. Also notice the silicone adhesive
used to put the Trevor insert on. God, what a slob.......
To remove the silicone adhesive, I soaked the bezel and insert in some lighter fluid...
Time to clean the groove where the bezel spring sits...
I thought that using the broken tipped X-ACTO blade would work best, so I used it. I'll use some more lighter fluid to give it a
good cleaning before washing it with soap and water.
Hammer, plastic tube, and a portable vice to hold the case nice and steady. Paper towel underneath to catch the crystal when
it pops out.
Now it's time to remove the crystal. Because I save everything, I was luck enough to have a plastic tool from a sink installation
kit that only needed a tiny bit of sanding to fit perfectly inside the case and behind the crystal.
OK, just a few gentle taps was all it took.
Awwwwwwwwww.... poor little crystal, don't cry, you'll be back together soon, I promise.
Oh crap! I forgot to mention that after removing the bezel, you want to remove that little clicker thing! You'll be up sheet creek
if you lose it!!!!! Put it some place safe or you'll be the one crying!
As a side note, these rep cases only come with one, whereas the gen comes with 4. Makes for a very nice smooth rotating bezel.
Not sure if I'm going to try to do that on this one also- maybe if I can put the parts together.
Now it's time to remove the tube. Looking around my tools, I found something that came in a $5 special Christmas kit from
Home Depot that fit the bill.
Some guys would clean everything up and make it look nice an pretty for the forum because they worry about what you think
of them. Not me. The tube came out very easily- this is actually the simplest part of the whole tear down. If you're going to have
your watch water-proofed, I'd take the tube out and have it installed with some Loc-Tite. Why you say? Because I said so.
Don't forget to take out the plastic ring that holds the crystal in place. Now to clean the parts, take a look at the case and make
sure the bezel turns nice and smooth on it (without the spring in place). I noticed that there was some kind of damage- probably
from me trying to remove the bezel a long time ago with a blade, so I'll be fixing that before it goes for bead blasting and coating.
The coating will be from a company that does gun coating, so it should be fairly durable- if it's good enough for a gun, it's good
enough for my wrist.
-Updates to follow...................................................................
