Ok so I finally did I it! I changed the bezel insert of my UPO 45.5 for one I bought on the Bay...for those of you that want to try here's how to do it:
1.) DO NOT FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS THAT COME WITH THE INSERT... The bezel of the 45.5 is completely different from the one described as the gen... The rep one is solid thru and thru, so you won't be able to pop the insert from the back if you manage to get the bezel off....
2.) heat up the watch insert with a hairdryer for about 2 minutes.
3.) with a VERY SHARP KNIFE or XACTO blade pull out the insert from the bezel... You'll see some sort of glue residue...remove it all.
4.) now here is where you'll learn from my mistakes...MEASURE the new insert depth so that it finishes flush with the bezel. In my case, the insert was a tiny bit thicker so the finished product is not 100% perfect...
5.) if the insert is thicker, you should sand the bottom of the insert uniformly.
6.) place the insert in the bezel and secure it with TINY drops of your favorite glue using a toothpick (put them only at the outer edge of the bezel so that IF they expand, the glue doesn't enter between the glass and bezel and screw the mechanism)
7.)enjoy your watch!
In my case, the bezel was probably 1/4 of a millimeter too thick so it doesn't sit 100% flush with the bezel but still looks very good.
The bezel I got from eBay had the correct orange color, and a great pearl but it also had a 20 that it a bit too close to the inner edge. The rep one had a so-so pearl with a terrible green color but great markings but was way to red... Either way I opted for the change and I think it is an improvement IMHO.
The 1/4 mm thicker insert doesn't look bad since it is uniform thru and thru..
Here are some pics (sorry for the terrible iPad quality but they get the message across)...
1.) DO NOT FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS THAT COME WITH THE INSERT... The bezel of the 45.5 is completely different from the one described as the gen... The rep one is solid thru and thru, so you won't be able to pop the insert from the back if you manage to get the bezel off....
2.) heat up the watch insert with a hairdryer for about 2 minutes.
3.) with a VERY SHARP KNIFE or XACTO blade pull out the insert from the bezel... You'll see some sort of glue residue...remove it all.
4.) now here is where you'll learn from my mistakes...MEASURE the new insert depth so that it finishes flush with the bezel. In my case, the insert was a tiny bit thicker so the finished product is not 100% perfect...
5.) if the insert is thicker, you should sand the bottom of the insert uniformly.
6.) place the insert in the bezel and secure it with TINY drops of your favorite glue using a toothpick (put them only at the outer edge of the bezel so that IF they expand, the glue doesn't enter between the glass and bezel and screw the mechanism)
7.)enjoy your watch!
In my case, the bezel was probably 1/4 of a millimeter too thick so it doesn't sit 100% flush with the bezel but still looks very good.
The bezel I got from eBay had the correct orange color, and a great pearl but it also had a 20 that it a bit too close to the inner edge. The rep one had a so-so pearl with a terrible green color but great markings but was way to red... Either way I opted for the change and I think it is an improvement IMHO.
The 1/4 mm thicker insert doesn't look bad since it is uniform thru and thru..
Here are some pics (sorry for the terrible iPad quality but they get the message across)...
