How to Repair VSF 126610 Submariner Bezel / Hytrel Ring - Long Term!

[butler182]

i think Hytrel ring should be between the bezel and bezel insert ring

I didn't create the drawing, I only labeled. I think most of us put the hytrel ring into the bezel groove before we press the bezel to the case...so the sequencing looks correct to me.

 

[All_Heart]

you must be out of the USA ! I hate sending stuff outside , filling all paperwork, customs forms etc for a simple tiny gaskets. It's just not worth the time unfortunately.

Have you tried to order wso hyrtels ? Maybe they offer shipping?

No worries, I understand and respect how you want to run your business. However, I’ll be happy even if you send it taped to a post card or in an envelope with stamps if in case you change your mind. Grateful for any assistance you can extend in helping me get something I really need.

I’m originally from San Antonio and have no problems receiving holiday cards and snail mail from family there.

I don’t know what wso hytrels are but thanks for the clue. I’ll look it up! ????????

 

[butler182]

I don’t know what wso hytrels are but thanks for the clue. I’ll look it up! ????????

WSO is a prolific watchparts seller on ebay (username: wholesaleoutlet990). See link below for their 116610 hytrel ring...which is a little undersized for the 126610 but still works if you follow the technique above.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/161620824457

 

[Kack 13L0CK3R]

Thank you butler182 the vsf was out a couple days due to the hytrel ring being mangled. I tried your technique and instantly no longer depressed. This actually worked given my first try with a ebay hytrel ring. Its a little tight but ill tinker with it when I have the time with another ebay ring or if I get my hands in a gen hytrel ring. Lol this makes it wearable.

 

[butler182]

Thank you butler182 the vsf was out a couple days due to the hytrel ring being mangled. I tried your technique and instantly no longer depressed. This actually worked given my first try with a ebay hytrel ring. Its a little tight but ill tinker with it when I have the time with another ebay ring or if I get my hands in a gen hytrel ring. Lol this makes it wearable.

Glad it worked for you bro. A little less tape in the bezel channel will likely loosen it up some. With a little tinkering I'm sure you can get it dialed in perfectly and feeling very gen-like!

 

[Liam F]

The ebay rings aren't great still a little axial float on the bezel. I have also tried a genuine hytrel and get the same result. I guess somebody will make some bespoke ones for the VSF 126610 at some point but for now the 116610 ebay ones do the job.

 

[Lightning_825]

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GENTLEMAN, I HAVE FOUND SOME 41MM HYTRELS THAT WORK!!! JUST SELECT 41 AND I RECOMEND GETTING AT LEAST 3 JUST INCASE THEY KINK UP GOING ON, GOT THESE FOR MY 126610 AND THEY WORKED GREAT, KINKED ONE GOING ON , SECOND ONE WENT ON PERFECT, BEZEL HAS BEEN GREAT AND HAS SMOOTH ROTATION, GOOD LUCK!

 

[WatchSmith.US]

Thanks. I will order some.

 

[nofitstate]

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GENTLEMAN, I HAVE FOUND SOME 41MM HYTRELS THAT WORK!!! JUST SELECT 41 AND I RECOMEND GETTING AT LEAST 3 JUST INCASE THEY KINK UP GOING ON, GOT THESE FOR MY 126610 AND THEY WORKED GREAT, KINKED ONE GOING ON , SECOND ONE WENT ON PERFECT, BEZEL HAS BEEN GREAT AND HAS SMOOTH ROTATION, GOOD LUCK!

Have you got any photos showing the watch side on, where you can see where the bezel meets the case? Mine is fitted using the ebay 116610 series ring and it fits with a gap of about 0.15mm between the bezel and case when measured with feeler gauges. I've done a bit of research and found the gen does also have a gap, but I'm not sure how much there should be? If you don't have access to feeler gauges a standard sheet of A4 paper will be about 0.1mm thick. If you can slide one or even 2 pieces in the bezel gap if there is one then it will give me a pretty good idea if these new 126610 rings are better. Thanks.

 

[Lightning_825]

Have you got any photos showing the watch side on, where you can see where the bezel meets the case? Mine is fitted using the ebay 116610 series ring and it fits with a gap of about 0.15mm between the bezel and case when measured with feeler gauges. I've done a bit of research and found the gen does also have a gap, but I'm not sure how much there should be? If you don't have access to feeler gauges a standard sheet of A4 paper will be about 0.1mm thick. If you can slide one or even 2 pieces in the bezel gap if there is one then it will give me a pretty good idea if these new 126610 rings are better. Thanks.

So I don’t usually use metric haha but I am a machinist in the US.

I can get a Starrett .002 thou shim in and out just fine. .

003 will go but stops halfway through. So probably .0025-.0028 gap. Metric conversion is .07112mm. Standard paper is gonna be about .003. So little bit under that I would say.

 

[nofitstate]

So I don’t usually use metric haha but I am a machinist in the US.

I can get a Starrett .002 thou shim in and out just fine. .

003 will go but stops halfway through. So probably .0025-.0028 gap. Metric conversion is .07112mm. Standard paper is gonna be about .003. So little bit under that I would say.

Thanks, that has been a great help.

I'm a machinist in the UK, so was pleasantly surprised with such a helpful reply in a machinist detail

 

[KJ2020]

Keep in mind that variables like spring tension (under the balls and click) and bezel gasket groove tolerances, and hytrel ring variances throughout its diameter, etc. usually make bezel gaps to the case non-uniform. So inserting measuring implements on one side can push the other side down and may not give completely accurate indications.

For reps I always strive for flush to the case. If there ends up being a gap I often will try a larger diameter fishline, which I have resorted to using pretty much exclusively when a replacement hytrel ring is needed. Fishline can be easily sanded pretty uniformly by folding over a piece of 400 grit and pulling the line through the folded paper, rotating it a little with each pull. So you can make it fit nearly perfectly for any given sample rep.

 

[nofitstate]

Keep in mind that variables like spring tension (under the balls and click) and bezel gasket groove tolerances, and hytrel ring variances throughout its diameter, etc. usually make bezel gaps to the case non-uniform. So inserting measuring implements on one side can push the other side down and may not give completely accurate indications.

For reps I always strive for flush to the case. If there ends up being a gap I often will try a larger diameter fishline, which I have resorted to using pretty much exclusively when a replacement hytrel ring is needed. Fishline can be easily sanded pretty uniformly by folding over a piece of 400 grit and pulling the line through the folded paper, rotating it a little with each pull. So you can make it fit nearly perfectly for any given sample rep.

Good advice and being in my game I'm well aware of it as I'm sure Lightning_825 is too.

The 126610 and 116610 ceramic bezels should not be flush to the case, there is definitely a gap on the gen as shown in this picture of a gen 126610


I've read many reports on the gen forums on the gen bezel being able to be compressed slightly, by how much I'm not sure though.

I also read a thread on a Rolex forum about being able to tell a rep by the fact the bezel was flush with no spring in its feel. I guess they are talking about much cheaper reps still using the old style of bezel retaining method of the spring wire though.

With my current bezel retaining ring I'm looking at 0.15mm gap evenly all round, this looks slightly larger then gen examples I've found and it gives more compression than I'd expect, so I've ordered one of the aliexpress rings Lightning_825 has recommended as his bezel seems to sit more gen like. I should have it in a couple weeks and will report back on my results with it.

 

[KJ2020]

Good advice and being in my game I'm well aware of it as I'm sure Lightning_825 is too.

The 126610 and 116610 ceramic bezels should not be flush to the case, there is definitely a gap on the gen as shown in this picture of a gen 126610


I've read many reports on the gen forums on the gen bezel being able to be compressed slightly, by how much I'm not sure though.

I also read a thread on a Rolex forum about being able to tell a rep by the fact the bezel was flush with no spring in its feel. I guess they are talking about much cheaper reps still using the old style of bezel retaining method of the spring wire though.

With my current bezel retaining ring I'm looking at 0.15mm gap evenly all round, this looks slightly larger then gen examples I've found and it gives more compression than I'd expect, so I've ordered one of the aliexpress rings Lightning_825 has recommended as his bezel seems to sit more gen like. I should have it in a couple weeks and will report back on my results with it.

I should have have added that in "striving for flush to the case", it always results in some gap. I try to minimize it as much as possible (without regard to gen) by using a thicker, less compressible material (fishline) because there are frequent issues with cheap rep parts - springs, balls. click, tension washers, hytrel rings. retaining rings, crystal gaskets, etc.

I work on a lot of reps and some have damage from previous attempts to "fix" issues. Or for example on many CLEAN reps, both Subs and GMTs, if you add a gen crystal, the gen gasket won't fit under the rep retaining ring. You can shave the gasket outer perimeter a little, but even then the retaining ring can be so hard to seat that it takes a vice. Then once you get that done, there is more bulk present so the bezel won't seat over it or it if it does it won't rotate.

So then you have to thin the hytrel ring and if it's too thin there's too much lateral or vertical play. And when you pull the bezel off to adjust the hytrel ring it often brings the retaining ring and the crystal with it so you're back to having to separate all the parts and repress the retaining ring. With all these variables and issues it's just easier to strive for flush and take whatever tiny gap you might get than to try to match gen. Just getting everything back together and working is challenge enough on many reps.

You guys might find the thread below useful, maybe see something new.

6-digit Sub crystal and bezel swap

 

[Lightning_825]

Good advice and being in my game I'm well aware of it as I'm sure Lightning_825 is too.

The 126610 and 116610 ceramic bezels should not be flush to the case, there is definitely a gap on the gen as shown in this picture of a gen 126610


I've read many reports on the gen forums on the gen bezel being able to be compressed slightly, by how much I'm not sure though.

I also read a thread on a Rolex forum about being able to tell a rep by the fact the bezel was flush with no spring in its feel. I guess they are talking about much cheaper reps still using the old style of bezel retaining method of the spring wire though.

With my current bezel retaining ring I'm looking at 0.15mm gap evenly all round, this looks slightly larger then gen examples I've found and it gives more compression than I'd expect, so I've ordered one of the aliexpress rings Lightning_825 has recommended as his bezel seems to sit more gen like. I should have it in a couple weeks and will report back on my results with it.

Good luck with the Aliexpress rings, let us know how it goes, I recommend a little bit of silicone grease around the ring to go around the crystal edge, helps with it not getting kinked, unfortunately I found that out after the fact.

My only issue with those rings, is one section gets a little tight when rotating the bezel than the rest of the bezel rotation, but it still functions normally. Let me know how yours is, I'm curious, I went through a lot trying to get mine replaced, ended up losing my click spring and ball springs, spent hours crawling around on the floor with a magnet and ended up finding everything except 1 ball spring, which forced me to re-order a whole set again lol. Spent a couple months out of commission with all the shipping from China so I'm a little nervous to try and fix the one "tight" spot, and as of right now it functions and the bezel is secure, spun it around quite a bit and it hasn't twisted or lifted so I'm thinking it's on correct. Wondering if the silicone grease would have helped. I'll leave mine for now as I don't rotate the bezel very often and like I said it's secure so... if it's not broke, I won't try and fix it haha.

Also the gap on my bezel just by eye looks similar to the Gen in this picture

 

[butler182]

Good advice and being in my game I'm well aware of it as I'm sure Lightning_825 is too.

The 126610 and 116610 ceramic bezels should not be flush to the case, there is definitely a gap on the gen as shown in this picture of a gen 126610


I've read many reports on the gen forums on the gen bezel being able to be compressed slightly, by how much I'm not sure though.

I also read a thread on a Rolex forum about being able to tell a rep by the fact the bezel was flush with no spring in its feel. I guess they are talking about much cheaper reps still using the old style of bezel retaining method of the spring wire though.

With my current bezel retaining ring I'm looking at 0.15mm gap evenly all round, this looks slightly larger then gen examples I've found and it gives more compression than I'd expect, so I've ordered one of the aliexpress rings Lightning_825 has recommended as his bezel seems to sit more gen like. I should have it in a couple weeks and will report back on my results with it.

Just checked the bezels on my gen 126610 and 126600 purchased directly from my AD and unworn to date. Both have very minor, but visible vertical compression. 1 sheet of 20lb copy paper (0.1mm thick) fits snugly between the case and bezel on both. I actually brought up the vertical play with my AD when I purchased the 126610 and they said it was perfectly normal (of course what else are they going to say!) And I wasn't about to turn down the purchase of a gen at retail price over such a small flaw (or non-flaw).

 

[nofitstate]

Just checked the bezels on my gen 126610 and 126600 purchased directly from my AD and unworn to date. Both have very minor, but visible vertical compression. 1 sheet of 20lb copy paper (0.1mm thick) fits snugly between the case and bezel on both. I actually brought up the vertical play with my AD when I purchased the 126610 and they said it was perfectly normal (of course what else are they going to say!) And I wasn't about to turn down the purchase of a gen at retail price over such a small flaw (or non-flaw).

Thanks for that, it's good know the gen specs.

Mine doesn't seem to bad about 0.15mm gap and I may just leave it at that using the ebay 116610 retaining ring in my 126610.

 

[razki]

Fair points bro. I'll give your method a try next time.

Some other considerations for DIY'ers:

The aftermarket hytrel ring can just be cut instead of stretched. This takes out any guesswork in stretching and keeps the ring diameter uniform throughout its length. As you've seen the ring does not need to be intact.

You can use fishline in lieu of an aftermarket gasket. A whole spool is only a few bucks. I've fixed 7-8 bezels with fishline alone. Sizes I've used are 0.56mm, 0.61 and 0.64

However, using fishline carries a risk and it's happened to me once. If you choose a line thickness that is too big the bezel can still press on but then won't rotate and worse you can't get it back off. The only solution then is remove the movement and all gaskets and O rings possible and heat it in the oven at 500° or above for about 20 minutes. The nylon will shrink and become brittle (doesn't make a mess) but you will lose the crystal gasket too. The way to avoid this is start small and work up slowly.

But if using your electrical tape method, you can stay smaller with the fishline. Buy some the same diameter as the original hytrel ring. The more malleable tape (with some give to it) along with a smaller fishline should all but eliminate the scenario descibed above.

Do you join the two ends up or just stick it in?

 

[KJ2020]

Do you join the two ends up or just stick it in?

No need to join the ends. I even used 3 separate pieces of a hytrel ring once before I started using fishline. If you keep gaps small, there is no penalty.

 

[ombre]

Good advice and being in my game I'm well aware of it as I'm sure Lightning_825 is too.

The 126610 and 116610 ceramic bezels should not be flush to the case, there is definitely a gap on the gen as shown in this picture of a gen 126610


I've read many reports on the gen forums on the gen bezel being able to be compressed slightly, by how much I'm not sure though.

I also read a thread on a Rolex forum about being able to tell a rep by the fact the bezel was flush with no spring in its feel. I guess they are talking about much cheaper reps still using the old style of bezel retaining method of the spring wire though.

With my current bezel retaining ring I'm looking at 0.15mm gap evenly all round, this looks slightly larger then gen examples I've found and it gives more compression than I'd expect, so I've ordered one of the aliexpress rings Lightning_825 has recommended as his bezel seems to sit more gen like. I should have it in a couple weeks and will report back on my results with it.

Did you ever get the rings from AliExpress? If so, how did they work?