So I decided I fancied a Fifty Five Fathoms Seiko, and found a 'donor' watch on eBay a few weeks back. I already had a Yobokies dial (available from www.yobokies.com), so I thought I'd do a step by step showing how easy the dial swap is....
The tools/equipment you'll need:
- Tweezers
- Small flat head watch screwdrivers
- Caseback removal tool
- Hand removal tools (Lever type)
- Rodico
- Biro Pen
- Cocktail sticks (toothpicks)
- Latex Gloves
- Silicone Grease
- Dust blower
Total time to do the job - less than an hour.
OK, I'm going to do this step by step, just so you can see that it's not too daunting a task!
First up, here's the 'donor' watch and dial:
Right, so using a flat screwdriver (I do have the correct tool, but find a screwdriver is easier to use on a metal strap), remove the strap springbars:
And then the strap and endlinks can be removed:
Using a caseback tool, remove the caseback:
Ensure the hands are set to 12 o'clock, makes it easier to remove the hands (you can see they are actually a little out of position here, we will correct that):
Here's where it gets little bit more intricate. Firstly pull the crown right out as though you were setting the time, in order to prevent the movement running whilst we swap the dial. Remove the crown by depressing the lever as shown (I found this photo on another online tutorial):
Now the crown can be completely removed:
The movement is held in the case with a plastic retaining ring, so I find the best way to remove the movement is to hold the watch face down, place your palm over the back of the watch, and then turn it over. The movement will fall into your hand.
Next we need to remove the hands. Firstly make a dial protector, a piece of paper with a 'v' cutout:
Place the dial protector under the hands:
Using hand removal levers, prise the hands off, one at a time. Picture only shows one of the tools, but you will need to use both at the same time (other hand was holding the camera!):
Right, that is the trickiest part over! So, now we have the dial ready to be removed:
The dial is only pressed into place, so I was able to prise it from the movement using a small screwdriver. Do this slowly and gently, moving around the dial until it lifts away completely:
Finally, we're half way there!
It gets easier from here onwards...
So here are the dials side by side. I have chosen the dial with a date window (essential to a watch for me!):
Now lets just do a check to make sure we've got all the parts before we begin re-assembly:
I recommend wearing latex gloves for this next part (if your not already wearing them). Take the new dial, line-up the dial feet and press it into place:
Here's a side view to show the dial is seated correctly:
Now its time to put the hands back. This can be tricky and requires a bit of patience. Using a little Rodico, lift the hour hand into place:
Here's a great tip I picked up from a fellow forum member. You need a biro, such as the one shown:
Remove the actual writing insert. It is made from a soft nylon material that won't damage the hands:
With the hand lined-up, use the pen insert to press it firmly into place (hour hand is already done, photo shows the minute hand):
So all the hands are back in place:
Make sure you use a dust blower to remove any dust from the dial and within the case. Place the movement back into the case, reversing the process you used to remove it.
Now, I apply silicone grease with a cocktail stick to the rubber seal on the crown:
And the caseback:
Now the crown can be pressed back into place, it will easily just push back in and 'click' when it is correctly postioned.
Finally, replace the caseback:
And, voilà - the finished article!
Love this watch!
Next up, I need to source a decent 22mm mesh bracelet, if anyone can recommend one!
-OW
The tools/equipment you'll need:
- Tweezers
- Small flat head watch screwdrivers
- Caseback removal tool
- Hand removal tools (Lever type)
- Rodico
- Biro Pen
- Cocktail sticks (toothpicks)
- Latex Gloves
- Silicone Grease
- Dust blower
Total time to do the job - less than an hour.
OK, I'm going to do this step by step, just so you can see that it's not too daunting a task!
First up, here's the 'donor' watch and dial:
Right, so using a flat screwdriver (I do have the correct tool, but find a screwdriver is easier to use on a metal strap), remove the strap springbars:
And then the strap and endlinks can be removed:
Using a caseback tool, remove the caseback:
Ensure the hands are set to 12 o'clock, makes it easier to remove the hands (you can see they are actually a little out of position here, we will correct that):
Here's where it gets little bit more intricate. Firstly pull the crown right out as though you were setting the time, in order to prevent the movement running whilst we swap the dial. Remove the crown by depressing the lever as shown (I found this photo on another online tutorial):
Now the crown can be completely removed:
The movement is held in the case with a plastic retaining ring, so I find the best way to remove the movement is to hold the watch face down, place your palm over the back of the watch, and then turn it over. The movement will fall into your hand.
Next we need to remove the hands. Firstly make a dial protector, a piece of paper with a 'v' cutout:
Place the dial protector under the hands:
Using hand removal levers, prise the hands off, one at a time. Picture only shows one of the tools, but you will need to use both at the same time (other hand was holding the camera!):
Right, that is the trickiest part over! So, now we have the dial ready to be removed:
The dial is only pressed into place, so I was able to prise it from the movement using a small screwdriver. Do this slowly and gently, moving around the dial until it lifts away completely:
Finally, we're half way there!
It gets easier from here onwards...
So here are the dials side by side. I have chosen the dial with a date window (essential to a watch for me!):
Now lets just do a check to make sure we've got all the parts before we begin re-assembly:
I recommend wearing latex gloves for this next part (if your not already wearing them). Take the new dial, line-up the dial feet and press it into place:
Here's a side view to show the dial is seated correctly:
Now its time to put the hands back. This can be tricky and requires a bit of patience. Using a little Rodico, lift the hour hand into place:
Here's a great tip I picked up from a fellow forum member. You need a biro, such as the one shown:
Remove the actual writing insert. It is made from a soft nylon material that won't damage the hands:
With the hand lined-up, use the pen insert to press it firmly into place (hour hand is already done, photo shows the minute hand):
So all the hands are back in place:
Make sure you use a dust blower to remove any dust from the dial and within the case. Place the movement back into the case, reversing the process you used to remove it.
Now, I apply silicone grease with a cocktail stick to the rubber seal on the crown:
And the caseback:
Now the crown can be pressed back into place, it will easily just push back in and 'click' when it is correctly postioned.
Finally, replace the caseback:
And, voilà - the finished article!
Love this watch!
Next up, I need to source a decent 22mm mesh bracelet, if anyone can recommend one!
-OW
