SKX009 Crystal Replacement

Hi
I have not done this before so looking for a little advice. I am replacing the original crystal on my SKX009 for a domed saphire one. When I removed the old crystal, the chapter ring fell out. Not a problem as there is a small tab on the ring that fits into a grove on the case. There is a slight play in this which I believe is what causes the known chapter ring misalignment problem.
Anyway, that aside, my problem is that I have fitted the new crystal as well as I can. It didn't give a "click" as it went in and took a lot of pressure, while rotating the case. It appears level all the way round. I notice however that the play in the chapter ring is still there. What I would like to know is how do I know if the crystal is fully in it . Should it touch the chapter ring or should there be a tiny gap between the two? I hope this makes sense.
Any advice would be gratefully received!

Here is a picture. Please excuse the dust
https://i.imgur.com/T5QVdd7.jpg

In my experience you probably don't have the crystal pressed fully. The chapter ring will not move around once you do. Did you use a new crystal gasket?

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I used the original gasket. It was undisturbed by removal of the old crystal. The watch is only a year old and the gasket appeared to be in good condition. I will do more pressing!
Thank you for your reply

Well I have done more pressing but the crystal does not seem to have gone down any further. It seems to be an even depth all the way round. It is still not touching the chapter ring. To be honest I didn't check for any movement before I removed the old crystal. A bit of research on Google revealed that sometimes there is movement even when all is factory fitted. The movement is very slight. Less than a millimetre. So I am not too bothered. I don't wish to go to the effort of removing the crystal and glueing the chapter ring. I have also had to order a new case back/crystal fitting clamp as I managed to bend the lever on the cheap one I used! Hopefully the new one will be stronger. My next post will probably be to tell you that I have shattered the crystal. Ha ha! It's all good fun though. In the meantime I am going to swap the date wheel onto the new movement. An intricate job but no brute force required!

Have to say, I'm loving it so far.

[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/TJltOSn.jpg[/IMG]

Looking good[emoji106]

Unfortunately I put some smudges on the inside through careless handling but hopefully some Rodico will clean them up.

I had a similar issue when I upgraded my crystal. The gasket got caught and the crystal would not fully sit fully into the case. In the end I ordered a new gasket and now it's perfect. Tip is put some olive oil around the gasket when fitting to help it slide in easier.

Yup, I would definitely refit with a new Seiko gasket - they are not designed to be removed refitted... quite the opposite. Once you have the crystal out you will find it easier to clean the crystal too - easier than cleaning inner once fitted that's for sure.

Persevere... It will be awesome and you will be a Mod Boss once sorted [emoji3577][emoji16][emoji106]

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by KingKitega

I had a similar issue when I upgraded my crystal. The gasket got caught and the crystal would not fully sit fully into the case. In the end I ordered a new gasket and now it's perfect. Tip is put some olive oil around the gasket when fitting to help it slide in easier.

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That's interesting. Thank you. I cannot be sure but I think the crystal is now fully home. Time will tell when I take it swimming!
Progress so far:
I have swapped the day wheel and movement gasket over to the new movement and fitted the dial. The day wheel now lines up with the date.
[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/nSqnfMS.jpg[/IMG]
Fortunately the circlip that holds the day wheel down is not very tight, so it didn't ping off into orbit! Unfortunately the small white plastic day cog that moves the wheel also came off. I wasn't sure what way round to fit it but a quick look at youtube solved this. Now I have had enough for tonight! Next stage is to fit the new hands.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mrwozza70

Yup, I would definitely refit with a new Seiko gasket - they are not designed to be removed refitted... quite the opposite. Once you have the crystal out you will find it easier to clean the crystal too - easier than cleaning inner once fitted that's for sure.

Persevere... It will be awesome and you will be a Mod Boss once sorted [emoji3577][emoji16][emoji106]

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Thank you! I think I will do as you advise just for peace of mind. Can you tell me please. Is the crystal gasket "profiled" In that it has to be fitted the right way round. Or does it not matter?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kaffe

Thank you! I think I will do as you advise just for peace of mind. Can you tell me please. Is the crystal gasket "profiled" In that it has to be fitted the right way round. Or does it not matter?

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It has a profile and.must be the right way round or you will end up in all likelihood with an I'll fitted crystal at best, and at worst maybe one that eventually fails. Better to do it right for peace of mind like you say [emoji106]

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kaffe

That's interesting. Thank you. I cannot be sure but I think the crystal is now fully home. Time will tell when I take it swimming!
Progress so far:
I have swapped the day wheel and movement gasket over to the new movement and fitted the dial. The day wheel now lines up with the date.
[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/nSqnfMS.jpg[/IMG]
Fortunately the circlip that holds the day wheel down is not very tight, so it didn't ping off into orbit! Unfortunately the small white plastic day cog that moves the wheel also came off. I wasn't sure what way round to fit it but a quick look at youtube solved this. Now I have had enough for tonight! Next stage is to fit the new hands.

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Those little white intermediate wheels are a bugger to find if they get loose [emoji1787] they turn clockwise for the day correction (if anybody reads this one day).https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...0b760bd5c2.jpg

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Today I did something crazy. You will laugh!
Leaving the movement out, I regreased the case back seal, fitted the back and the new crown. I then fitted a spring bar, tied some string to it and immersed the case into a large container we have for collecting rainwater. It is about 1.5m deep. I then left it for about eight hours before removing it and washing it under the shower on power setting. I tried to get the temperature about the same as the water container in case it caused condensation inside. I can report that there is no sign of any water inside the case. I should be fine for swimming with it in the container! I may have it professionally tested in the future but so far so good!

Progress so far. Fitted new hands to movement. It went reasonably well. A tiny bit of paint flaked off the minute hand next to the post when I pressed it home. Fortunately it is covered by the second hand so can't be seen. I know it's there though! The second hand was very difficult. I could not get the post on it lined up with the hole on the movement. Eventually I found the best way was to put a tiny blob of rodico on the end of the hand press and stuck the hand to this. This allowed me to lower the hand while positioning the movement. That all went fine. Then I realised my error! I had forgotten to wind the date wheel so that it just changed before fitting the hands at twelve oclock. So the hands came off again and it was done properly. The movement works and the hands do not touch as they pass over each other. Hopefully the second hand will not touch the inside of the crystal but I will check for that when I refit the movement. It's taken me a few hours to do but very enjoyable to get a good result. My learning point is to order two sets of hands when I next do this!

[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/CfyMo1g.jpg[/IMG]

As an aside, I find that my loupe mists up quickly when I am using it. Probably due to my excitement! I think I will drill some small holes into the plastic casing to allow an air flow. What do you think.

It is a fiddly job but it is satisfying. Bent a few secondhands in my time but definitely gets easier.
If fitted properly and level with the dial face, they won't snag on the underside of the glass

Nice work... Feels good when it goes to plan [emoji16][emoji106]

Always worth having an extra seconds hand - they can be tricky and easy to damage at first.

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This looks like it’s coming along really well.

I find it incredibly satisfying doing mods like this, as to me it makes the watch much more “personal” - silly, I know.

Keep at it, and looking forwards to the next update.

Today I have fitted the movement to the case. Before that I cleaned the smudges off the inside of the crystal. I tried using rodico (new out of the packet) but it left marks. So I used a Zeiss cleaning wipe that I use for my camera lenses. Before it dried I wiped it with a lense cleaning cloth. The crystal came up crystal clear with no dust!
[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/Yaq5lygl.jpg[/IMG]

I have set the time and fully wound it. It was correct after an hour but when finished I will wear it for a few months to see if it needs regulating.
I am now trying to decide on the bezel insert. The original is lovely but I don't think it goes with the new crystal. In the following pictures I have just placed the bezel in position but not pressed it down.
Original:
[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/CyYA9PRl.jpg[/IMG]

A lumed sapphire insert. The lume is very good but I'm not sure about the red colour. It seems a bit creamy in the daylight:
[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/GdtMILZl.jpg[/IMG]

A blue lumed ceramic insert:
[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/uKIK8Nal.jpg[/IMG]

I am leaning towards the ceramic insert. It has more clarity. I have ordered another with green lume.

The new hands are of the design I wanted but if you look closely you will see that the black paint is only on the top of the hands and not on the sides. This is not noticable to the unaided eye so I will keep them for now. I am very pleased with progress so far.

My choice would be the ceramic.

Finished!!!!! (I think).
Fitted the bezel and a Strapcode bracelet today. The bracelet was difficult. I don't know if it's due to the tolerances of the watch or the bracelet but with some mucking about it is now on.
I am very very very pleased.

[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/rpwfDvnl.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/O4TQd7tl.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/yWEpOksl.jpg[/IMG]

Looks great. The upgrades really help improve the watch. :)

Thank you. The phone pictures do not do it justice. The focus is not clear. I will try and take some better pictures with the camera.

I love the final combination - looks fantastic!

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Thank you! I'm pleased with it. My next project is to replace the movement in a CWC G10. There should be less to do but perhaps I should not say that!

Advice to all would-be watch bodgers:

Well-lit work area. Magnifiers. Take pictures BEFORE dismantling anything, cheap digi camera with macro setting is your friend. Digital calipers. Good tweezers. Plastic bag to work in when taking springs apart. Brain, eyes, hands.....owning them’s one thing, knowing how to use them (in this context) takes practice.

Practice on something worthless to develop some skills........or to find out whether you’re cut out for working on this scale.

Learn what you can from the watch before taking it apart, once it’s apart it can’t tell you anything. As an example, if the OP on this thread had done this he would've known whether the chapter ring was trapped by the glass or not. This also applies to movement rings, I always scratch a tiny arrow to indicate which way up they fit. Worst thing to do is ‘wade in’ without taking pics and (more importantly) thinking.

I’m 10% trained and 90% self- taught, I can relate to stuff I read on here, I’m all for encouraging people to get involved but you have to give yourself a chance. Modifying is deceptively difficult because you’re relying on after- market stuff to fit properly, coupled with lack of experience and limited tools/ facilities that’s not a good combination. Even fitting ‘genuine’ replacement hands can be a challenge because they often need broaching slightly to get them to fit easily, a set of fine broaches and a pin vice are essentials to do this with confidence.

I could write a book on this subject based 100% on experience and lessons learned the hard way.

I never claim to be infallible. Here's a recent example involving a Japanese movement where parts can`t be sourced but replacement movements can. I stripped the movement down, cleaned all parts, then left them in a sealed tray/container till I got time to build the watch back up. This ended up being 3 days later, during which time I'd vacuumed the floor of my work room. Towards the end of the build it became clear that a smallish part had been lost, god knows how but it was missing. A thorough search proved fruitless, so I ended up emptying the contents of the vacuum cleaner and searching carefully with the aid of a magnet. The escaped part turned up in there, so my wallet breathed a sigh of relief. I smile when folks claim to have lost parts, usually there are ways and means of finding even the smallest piece if you really have to......it's yet another skill to be learned..

Ha ha. Excellent advice! Our vacuum cleaner often contains many small bits of my daughter's Lego. Many of which have also been sucked up intentionally!

A quick update. I have been wearing the watch for a while now but have decided that the domed crystal doesn't quite look right for me. It is lovely and gives interesting views but I think it will look better to my eye with a flat crystal. I have ordered a replacement from Crystaltimes with the blue A/R coating. I will post a picture when fitted. It comes with a new gasket!

Thanks for the updates Kaffe! I also have a double dome and sometimes wish it was flat, but the bevelled edge is also an eye sore. The perfect crystal would be flat and unbevelled..

They do have one without the beveled edge. I think it is designed to go with the replacement Rolex style bezel and insert they sell. I will stay with the standard bezel with the lumed ceramic insert.

Quick udate. Although I liked the domed crystal, it just didn't click with me. I have now replaced it with a flat sapphire with blue A/R coating. I love it. It is difficult to picture with my phone but it has a beautiful electric blue shimmer on the edges. I would recommend this to anyone thinking of replacing the crystal on an SKX. Also, the crystal gaskets from Crystal Times and Dagaz appear to be exactly the same as the original and it does not matter which way up they are fitted. I compared a new original one with the others and they look the same to me. The old original gasket that I removed from the case had a very slight lip to the lower edge. I believe that this is caused by the compression of the seal when the crystal is squeezed down inside it. I am possibly wrong but that is my thoughts.

[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/yobPMqcl.jpg[/IMG]

The Strapcode bracelet is very nice . My only criticism would be that it is very awkward and tight to fit the spring bars and the clasp has rather sharp edges to each end. I am compairing it to my Rolex bracelets so not quite fair! It is excellent for the price and I would buy again.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kaffe

I find that my loupe mists up quickly when I am using it. Probably due to my excitement!

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This is my quote of the year :eagerness:

Well done OP for sharing your trials and tribulations. I'm not a modder in any way, but I have bought Seikos that were modded with domed crystals, and I didn't like any of them so they were swiftly put back to standard flat crystal.

The watch looks good :thumbsup:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Onelasttime

This is my quote of the year :eagerness:

Well done OP for sharing your trials and tribulations. I'm not a modder in any way, but I have bought Seikos that were modded with domed crystals, and I didn't like any of them so they were swiftly put back to standard flat crystal.

The watch looks good :thumbsup:

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Ha ha! I should choose my words more carefully! Cheers.