Reply With QuoteIf you put the watch face up in a large vice, a cold chisel and lump hammer ought to do the trick!
Cheers,
Martin
:wink:
I don't particularly care for cyclops' on crystals, and I have a couple of Marcello Cs that have them. I know people have successfully removed them, so I'm thinking about whether to give it a shot.
Now, my question is, just how tricky is it? I'm not exactly great with my hands. I'm OK doing strap changes and so forth, but messing with the innards of a watch would be beyond me (my fine motor skills just aren't good enough). Should I give it a go?
Also, and importantly, is anyone able to point me at a primer to tell me how?
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
If you put the watch face up in a large vice, a cold chisel and lump hammer ought to do the trick!
Cheers,
Martin
:wink:
Dave, heat the crystal (not too much of course) to liquefy the glue, take a wooden spoon (iŽm sure youŽll find something like the one on the pic in your kitchen), put it right beside the cyclop....
- pray
- think about it again
- pray again
PUSH.
Worked for me on my Submariner, should work on MarcelloŽs as well.
I'm not as think as you drunk I am.
I think you will find tha ta dremmel with a small grinding wheel may do less damage...!! :shock: :DOriginally Posted by Chisholm
Hmm, don't have a vice, I can wedge it between a couple of bricks? Any particular chisel most suitable? :lol:
What's the best way to get some heat to the crystal safely?
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
The information I read recently was to use a soldering iron held against the cyclops, this heats the glue before "overheating" the crystal, the cyclops is said to either just come loose or "pop" off, then use nail varnish remover to clean the face of the crystal.....
I am sure Roy (RLT) was the one to mention this.
Best regards David
I apologize for this being a sensible reply.....but too hot today here for farting around :P
For a MarcelloC, you need one of these. :P
anon
THIN is the new BLACK
I did it to a Marathon SAR recently - heat with a hair dryer for 20-30 secs, place a razor blade scraper against the cyclops and a slight tap with a small hammer and it's off. I nailed a piece of wood on my work bench to have the leverage needed to ensure the watch didn't move. I then licked the remains of the glue off - quite nice. :twisted:
Thanks John! (It occurs to me that if I countenance putting a Damasko near that my money would be on the Damasko!) :lol:
For a MarcelloC, you need one of these. :P
anon
David, thanks for the soldering iron tip, that rings a bell with me too.
Now to think about whether to risk it...
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
It is too sunny and too hot to be doing this boring admin stuff I'm stuck with. (Especially since I thought I would be able to take the morning off and get out on the bicycle.) :(
Perhaps during the afternoon the roads will beckon. :)
Best wishes,
Bob
That should work :P :lol: 8)
I'm not as think as you drunk I am.
I would be tempted to take it off your wrist first though!That should work :P :lol: 8)
I know the feeling Bob! Though I'm stuck at home but having to write job applications :( I think at least being trapped in an office means that all temptation's taken away, whereas here I just keeping on wandering out in the garden for a 'stretch' and just put off working (which I suppose is what I'm doing write now by reading the forum! :) )It is too sunny and too hot to be doing this boring admin stuff I'm stuck with. (Especially since I thought I would be able to take the morning off and get out on the bicycle.) :(
Perhaps during the afternoon the roads will beckon. :)
Best wishes,
Bob
Without giving away any secrets, where abouts in Oxford are you based? I'm up in Cowley.
Cheers,
Andy
One of my old watch repairers used to grip the flat edges with some small stilsons and give them a sharp twist to remove the cyclops. Saw him do it once and it worked a treat.
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
:)
Best wishes,
Bob
Didn't know cyclops are glued on. I have always assumed that there are intergral to the crystals!
Ahhh, I see! It's a small world, with two of us based in Oxford! :)
:)
Best wishes,
Bob
Anyway, back to the applications I suppose (really need to rig up some black-out curtains over the windows to stop me being tempted by the summer!
Andy
On the Timezone forum, a member called CharlesN has posted 2 mthods:
(1) grip in jewellers vise, sharp twist [similar to Eddie's method]
(2) use flat chisel and give it a sharp rap
Both methods claimed to remove cyclops cleanly, no crystal damage. In both cases he regretted doing it - it spolit the look of the watch - and he has had them replaced. I must admit, I am not a fan of the cyclops and am tempted to do it myself to my GMT.
Don't try it with an acrylic crystal though, I think the cyclops is part of the crystal and not simply stuck on.
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
Hi,I did it to a Marathon SAR recently - heat with a hair dryer for 20-30 secs, place a razor blade scraper against the cyclops and a slight tap with a small hammer and it's off. I nailed a piece of wood on my work bench to have the leverage needed to ensure the watch didn't move. I then licked the remains of the glue off - quite nice.
Can you please post or send me some pics of the Marathon SAR without the cyclops?
I have send you a PM also.
Thanks in advance for your answer.
I used the soldering iron method on mineral crystal and it worked easily.
Kevin
Variation #1 . .
I'm not half as thunk as drinkle peep I am (Neil D White).
:wink:
Here's my old SAR w/o cyclops (and black datewheel :D ),
It was non-cyclops from the start so I did not have to remove it.
Dont have it anymore though... :cry:
/Stefan
Had a go at my Tridente this afternoon (I got it 2nd hand at a good price, so less of a risk than the Nettuno 3).
2 observations:
1) This is not a task for the faint-hearted, I really thought I'd screwed it up at one point.
2) Not all cyclops glues respond easily to heat.
Will probably do the Nettuno at some point as well, but I'll need to be feeling brave!
On the upside, I think the removal is a real improvement! One of the reasons I decided to give it a shot was that there was a small scratch on the cyclops (like I said, 2nd hand and it had had a life). Not really a problem, but I knew it was there. Now it's gone!
(I'll take a pic later and post it.)
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
Two pics of the finished article:
(I have marked the bezel at one point, but you have to look carefully with the light at the right angle to see it, so I'm not too worried and you can't see it in these pics.)
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
I also did the job this evening.
Here a few fast pics of the result.
A black datewheel would be nice I think.
Nice job mate!
They both look great i'm not a cyclops fan either
Some lovely pics of un-cyclop'sed watches! For some reason I find the cyclops window fugly, but it's good to know there is a way (albeit probably above my clumsy abilities :)) to remove it!
Andy
.
Congratulations guys.
john
THIN is the new BLACK
Congrats, REFZ. Looking good now.
Here's my departed de-cyclopsed SAR
Although, I must say Stefan hit the nail on the head with the black date ring - that makes the watch.
Actually I find the dial looks more balanced with a white date disk, because the white area counterbalances nicely the similarly-sized and -shaped index at 9 for a more symmetrical look.Congrats, REFZ. Looking good now.
Here's my departed de-cyclopsed SAR
Although, I must say Stefan hit the nail on the head with the black date ring - that makes the watch.
Having said that, there are watches that look better with a black day disk, especially ones with numerals, not square indices.
Cheers,
Martin ("Crusader")
I agree. Even better would be if it were white, and at the six.
Best wishes,
Bob
I agree completely, but only in theory.
IRL there was no contest, black date was a winner for this one (IMO of course).
I think I tried to make sense of this in a post when I just had done the mod but if I remember correct I couldn't quite explain it then either.
It made the watch much more "stealthy" (if a SAR can be that?) and it never felt unbalanced when I looked at it :? .
/Stefan
Reality is the fiercest enemy of theory. :twisted: :lol:
Cheers,
Martin ("Crusader")
I tried to take the cyclops off a GMT Citizen once with a Dremmel - farked the crystal totally, and had to replace it. :roll: I think I like the sound of the other methods here more!
so the unwanted eye is lined up, heated with a heat gun... no namby pamby hairdrier in this household.... then get the friggin big soldering iron on it...
and a quick whack with the four pounder and hey prest....oh... its on the fookin floor...
:shock: :shock: :shock:
Damn! probably not a good idea to use the heat gun, seems the body of the watch was heated and expanded at a greater rate than the crystal, sod that! Put the crystal in the fridge for a day then see if it will slip back into the watch body after "heating gently" the watch first (ie in the airing cupboard for a few hours)......but at least now you can try the soldering iron on the cyclops without fear of damaging the watch :shock:
Best regards David
:shock: :shock:
Man, I hope that's a joke one...
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
er no... its a real one but it has more sentimental value that monetary :?
the crystal doesn't feel heavy enough to be mineral, I reckon its acrylic...
gadge
Gadge, Im sorry to say I spat my Tea out when I saw that... tho i feel for you... :roll:
Some acrylics are one piece so that may be the problem...
I hope it didnt drown the keyboard Jon.. :) was it Darjeeling? perhaps I might be able to get Bry to find me a flat mineral to go in its place :lol:
If its acrylic I doubt very much you will succesfully seprate the cyclops, as said before it may well be moulded in one piece.......
Bummer............
[quote=inspector gadget]er no... its a real one but it has more sentimental value that monetary :?
the crystal doesn't feel heavy enough to be mineral, I reckon its acrylic...
gadge[/quote:u6xyg9kk]
Arse!
If it's acrylic you're probably into replacement crystal territory!
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
Don't all shout at once. I actually quite like the cyclops on my Seiko!
Am I the only person on the planet with this opinion?
Cheers,
Martin
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is. :DReality is the fiercest enemy of theory. :twisted: :lol:
Eeehhh...
/Stefan
(if I recall corectly)
Theory is everybody understands how it works but nothing does;
practice is everything works but nobody understands how....
however some can have a perfect combination of theory and practice:
nothing works and nobody understands...
Jeroen
:idea: Or one can change the crystal.
Here is the Sub with Daytona crystal - Rolex Submariner 16610 "non-cyclop".
Picture by Miguel A at a Swedish Watch Forum.
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