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Thread: Steinhart Bezel....not the insert.....MORE INFO

  1. #1
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    Steinhart Bezel....not the insert.....MORE INFO

    Does anyone know where Steinhart get their bezels from ? Not the inserts but the bezels and the retaining springs. I have an OVR that requires a new bezel and retainer spring, but Steinhart say they are not available separately,.... I need to buy a case !.

    I have ordered a new insert already, but it seems crazy that I need to purchase a case to get just the bezel and spring.

    If anyone has any info on where I can get these items or who to talk too, I would appreciate some help.
    Last edited by BryanEbru1512; 5th November 2013 at 15:26.

  2. #2
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    I think you'll struggle to find one unless you can discover who Steinhart's supplier is.

    How much is a case, and will Steinhart supply you one that you can part out?

  3. #3
    Grand Master markrlondon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dietcokeman View Post
    Does anyone know where Steinhart get their bezels from ? Not the inserts but the bezels and the retaining springs. I have an OVR that requires a new bezel and retainer spring, but Steinhart say they are not available separately,.... I need to buy a case !.
    This is very, very annoying (and disappointing).

    I have an Ocean 1 that is in good condition apart from the fact that it's missing its bezel click spring. I was going to contact Steinhart to see if they could sell me a spring but haven't yet got round to it. I am amazed and saddened that they would refuse to supply the part on its own.

    In my case I happen to know who made my Ocean 1 for Steinhart: It was Grovana. However, since my O1 was made, they have as far as I know changed OEMs. Current O1s are made by someone different and, if I remember correctly, the O1VR was introduced after the changeover in manufacturer. There has been some gossip that Steinhart's current OEM is Synergies Horlogères ( http://www.synhor.ch/ ) but I have no idea whether or not this is correct.

    How much did they want for a full case, as a matter of interest?




    P.S. If the previous owner who removed the bezel click spring from an Ocean 1 with black bezel is reading this please do get in touch! I have a couple of questions for you. :-)
    Last edited by markrlondon; 21st October 2013 at 15:42.

  4. #4
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    I'm genuinely surprised to hear this from Steinhart

    I recently contacted them to ask what size the screws in my O1 bracelet are so that I could buy the correct screwdriver for resizing. Although it took them a few days to get back to me; their communication isn't the best, they responded by saying the tool I needed wasn't available to purchase from their website (as some are) but offered to send me one free of charge, sure enough it turned up the following week.

    I feel sure that if they could help you with this they would.

  5. #5
    It may be possible to improvise a bezel click spring, and the retention circlip, using parts that I believe Cousins and others sell for Tag Heuer.

    Where you could source a new bezel itself from I wouldn't know, but there was a suggestion elsewhere that PalladiumAG are the current manufacturers.


  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Watchuthinking View Post
    It may be possible to improvise a bezel click spring, and the retention circlip, using parts that I believe Cousins and others sell for Tag Heuer.

    Where you could source a new bezel itself from I wouldn't know, but there was a suggestion elsewhere that PalladiumAG are the current manufacturers.


    Thanks for that . I have ordered a case from steinhart at 80 euros . I now have a spare clip spring which I have told Markrlondon he can have . My bezel was really bent on the watch and was very very difficult to remove . I am quiet versed in bezel removal having done loads of Heuers, Rolex, seikos etc , but this Steinhart was a complete nightmare , I'm not sure if its because it was damaged . So as Mark is going to have to remove his bezel to fit my donated click spring could you advise on how to remove these bezels as speaking to Mark he indicated that he had tried with a case knife without success .

  7. #7
    Master adzman808's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dietcokeman View Post
    . So as Mark is going to have to remove his bezel to fit my donated click spring could you advise on how to remove these bezels as speaking to Mark he indicated that he had tried with a case knife without success .
    iirc according to Steinhart the bezel can't be removed...

    I've read a few horror stories on the web about bending bezels using the case knife method.... there seems to be generic special tools for the job, many costing more than a Steinhart!!

    Out of curiosity I'd be interested in knowing how Watchuthinking managed it too!

  8. #8
    Grand Master markrlondon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dietcokeman View Post
    I now have a spare clip spring which I have told Markrlondon he can have .
    It was good to speak to you and I greatly appreciate having your old click spring. :-)

    Quote Originally Posted by dietcokeman View Post
    So as Mark is going to have to remove his bezel to fit my donated click spring could you advise on how to remove these bezels as speaking to Mark he indicated that he had tried with a case knife without success .
    Any advice on removing the bezel would be gratefully received.

    As mentioned on the phone, I have been advised that one approach is to use a brass-clawed crystal lifter to lift the bezel off. I've not yet tried this but, when I do try it, I'll report back on what happens.

  9. #9
    Grand Master markrlondon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Watchuthinking View Post
    It may be possible to improvise a bezel click spring, and the retention circlip, using parts that I believe Cousins and others sell for Tag Heuer.
    Do you know which parts these would be? I just had a look at Cousins website and the only bezel springs they have for Tag Heuer are T8917 and T9302 which don't look to be the right sort for Steinhart. It seems that Cousins might have more parts for Heuer-branded watches but I'd need to know a watch model number to look up to find a bezel click spring.

    Quote Originally Posted by Watchuthinking View Post
    there was a suggestion elsewhere that PalladiumAG are the current manufacturers.
    That could potentially be useful, thanks for that lead.

  10. #10
    I'm afraid I don't know which model Tag (or Omega) may use a similar circlip or click spring, but an image search for 'bezel click spring' shows something must be near enough to work. It would be useful information if anyone experiments.

    I removed my Ocean 1 bezel with considerable brute force, and even more ignorance. Two Opinel No9s, a 3/4 inch wood chisel, Google, bloody-mindedness, all mixed together and with a hint of a twist at the end. A third hand would have been very useful. I suggest before using the 'force' method, you develop a hatred for your watch. I simply didn't care whether it got damaged or scratched in the process, I just wanted to find out how the bezel retention worked. I've wasted enough of my youth fixing motorbikes to know that any moving part requires maintenance, and a rotating bezel that 'cannot be removed' is going to cause problems. I also had a cunning Plan B for the dial and movement.

    Although I did damage the bezel, it went back on ok, and works normally. The case survived unscathed. The bendage is limited to the lower lip of the circlip channel;





    If I were to do it again, less force would be required, but a new bezel insert almost certainly needed. Steinhart deserve huge praise for selling them, and the fact that you can purchase a new case entirely is not to be sniffed at when other micros just give you a "no" to the same request.

    If you stab the inner lip of the bezel with a sharp tool, you will be able to lever it off. Warming it will soften the glue, but it will bend out of shape.

    You will then be able to see the circlip doing its thing, a bit like this (if you can see through the detritus of life);

    (Not an Ocean 1, but similar system)





    Picking one of the circlip's ends out with the sharp tool mentioned above should enable you to tease it out of the grooves without much force, and it could be replaced in the same way, having jiggered the click spring into position. I admit I haven't done this to a Steinhart bezel, but have to similar watch cases with no problems.
    Last edited by Watchuthinking; 23rd October 2013 at 05:54.

  11. #11
    Grand Master markrlondon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Watchuthinking View Post
    I removed my Ocean 1 bezel with considerable brute force, and even more ignorance. Two Opinel No9s, a 3/4 inch wood chisel, Google, bloody-mindedness, all mixed together and with a hint of a twist at the end. A third hand would have been very useful. I suggest before using the 'force' method, you develop a hatred for your watch. I simply didn't care whether it got damaged or scratched in the process, I just wanted to find out how the bezel retention worked. I've wasted enough of my youth fixing motorbikes to know that any moving part requires maintenance, and a rotating bezel that 'cannot be removed' is going to cause problems. I also had a cunning Plan B for the dial and movement.
    LOL.

    Many thanks for an informative post!

    We'll see how things go when I eventually try this.

  12. #12
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    Glad I'm not the only one in trouble with the bezel on an Ocean One. The goons in Debenhams had no trouble removing the bezel and replacing the insert. However keeping the bezel on the watch was another thing. Hence on the advice of Chrono I sent it to Mike at Tower House .He informs me that he has ordered a new Spring and " ratchet" and awaits delivery. Not entirely sure what the "ratchet " is but eagerly await the return of the watch. Wish I'd never decided a red and black bezel would make a nice change.
    Last edited by BrianT; 24th October 2013 at 14:19.

  13. #13
    Grand Master markrlondon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BrianT View Post
    Hence on the advice of Chrono I sent it to Mike at Tower House .He informs me that he has ordered a new Spring and " ratchet" and awaits delivery.
    It will be interesting to see how this goes. And I wonder from whom he has ordered the parts? Can you ask him?

    By the way, I don't think there was any need to remove the bezel simply to replace the insert.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by markrlondon View Post
    It will be interesting to see how this goes. And I wonder from whom he has ordered the parts? Can you ask him?

    By the way, I don't think there was any need to remove the bezel simply to replace the insert.
    No there wasn't, but that's what the goons in Debenhams did.

    I don't like to ask him as he might think I was being impatient.

  15. #15
    Grand Master markrlondon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BrianT View Post
    I don't like to ask him as he might think I was being impatient.
    Well, you could ask him when you get the watch back. :-) No impatience that way.

  16. #16
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    Ok , so after a while the postman came knocking and here as promised by Steinhart is a brand new case for the Vintage Ocean Red that I took in a trade deal recently......in pieces, as it was damaged and part stripped by the previous owner.
    The new bracelet, bezel insert are available directly from the Steinhart site, but the new case was the only way that I could source a new Bezel, as Steinhart say they are not a replaceable item. A phone call to Steinhart after care department was about all it took to secure the promise of a new case for 80 Euro's including postage.
    Whilst I was sceptical about this, what arrived in the post was a complete case, crystal, case back and crown assembly including the Bracelet Solid end links { they don't come on the new bracelet which I didn't know....so be aware if you order a bracelet}, not bad really for 80 Euro's, i've spent more than that on just bezel inserts before !......anyway......just need to recase the movement and regulate /pressure test the bugger now.









  17. #17
    Master adzman808's Avatar
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    I think that does seem like a great deal for all that and an important insight RE the SELs

    In the pix above it seems that it might be possible to remove the Steinhart bezel by taking the insert out and getting too the retaining clip that way (on the OVM pic) but looking at your OVR pic it doesn't seem possible

    But you actually have the case in your hands, so only you can see clearly!

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by adzman808 View Post
    I think that does seem like a great deal for all that and an important insight RE the SELs

    In the pix above it seems that it might be possible to remove the Steinhart bezel by taking the insert out and getting too the retaining clip that way (on the OVM pic) but looking at your OVR pic it doesn't seem possible

    But you actually have the case in your hands, so only you can see clearly!

    Yes the Steinhart site is a little mis-leading in my opinion. They show 2 bracelets, one for the Ocean 2 and one for the Ocean 1. The Ocean 2 listing shows the end links in the picture, the Ocean 1 doesn't !......if you look further down the list of accessories you find the end links listed separately for 5 euro's for the Ocean 1 . Why this should be is not clear to me.

    I also struggled to find the bezel insert for the OVR, and discovered that it was missing from the English Language version of the site, but was on the German Language version, needless to say I did point this out to Steinhart and they have now fixed it. So if you can't find something you think should be there, check the German site .

    With regard to removing the Bezel, all I can offer is this. I have been playing with watches for over 25 years. I am mostly self taught though I have attended a few courses on the subject, in short i'm not adverse to removing bezels, movements, main springs etc etc. Whilst I am not saying the posts about concerning the OVM are not possible, I would mention that the gap between the Bezel and the case where the retaining spring is located is so thin that its make it very very difficult to firstly find the end of the retaining spring and even if you do, getting hold of it and pulling it out are almost impossible without sustaining any damage to the case, bezel and retaining spring. The retaining spring is very thin, much thinner than a Rolex spring or a Tag Spring and therefore so is the gap between the bezel and the case.......making the removal suggestion posted above much more difficult than you might think. Furthermore if you do manage to get it off, if you damage anything you can't buy it from Steinhart !, remember they say its not a replaceable set of components. When I attempted it I was dealing with a bent bezel which didn't turn, when I eventually got it off, and straightened it up, and offered it up it looked like it would go back on easily enough, however my bezel had a split in it from the accident that caused the damage in the first place. So.....if you manage to get one off, cleanly, replacing it should be easy enough.

    Bottom line.......for the cost of a new case, its not worth the hassle, really.... it isn't..........having said that, if anyone has a good bezel, I've got a case !.

  19. #19
    Master Geralt's Avatar
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    Good grief, what a nightmare. I have an O1VR, one of my favourite watches. I now have visions of sending it off in the fullness of time for a clean/service only to potentially be told the same story you’ve posted - that I’ll need a new case. Not what the many owners would be expecting, I’m sure. Bit of a bummer actually. I’m not sure I’d want to fork out 80 Euros for just a bezel – or just a crystal – or a crown tube even.

    You’d think Steinhart would have enough spare parts turnover to supply anything. I suppose this is the major disadvantage of micro brand ownership – being unable to get spare case parts. It’s always been at the back of my mind if I’m honest, especially with things like crown tubes, crown, stems, correct gaskets etc – and bezels of course!

    Anyway, glad you’re sorted - thanks very much for posting. Certainly food for thought, and a story worth bearing in mind when it comes to buying micro brand watches…

  20. #20
    Thanks for looking into it Dietcokeman. It doesn't look from your photo that my plan would work at all. It's a shame, but at least the case is not too expensive, and is available.

  21. #21
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    Ok gents......a further update. I have a few Steinharts and have had over the years. But have only really recently returned to the brand after a few years break. Anyway as anyone that has bought a watch from me will tell you, I do have alittle watch OCD, everything I own is pretty much spotless and any issues with second hand watches I buy are quickly sorted out. Steinhart has always seemed to me to offer very good value for money, and the quality has always been very good in my opinion. However I have seen various threads on here where people have moaned about mis aligned bezels and wobble crowns etc, and i've always wondered if it was actually me that had forgotten the negative points of these watches . So when I returned to the brand last year with an Ocean Vintage Red, I thoroughly inspected the watch and couldn't find any play in the bezel, it was absolutely perfect. Then came and Ocean Vintage Military, a Ocean Vintage GMT and again these were without any issues......all of these were bought second hand by the way.

    Now fast forward to last month when I took the watch featured in this and the other thread I started here,regarding the bezel and the movement, and damage.

    http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...ight=pete+tong


    As we know I needed to source a new bezel and was informed by Steinhart that I may need a case, as parts may not be available, however what they asked for first was a picture of the case back and front. Now I know that they changed the bezel design from what I like to call the bottle top bezel{edging like a beer bottle, steep and shiny} to the more Rolex type bezel which is flatter and brushed, in around 2009, but I wasn't aware that they had done anything else. So I told them that the watch I had was the later type and had a sapphire crystal and not a plexi and had the later type bezel, but they still insisted on a picture of the case back, as they said that some cases could have bezels parts supplied and some could not, assuming that this was just a language mis-understanding I sent the requested pictures, and was told indeed a case was needed and therefore ordered.

    Fast forward to Monday when a Ocean 1 Black arrived from SC. Now as I stated I am a fussy bugger, and the watch was in need of alittle tlc but nothing that I couldn't sort in 30 mins or so, however whilst doing the work required I noticed that the bezel did have an amount of play in it. As stated before my other Steinharts do not have any play what so ever and align perfectly. This bezel however has about 2mm of play and although it does align if you turn it clockwise after turning it anti-clockwise, it is rather annoying and on top of that the bezel has an amount of lateral play too, again no big issue given the price point, but not the same as my other Steinharts.

    So I took a look at all the case backs trying to see what Steinhart were looking for when they asked for pictures of the case I wanted a bezel for and after a lot of staring, I have discovered the following.....

    If you look at the group of 4 case backs you can see, you will see that the engraved Steinhart Soldiers are all straight, as it is in the bottom one, but if you look at the case back lugs {for a case back tool} you will see that on the top 4 the top 2 lug cut outs are at 11 and 1 o'clock, yet the bottom case back lug cut outs are not........and the bottom one is infact the Ocean 1 I received on Monday.


    ignore the outer case positions, concentrate on the case backs








    So in conclusion, I reckon that if your case back is like the 4, then you won't be able to buy bezel parts, but if your case back is like the bottom case back then you can. { I cant comment on the bottle top bezels as I don't know}.This would explain the reason some people can easily get bezels off in the normal manor and why some just will not come off without causing damage. I would also point out that I have a recently bought Replacement Bezel insert for Ocean 1. This replacement bezel is gloss black{ no its not the ceramic one, its the ally one} yet the Ocean 1 Black you see in the pictures has a matt bezel insert, this maybe another pointer.

    So can anyone confirm my findings by looking at their own Ocean one.......please, has it got a bezel with play, is the case back the same as the Ocean 1 black shown above ? .
    Last edited by BryanEbru1512; 5th November 2013 at 15:35.

  22. #22


    'Of the four' type case back. Bezel has barely perceptible lateral shift, no vertical play, and no backlash in the ratcheting. OVM bought at the beginning of the year. (Required abnormal force to remove.)

  23. #23
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    So this fits with my finding . Thanks, we need some input from the other type case back owners now .

    Quote Originally Posted by Watchuthinking View Post


    'Of the four' type case back. Bezel has barely perceptible lateral shift, no vertical play, and no backlash in the ratcheting. OVM bought at the beginning of the year. (Required abnormal force to remove.)

  24. #24
    Grand Master markrlondon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dietcokeman View Post
    If you look at the group of 4 case backs you can see, you will see that the engraved Steinhart Soldiers are all straight, as it is in the bottom one, but if you look at the case back lugs {for a case back tool} you will see that on the top 4 the top 2 lug cut outs are at 11 and 1 o'clock, yet the bottom case back lug cut outs are not........and the bottom one is infact the Ocean 1 I received on Monday.
    [...]
    So in conclusion, I reckon that if your case back is like the 4, then you won't be able to buy bezel parts, but if your case back is like the bottom case back then you can. { I cant comment on the bottle top bezels as I don't know}.This would explain the reason some people can easily get bezels off in the normal manor and why some just will not come off without causing damage. I would also point out that I have a recently bought Replacement Bezel insert for Ocean 1. This replacement bezel is gloss black{ no its not the ceramic one, its the ally one} yet the Ocean 1 Black you see in the pictures has a matt bezel insert, this maybe another pointer.
    This is very interesting indeed. I too was not aware that there were these subtle changes in post-2009 watches.

    For future reference, my own O1 is a pre-2009 watch (thus probably made by Grovana) which has the "Steinhart Swiss Made" case back. The bezel on mine has a broken click spring (not removed as I mistakenly originally thought) so I can't tell what rotational play there might have been. As for lateral play there is a very, very small which can only be felt, not seen. I have yet to make major efforts at removing the bezel and can only say that it seems very difficult indeed to remove from what I've tried so far (in comparison to previous bezels, mainly Seiko divers, that I've tried).


    ** edit -- now with pictures **

    I've added pictures to illustrate how a pre-2009 (Grovana OEMed) Ocean 1 differs from the post-2009 watches above. Note that the bezel is not original to the watch, as I understand it. Apologies for the poor photos, especially of the front of the watch.



    Last edited by markrlondon; 7th November 2013 at 06:17. Reason: Additional info

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