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Thread: Speedmaster crystal swap advice

  1. #1
    Journeyman
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    Speedmaster crystal swap advice

    Hello all

    I’m looking for some watchmaker advice.

    I have a hesalite speedmaster pro, the bog standard manual wind one. It has sentimental value so I don’t want to sell/exchange it, but the acrylic bothers me and I sometimes wish I’d bought the sapphire version.

    Recently I sourced a non-oem sapphire crystal from a company in the States who claims it fits the hesalite speedmaster case. (A bit of research led me to believe that the proper oem omega crystal won’t fit because the cases for the 2 speedmasters aren’t the same)

    Can anyone recommend a UK watchmaker who would be willing to try and do this crystal swap for me?

    Thank you


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  2. #2
    Grand Master
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    I’m not volunteering, I don’t get involved in mods of any kind unless I really have to.

    The concern I’d have is how the sapphire crystal seals, I recently had to fix a Steinhart by fitting a generic glass seal that needed modifying to fit, I ended up buying 4 different ones and still had to alter the one I used.

    My advice is to learn how to refinish the acrylic crystal yourself and forget the modification. Refinishing acrylic crystals isn’t hard, I’ve explained how to do it several times, a few pounds will get you the materials needed and they’ll last you a long time.

  3. #3
    Journeyman
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    Thank you, it’s not the durability of the hesalite that bothers me, I’m careful with my watches and I have a tube of polywatch, so my crystal is flawless


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  4. #4
    Journeyman
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    Speedmaster crystal swap advice

    Also, I forgot to mention that the sapphire came with a gasket that the manufacturer claims will make it water tight


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    Last edited by Joe.d; 27th January 2020 at 20:15.

  5. #5
    Craftsman konlew's Avatar
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    I wouldn't do that I can't see any advantages of hardlex over the plexi on Speedmaster. Plexi is sexy! :-)

  6. #6
    Grand Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Joe.d View Post
    Also, I forgot to mention that the sapphire came with a gasket that the manufacturer claims will make it water tight


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    A mineral glass or sapphire crystal fits totally different to an acrylic. Waterproof acrylics have a tension ring which also acts as the rehaut, this creates a tight fit when the crystal is pressed into the case, thus retaining the crystal tightly and creating a watertight seal between the crystal and the case. This is fine provided the case isn’t pitted, which can be a problem with old watches.

    A glass or sapphire relies on a hard plastic gasket, which has to fit correctly. The glass has to be a tight press fit, and the gasket needs to be exactly the right size. Watches using a glass crystal have the rehaut ring as part of the case, this is a fundamental difference between watches designed for acrylics or glass. Without the rehaut ring the watch won’t look right, and that’s one reason why swapping an acrylic for a sapphire isn’t straightforward.

    Getting involved with modifications can be a nightmare for a repairer, especially when the watch owner has sourced the parts at his own expense. If everything fits it can be straightforward, but usually they don’t and the repairer gets the task of sorting everything out.

  7. #7
    Craftsman konlew's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by walkerwek1958 View Post
    A mineral glass or sapphire crystal fits totally different to an acrylic.
    Great explanation!
    The same situation with Panerai 372 - plexi and sapphire versions have different cases.

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