I am not a pro watch repairer so obviously repairing my broken crystal makes no sense at all and I really should pay the money and get it done by professionals……..Still here? Well then I guess you may as well read on 🙂 (you can click on any image to see a close up).
A broken crystal, the story so far…
Busted crystal and missing cyclops
Getting ready for bed one night saw me fumble with my watch and……..bang! Face down onto hard, hard ceramic tiles. The result was not pretty.
The watch glass or crystal to give it the proper name, was completely smashed. The date bubble or cyclops disintegrated; leaving only tiny fragments and a shadow where it used to be.
I cried, just a little bit, I loved this watch.
OK, toughen up man, time for Google! After a little research I found that replacing a broken crystal on a Rolex is not exactly a straightforward job. Because these watches are mechanical and not digital, obviously you wouldn’t want anything to get in amongst the workings, you know, something like bits of broken crystal!
It’s not about just replacing the broken crystal…
Because of this broken ‘glass’ issue, any decent watch repairer and certainly any official Rolex dealer, will not touch any broken crystal/ replacement job without wanting to do a full service as well. This is of course the official line and indeed it makes perfect sense……unless you can’t afford the service cost when added to the replacement crystal cost (around £600 or $900). Someone like me.
So my poor old Rolex watch laid in a drawer for a year before I realised that to attempt to fix it myself would either work or not. Worst case scenario is that I end up with a busted watch and I’ve already got one of those!!
Back to Google then. Aftermarket crystals were easily found on ebay (thanks wholesaleoutlet990) in exchange for a tiny sum. Three days later, I am in business, ready to repair my beloved Rolex. I even got an aftermarket clasp to repair the bracelet that had previously broken, (this watch has had a tough life… rolexforums.com/Africa wore out my Rolex)
Removing the retaining ring or bezel that holds the crystal in place. Apologies for the really dirty watch, it’s a working one for sure!
Removing a broken crystal…
The first job to do is to remove the old broken crystal. I used a very thin blade and rocked it back and forth over the gap between the bezel and the watch case. Start over one of the strap lugs.
Once pushed into the gap a little I worked and wiggled it all the way around the bezel, lifting it slightly with each move.
This lifted up the bezel by enough to swap the thin blade for a thicker knife blade, again working, wiggling and slightly levering the bezel all the way around. After a few trips around, the bezel popped off and I had a bunch of broken crystal in my hand.
Looking at the Rolex watch face I realised that it was a very good fit in the case and that realistically any ‘glass’ would only find its way into the workings of the watch through the date window. So I carefully rotated the winder to turn the date wheel through a full month. Boy was I lucky, on the 16th, I spotted (with my trusty magnifying glass!), a sliver of broken crystal! I used a rolled up piece of tissue paper, dampened slightly at the tip to gently lift the tiny fragment away.
Then I gently tipped the remaining broken bits of crystal off the watch face, away from the date hole. To be sure, I used a small compressor to blow some (oil free), low pressure air across the watch face (at a distance I might add!) At no time did I ever touch the watch face or hands which is probably a very ‘good thing’…
Fitting the new crystal…
Right, lets have a look at the new crystal and little plastic gasket that came with it. At first I thought that the new gasket was a little deeper than the original one, but it fitted perfectly so my fears were unjustified.
The gasket fits onto the bottom of the crystal, cyclops facing up. Then you can line up the crystal on the watch case with the cyclops centred over the date (if applicable) or the winder. A gentle push will click the gasket over the watch case raised edge.
Then the metal bezel sits on top of the crystal, you can push it on gently with your fingers. Make sure it’s level, i.e. not at an angle to the case. There will be a gap.
Rolex, crystal and retaining bezel ready for fitting.
Slightly bigger than the crystal itself.
Now I just needed the crystal press that I didn’t have! A quick root through my ‘bits and bobs’ drawer soon found a hard plastic ring from a lamp fitting that was a tiny bit bigger than the crystal face. It is very important not to press the crystal in any way, only the metal bezel.
I didn’t fancy working in the workshop vice and figured that not too much pressure would be needed. So I made a temporary crystal press using a sash clamp, a hard rubber bung and the aforementioned plastic lamp fitting.
Homemade crystal press using sash clamp, rubber bung and a lamp fitting.
Gently winding the sash clamp up until it pinched the bezel. Deep breath and a little more pressure saw the bezel slide down the crystal and snap into place. Success!
Now, I’ll let you into a little secret here (but don’t tell anyone!) I figured that as the bezel was going to be so tight, a little lubrication wouldn’t hurt, so I wiped a little saliva around the casing……
Big mistake. The bezel snapped on lovely, but seconds later the inside of the crystal fogged up completely. Duh! Off it came again. I dried everything with a hair dryer on low and second time around, perfectly dry, it snapped into place just fine. Oh, the mistakes us amateurs make!
It was no good putting it off, the time had come to press in the winder and see if the watch still worked. Pressed it in and bingo, the watch started up straight away, using the power that had been stored in the spring for over a year! Amazing.
Conclusions from ‘home’ repairing a broken crystal on a Rolex…
Back on my wrist, where it belongs.
Now I have no doubt that this page will outrage many Rolex purists out there and I certainly cannot condone working on such fine timepieces without proper training. Indeed I may have just as easily damaged the watch further. But in my defence, it had lain in a drawer for over a year, and was, to all intent and purposes, scrap. I had nothing to lose and everything to gain, (Oh, and I am a really, really handy bloke!).
The watch works just fine right now, but who knows what other damage the shock of the fall did. But I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. One day I promise I’ll get it serviced properly and replace the aftermarket parts.
In the meantime the watch is back where it always was and where it belongs; on my wrist in all weathers and in all conditions, telling me the time.
Stay well
By Ian Anderson
Broken crystal repair update…
I just thought I’d let you know my watch is still ticking along nicely, as I update this on the 21st Oct 2018, so that’s been: 6 years, 3 months, or 2283 days or 54,792 hours or 3,287,520 minutes or, wait for it, deep breath…. 197,251,200 seconds!!! (courtesy of timeanddate.com)
Phew, that’s a lot of ticking 🙂 Not bad for a watch which had a broken crystal…..
Replace broken crystal update No.2! (Sept. 2021)
Well, the other day I went to open the car door and I heard a ‘tinkle’…
I looked down and saw a what looked like a little plastic disc on the floor. It took me a moment to realise that it was my watch crystal. Ah, shoot, that’s not good. Luckily I saw it before I started putting my hand in my pocket, jacket sleeve etc., because that would have really buggered up the face and hands etc.
Turns out the crystal was fine but rather the plastic gasket had deteriorated and was broken up. I couldn’t find gaskets for sale on their own , so I ordered a new crystal and gasket. I ordered it on ebay.co.uk from chrono.HK (ebay.co.uk/itm/283438914175) and it cost 20 odd GBP.
I followed the instructions as above and it all went together just fine. For a refresher I did go online and see if anyone had uploaded any videos since I last did this, and I found a great guy called Marshall. Here is his video on a Rolex restoration which makes for an entertaining 45 mins.
I also found another guy called Peter Grande who shows exactly how to replace a Rolex crystal. He does remove the movement, although I didn’t find it necessary when I’ve done mine. If you do need to get some watch repair tools, head over to amazon and search for Bergeon.
Comments 72
Many thanks for making this information public. My Rolex, like yours, is very old, somewhat battered but treasured as it was given to me by my wife on our honeymoon. Having dropped it on a hard floor whilst going through a security check point I thought that it would need to be relegated to a drawer until I could face paying a huge bill – yet again – for a service and repair. Following your advice, I bought a new crystal and gasket over the Internet and, with much trepidation, tried your approach. The first razor blades I used to remove the broken crystal couldn’t take the strain and broke into pieces and I almost gave up then. However I found some sturdier single sided blades and these did the trick. Thereafter things went reasonably smoothly and my watch is now back on my wrist and working very well. Many thanks from both my Rolex and me.
Author
Oooh, I hope you didn’t cut yourself too badly! Your so right about the blades, it’s a tight fit and needs a sturdy blade, not to mention grip.
I don’t know what I’d do without an old Sheffield steel kitchen knife I have, so fine and so handy for this kind of work.
Thanks for your kind words and thank you for taking the time to let me know how you got on.
Happy another Rolex lives on 🙂
Probably a utility knife blade will work better, its thicker. My wife just chipped the crystal on her 1980’s datejust/two-tone. I dabble in older watches and have lots of tools, however the crystal press is a new one for me. Guess I’ll pick one of those up with the new crystal. Great article for us DIYers. I always told my kids (who are now adults) that when you are poor you have to fix things yourself. LOL!
Jeez man. Enough with the apologies already! It looks to me like you did a flawless job. Well done.
No need to promise to get it serviced ‘properly’ as penance for your DIY repair. And no need to worry about other, invisible, damage. If the watch is keeping similar time to before, it’s extremely likely there isn’t any.
Author
*laughing* I know, but you know how touchy these purists are! You know the type, the ones who will only use the charging cable the thing came with lol 🙂
Thanks for taking the time…
Ian
Thank you for a most informative and encouraging thread, which has made removing the broken crystal of my wife’s 69160 Rolex possible.
Could you please clarify the reassembly process. Once the seal is fitted to the new crystal do you then push them into the bezel and press in place the entire assembly or do you place them on the watch and then fit the bezel?
Author
Thanks for the kind words Thomas. Re the re-assembly, yes, I put the outer parts together (the seal onto the crystal and then the bezel over the crystal), then I popped my plastic fitting over the bezel (so the top of the crystal is inside the plastic ring but not touching it) and then I carefully placed the assembly onto the watch case, pressing it on. It went on with a little snapping sound (bit alarming the first time!). Super important to make sure you’re only pressing the bezel and not the crystal…
Let me know if you get stuck and I’ll try to help.
Cheers
Many thanks Ian for your detailed reply. I’m waiting for a crystal set from the same supplier in Texas that you used. Just under €29 delivered to France is a most reasonable price. I’ve found a robust plastic screw top whose internal diameter is just right for the bezel and it doesn’t touch the crystal. I very much hope fitting it all together will be a snap!
If I can I’ll try to post some pictures of the operation.
Author
Your most welcome! Just take your time, especially once the old crystal is off. The hands are very fragile I imagine. Good light and a comfortable place to work all helps too. Even pressure is the key, stop the moment your assembly looks to be at an angle. It must press absolutely squarely or you risk damaging the seal/crystal.
Would love to see a pic or two of your method. You can email pics to me and I’ll put them here or attach them to a comment if possible.
Best of luck 🙂
I’m going to try your repair idea today I have a date just and your story is identical to mine about them dam ceramics wish me luck and thanks very much ?
Author
Good luck mate! Just make sure your plastic ‘push’ ring sits on the bezel only and doesn’t pinch the crystal itself. Oh, and keep the pressure even (i.e. not tilted in any way) as you push… Let me know how you get on 🙂
great reading
Author
You’re most welcome Bill, hope it helped!
Cheers
Ian
I hope you do realize that your Rolex value have just dipped by 60% because of an aftermarket crystal.
If you decided to sell the watch in the future, when the prospective buyer takes this watch to RSC for authentication, he will find out that RSC will need the buyer to fork out immediately for a Rolex Crystal and full service that comes with it to return it to its original factory setting.
I would not touch a Rolex without it getting the clear all from RSC. Too many frankens and fakes floating around.
The Original Crystal Should Have Magnified The Date To Fill The Window And It Did Not. Price and paperwork are all easy as is the box . Take the watch to a Rolex Flagship store. I appraise about 200 watches a year trust me on this.
Author
Sorry Erik, the watch landed on the cyclops and it shattered totally, hence the no mag. Was a Rolex store I bought it from…
Ian
Agree. The shattered crystal looks aftermarket too. I have shattered my 16200 crystal and the date still magnifies correctly in spite of the spiderweb crack across it. Replacing an aftermarket with another aftermarket. Makes me wonder what else is aftermarket on it..
Author
Hi Paddyboi,
Again, unless Rolex dealerships are now selling well crafted fakes as well, the conclusion is that you (respectfully) might be wrong in this case. Difficult as that may be to swallow, there it is.
The watch actually landed on the cyclops, on porcelain tile, totally obliterating it. As you know the lens and cyclops are not manufactured in one piece (except on some early watches with acrylic crystals I think).
As for the value. Selling a watch with aftermarket parts as a 100% original would be immoral, not to mention illegal. I hope that no Rolex owner would ever stoop so low. As the article mentioned, I am a very practical guy, I make my living at it. The watch is for my own pleasure, no one else. When I’m done with it, my son will have it and his after him hopefully. The value matters not a jot to me. I wanted to repair it myself (to see if I could) and I could not obtain a genuine crystal, so aftermarket it was. I am very happy with the job I did and the article exists purely to give an example of what can be done.
But, after checking out the photo of the rest of the stuff my watch came with, you still think it’s a fake, could you privately email me your details as obviously I’ll need to make a case against the dealership in Norwich, UK.
Thanks for your thoughts!
Ian
NOTE: The repair has now been running for almost 40,000 hours or 1640 days non stop, (It’s my daily wear).
Beautiful job on the replacement though.
Don’t take my word on it though. Go have it looked at by a rolex authorized dealer. This article will give you a few things to look at.
https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/rolex-info/the-top-ten-ways-to-spot-a-fake-rolex.html
I’m not sure if you know or not but that is not a rolex, it is a reproduction.
Author
Hi Erik,
Interesting, what makes you think that from the photos? Just to reassure you, I wasn’t duped, it is a real one. How do I know? Well, it’s very heavy, the second hand sweeps, I have the beautiful Rolex presentation box, paperwork etc., plus I paid over £1500 for it at a friends authorised Rolex dealership and I’ve been wearing it every day for over 20 years, a good chunk of that in very demanding conditions (Africa/construction/etc.). I doubt a Chinese knock off would have stood up to that…. 🙂
Still, parts of it now are knock off sadly, (the crystal and part of the clasp) but I’ll get it serviced properly one of these days I promise myself, difficult to justify the expense when it runs so reliably as it is!
Thanks for stopping by Erik!
Ian
Thank you for posting this.
I will never forget the first time I took the caseback off of my first watch–it was an Omega Speedmaster that I got because it was the kind of watch that astronauts wore. Everyone in my office thought I was nuts to take it apart.
After Jack Swigert used his Rolex GMT-Master to to time short engine firings and bring Apollo 13 back to earth–I had to buy another watch and crack it open too.
I have cracked many watch open and have replaced batteries and generally messed around with most of my watches–but I have never been brave enough to replace the crystal till now. I have an old Air King that needs a new glass. Thanks for the article–I feel brave enough to try it. I wish I would have done something like this years ago. If I had at least tried to repair my watches all of these years–by now I would be an expert.
Author
Good luck with the Air King, a much under rated watch for everyday wear in my opinion. Lots of folks look down their noses at the stainless steel Rolexes, but a Rolex is a Rolex and why should we disregard a little brother?
Thanks for the kind words,
Ian
I’m not seeing any chicks doing this….I’m a chick like the train that said ‘I think I can, I think I can….’
So, because my deceased husband gave me this Rolex, I am certain he would be proud of my trying…I don’t even care if it works….but it is shattered badly from ceramic floor
Could you do me an up to date exact do this, 1.,2.,3.,please?
The bezel is diamond if that matters….I already pulled out the stem but there is glass on the dial
I know you’re thinking…watch repair candidate, but just humor me guys and try to help me…in US
No ugly posts please, I’m a widow, I’ve been through enough….really
Author
Hi Karen,
Sorry about your loss, toughest of times.
Re the watch, any chance of a pic? Just wondering if it’s like mine etc. Otherwise everything I did to mine is in the post really.
Otherwise follow the link in the post to the rolex forum, super decent bunch of guys there. Maybe you can get some specific help?
Let me have a pic and I’ll see if I can add anything useful to the deal!
Thanks for reaching out, I think it’s great your having a go; what’s to lose huh?
Ian
I’ve inherited my fathers GMT-Master. The Pepsi Rolex. Anyways not a lot of $$$ these days so for the little money I do have. I’ve already bought a replacement bracelet, where the Original Crown clasp can be put on. Now to the Crystal, I read where my watch actually takes a Plastic crystal instead of the Sapphire. Do you think I should replace with the original plastic or upgrade to the the Sapphire?
Author
Hi Aaron, if you’re buying an after-market crystal, you might have to just go with what you can find. I got mine off ebay and I have to say that so far no scratches (and I wear it every day, working in construction….) so it must be pretty good material (whatever it is!). Google the crystal No. and have a look see. If you have a choice, well then it’s up to your wallet, otherwise you’re going to have to roll with whatever is available.
Good luck!
Ian
No. Do Not replace the original acrylic crystal with sapphire. The plastic crystal is an Intercal part of your watch being waterproof, the crystal itself seals the watch from water. Not only will a sapphire crystal not be original, but it would not be correct for the watch cosmetically, and technically. A sapphire crystal does not flex, and will not keep water out.
Hi Ian,
Trying my first Rolex glass replacement – cracked.
Question:-
Is the blade placed between the metal ring and the body of the watch OR
between the ring and the glass. Not clear from pic even enlarged.
R
Author
Gosh, yes you’re right, I’ve just posted a new pic in there, sorry about that! The blade goes in between the metal bezel and the body of the watch/case. I held the blade over one of the strap lugs as that seems to give a bit of a place to start. There is not even a smidgen of a gap to get the blade started so you literally need to rock it back and forth over where you can see the joint.
Good luck!
Ian
Thanks Ian …. new pic is very clear.
Hello Ian;
There is a very well made bezel removal too for Rolex watch cases that I used available on ebay from wholesaleoutlet990 that works like a charm for Rolex watches. The tool will last a lifetime, is reasonably priced, and is easy to use. Works a lot easier than the knife or razor blade (especially for stubborn bezels!)
and is well worth the money.
Regards
Marvin
Author
Thanks for that Marvin, I hope that Fred from the previous comment sees this!
Here are the links Fred…. Amazon do one (see their bezel removal tool here) or the one you mentioned from the same place I got my new crystal… bezel removal tool from ebay
Bit pricey at £75 or so but still a lot cheaper than a Rolex dealer…
I have a stainless steel men`s Rolex # 16030 with a chipped glass crystal and have a replacement plastic crystal for it. I have tried to remove the bezel with a razor blade with no luck, I took it to a watch repairman and he could not remove it. Do you think a little heat on the bezel would help. what would you suggest. Thanks, Fred
Author
Hi Fred,
I’d be very careful with heat in case you damage something inside etc. What kind of razor blade did you try? The ones with a solid metal bar on one side are usually very thin and with a rocking motion usually manage to work their way under the bezel. But it does take some force and it feels more than a little perilous!
You could try putting it in the fridge or even freezer for a while and bring it into a warm room. Difficult to see how that would hurt but I think it will take a large (too large) a change in temp to actually make any difference to how tight the bezel is fitted. It’s an interference fit remember so technically it’s actually too small to fit, it’s only the pressure that stretches the bezel over the casing. Super tight.
Have another go rolling/working the blade on one spot on the casing and good luck!
Let me know how you get on…
Ian
I ordered a replacment bezel as mine was worn,I got it off easily enough and couldn’t get the new one on,after reading this I went to the shop and brought a cheap vice and a celing lamp attachment and made up the same as what you have ,it worked a treat and the watch looks fine,before buying the stuff I called a local jeweler and he quoted £200 not including parts and a week ,probably choose that length of time so it didn’t seem like a 2 min job.
Thanks again 😉
Author
Great news Scott! The thing is with anything that’s expensive it’s perceived that if you can afford it in the first place, then you can afford to pay ‘whatever’ to keep it going. I have an old Daimler and I get it with that as well, they just quote stupid prices!
It reminds me of when I lived abroad and we used to meet up in the city (travelling in from the bush) and we’d need various taxis over the weekend and every time we’d be negotiating over price with the local taxi drivers (good naturedly… mostly!) and one day one of the guys said “man, you’re never going to be able to get a great deal on this trip because you’re going to The Sheraton *laughing*” and he was right! It’s difficult to batter a guy down on price (it was only pennies anyway) when you’re heading for the most expensive place in town.
Anyone who owns a boat will probably tell you the same thing, disposable income is a terrible thing lol!
Anyhoo, I’m chuffed you had a go and managed to fix it all up yourself. Good for you!
Thanks for dropping in and letting me know, it really helps others reading this page to see that they could do it themselves….
Cheers
Ian
I have to replace mine as well and will follow your steps to the letter……..thanks for giving me the confidence to try
Author
Good luck Ed!
Ian
Did you use any adhesive or sealant?
Author
No Bryan, just clean and dry. Sorry for the delay in answering, been on holiday!
Ian
Ian: Very nice article. I replaced the crystal on my inherited 1981 Rolex Datejust, following your suggestions, except that I used a modestly priced Chinese made bezel removal tool to remove the bezel. Mine was on too tight for me to feel comfortable using the knife blade approach. Your article really made the rest of procedure a snap and enabled me to save hundreds of dollars over what a Rolex repair shop quoted me. The watch runs and looks like new plus I have the satisfaction of knowing that I can do it again if I ever need to.
Many thanks
Marvin
Author
Why thankyou Marvin, nice to hear it worked splendidly, that’s the point of the internet (for me at least!). Too many little jobs are seen as too specialist to attempt and the stores exploit this. Replacing a crystal is a relatively quick job and provided no glass has entered the workings, I see no harm in having a go. And the worst case scenario is that glass does get inside; then the watch will stop and you’ll need to take it in. In other words, you’re just back where you started.
Thanks for leaving a comment to let other know it’s possible and for the kind words Marvin.
Ian
in an case such as yours to avoid shards getting in i would remove the movement to minimise comtamination
was your rolex hands and the date were not working anymore after it got smashed?
Author
Hey Mat,
Sorry for the damage. I pulled the winder straight out after picking up my watch as I could see that the second hand was straining against the broken crystal. After replacing the crystal it started up again no problem (even after sitting in a drawer for a year).
As for your watch, impossible to tell. Depends on the severity of the fall, the direction of the impact etc. BUT, it doesn’t cost anything to take the broken crystal off and gently tip out/blow away any chips. Pull out the winder and see if it starts. If it does, go ahead and order a new crystal, they are relatively easy to fit.
Cheers
Ian
I just had my rolex lens damage. and the lenses and all are not working anymore. do I still have hope to make it work again?
Hi, I had a damaged crystal replaced about 1month after a $600.00 service. I declined the service when the crystal was replaced for $300. Have now spent $900 for so called professional work but the watch stopped and will not start. Has a new battery. Told some crystal bits may have got into the watch since I declined the $600 service there was no warranty. How difficult is it to get broken crystal out of the watch. I am not paying this company any more money, professionals should be able to change a broken crystal without contamination. The watch was working perfectly when taken into the store. Any suggestions for reasonable cleanup of my rolex dateadjust that looks like new and to get it working again?
Author
Regular datejusts have no battery only the quartz range. If bits of broken crystal have gone past the watch face the only solution is to take the movement out of the case and cleaning.
Thanks
At most, it should cost you $550 american dollars if you need a full quartz replacement. It will probably cost less though.
I sent my 1984 model 17013 Oysterquartz Datejust to the Rolex RSC and they 1) replaced the battery 2) replaced the electronic module 3) replaced motor 4) lubricated for a little over $300–I was originally told it would be $550.
Just remember that there are fewer OQs in the world than there are Submariners made every month. If someone has not fixed an OQ, I would be hesitant to let them work on mine. That being said, I know a local jeweler that is obsessed with Acutrons, but he also has a small collection of OQs. If he wasn’t my ex father in law–I would trust him with my watch.
Doing a Rolex crystal the correct way requires that the movement be removed from the case. There is a reason for this and I will explain. I install the crystal and gasket onto the empty case. The watch case goes into the freezer for approximately 20 minutes at the same time the bezel is being heated by hot air from a blow dryer. With the correct set of dies on a press (previously selected when at room temperature) The case is put into the press and the bezel is placed on top flat and without lube, down it goes with very little effort. Once the case warms up and expands and the bezel cools down and contracts you have what is know as a FN fit. .001-.003 interference….The new gaskets are installed and then the watch it pressure tested at depth in water to make sure there are not leaks in the crystal or anywhere else. That’s why we charge what we do to install a new crystal. I make sure its not going to leak on you and cause major water damage. My advice to anyone changing their own crystal is keep it out of water or you risk a huge loss. I hope this helps
Sundial Technology Inc.
Melbourne Florida
321-794-8961
Author
That is interesting! I can see the logic behind heating/ freezing press fit components, it is common practice for many engineering items. However I found as a strictly DIY proposition that the bezel and gasket fitted with very little problem with all components at room temperature.
Couple of questions though out of interest, if the watch casing comes up from the freezer into warm air, do you ever have a problem with condensation forming on the casing? and secondly when you ‘replace the gaskets’ and pressure test the watch ‘at depth in water’ is this with the movement in place or just the empty case?
I can’t speak for anyone else, but my watch gets dunked regularly since I live 2 mins from the sea and am a keen kayak-er and canoe-er, fingers crossed that long may my watch survive my lifestyle!
Many thanks for your insight, it is always interesting to get real world advice from professionals.
Thanks again
Ian
Sorry it took so long to reply….First, the watch case is empty when I do the crystal, I would not even consider doing a crystal with the movement in the case. Yes, especially in Florida it will condense big time. Once the crystal is in, I dip the watch case w/crystal installed into denatured alcohol to absorb the water…then a hot air dryer…lint free cloth and its ready for the movement. The watch is tested at depth with the movement in the watch. The way its done water cannot get inside the watch even if it has a leak. I take the watch down 10 atmospheres/ positive pressure in the chamber suspended above the water. I wait 15-20 minutes , if there is a leak in the case the positive air pressure will get into the case and will equalize itself to the outside pressure. So yo have 10 atmospheres outside and if there a leak 10 atmospheres inside the case. Air pressure in the case will not hurt anything. Now you submerge the watch in water and then let the pressure in the chamber down to normal atmospheric pressure. What you just did is create a Delta between the pressure on the inside of the case and outside. If the case leaked air in the case will leak air out underwater so you will see bubbles just like the old gas stations did with a tire that had a nail hole….No bubbles no leaks…but if you see bubbles you have a leak in the case but its air coming out, not water going in…find it, fix it and try it again…
I’m thinking there’s an in-between method…..keep the watch case at a cool room temp. and heat the bezel with the hair dryer. That alone should give it enough expansion to slide on easily without the fear of condensation or the hassle of taking the entire watch apart…..
Thank you so Much!!! My wife dropped my Rolex DJ on our tile floor and cracked the crystal. I ordered the sapphire crystal from the ebay store you mentioned and cost $35 usd shipped. Once I received the crystal, I took it the a Jeweler/watch repair shop and they didn’t have the machine to take the crystal out and he said it was almost impossible to replace the crystal without the machine. O.K so I called another watch repair shop and they wanted $160 just to replace/Labor. Called another and he said he needed to open the watch to see which crystal was needed and that I got the wrong one which is incorrect because all you have to do is take the Band off for the case number which was 16220 on mine. I guess he wanted to charge more $$$$$. I followed your approach and it work BEAUTIFULLY and took me about 30 minutes. Again, Thank you so Much!!!
Author
You’re most welcome, just glad you had a go and that it worked out great!
I have a Rolex Oyster datejust steel and gold which had a cracked crystal. Not wanting to shell out the eye-watering £750 for a full service (which is all Rolex will offer) and be without it for 6 to 8 weeks I decided to have a go at replacing the crystal myself. The only supplier of crystals I could find was the same supplier you used in the US through eBay. I quoted my model number and they told me which I needed. I also found a bezel press on eBay delivered all the way from China for just £8 so I bought that and a pair of razor blades with holders. Also some white cotton gloves (which I only used for ploishing out fingerprint marks.
Mine has an 18 carat gold bezel so I was trying to be super careful. Careful got me nowhere. You do in fact have to push really quite hard the get a razor blade between the case and the bezel. Gradually the bezel lifted and I worked round and round until it was off.
My old crystal was fitted pretty tight to the watch case flange so I had to use a razor blade to lift it as well. That is when I noticed my new crystal was different to the original. First, the original Rolex crystal is slightly domed. The new one is flat. I can live with that. But the most significant difference was that the original is a single piece with no seal but with deep returns to fit over the watch case flange. the new one was a flat crystal with no returns but with a seperate plastic seal. After some fiddling I realised the crystal can be made to fit inside the seal and then the seal is a very snug fit over the watch body flange.
Next, on with the bezel. I tried using my £8 eBay bezel press but I could see it was hopeless. What a piece of junk! The dies did not look deep enough and the whole thing was clearly not pressing down equally. I quickly gave up and took it to a watch repair shop. The guy there raised his eyebrows a bit when I explained what I had done and said he was not going to risk it using his bezel press on an 18 carat bezel but he would take it to an expereinced watch technician colleague tomorrow. It should only cost about £25 and I can have it back in 2 days.
So there we are. Not a complete success, but still a good outcome. With the cost of the crystal and other bits and bobs, it will have cost me around £80 which is much better than the alternative £750 and being without it for 8 weeks while Rolex do their standard service.
Author
Thanks for sharing your experience Mark and hopefully a good end result, if a little stressful! Must have been quite difficult to take it to the store….big chunk of humble pie! It’s interesting the differences between the watches and their crystals, my new crystal is also flat, but to be honest I don’t remember if the original was slightly domed or not (it shattered into pieces so I can’t check!).
My old bezel/crystal came off quite OK, being stainless maybe there is more ‘snap’ in the material with it being harder? It certainly clicked back on lovely, even with the new gasket looking slightly different, (I even got to do it twice as I wrote!). I was also not too afraid to use a lot of force once I knew for sure that that was how it came off! For me, the watch was effectively scrap if I couldn’t fix it, which was a great motivator!
Good luck with the fix Mark, hope it comes back all sorted.
Cheers again for stopping by.
Ian
where abouts in the uk did you find this person who did it for that price. I need to replace my seconds hand as it came off the shaft.. my crystal is fine.. but it obviously needs to be removed to get access.. I am hopeless with repairing small things. But equally I don’t want to spend a fortune. Please reply back bud. Thanks Jon.
Author
Hi Jon, I forwarded your message to Mark via email……
I hope you find someone!
Ian
There is a watch repair kiosk at the Trafford Centre in Manchester which did mine. However, I have to admit that after a few months I decided the flat (rather than domed) crystal that I bought and they had fitted made it difficult to tell the time because of some weird reflections on the dial. Maybe it was just my gold hands/blue dial combination or perhaps the original crystal is domed for a reason. Anyway, I sent it off to Rolex who fitted an original crystal and also recommended a new clasp. So about 8 weeks and about £750 later I received it back, looking like new and am now able to tell the time much more easily.
Hi Ian, what a fantastic blog, I too am just about to fit an aftermarket chrystal and am have concerns over my ability however am going to buy from the same place you bought yours. My chrystal is merely scratched not smashed so I am wondering how you get the old glass out ?, I have a 16600 sea dweller, I can get the rotating bezel of no problem which then leaves the chrystal edge more exposed, I am considering purchasing a chrystal removing tool is one of these required do you know, and lastly doe sthe new gasket get fitted down aournd the face prior to the new chrystal being pressed down, or fitted to the chrystal then pressed down ?, I like you can cobble together a press I assum si long as uniform pressure is applied to the chrystal all should be fine, its just a worrying point !!, thx again Graham
Author
Hi Graham,
Thanks for the kind words! Sorry to hear you managed to scratch your watch 🙁
Replacing the crystal on your watch looks to be the same process as I described for mine. Once the retaining bezel is prized off, the crystal is simply pushed out of the bezel. Re the re-fitting, the new gasket sits on the crystal and the bezel over the top. I didn’t need a crystal removing tool as mine came away textbook style, no problems!
One thought is that some scratches can be polished out?
I understand that tackling anything on a Rolex is daunting, but I’m glad I did mine, a year in the drawer busted was enough!
Thanks for stopping by Graham and good luck if you decide to go for it!
There is more info here… https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=8561 and about polishing them out here… http://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=53648
I did it exactly how you did it. Thanks so much. You are the man! Saved me alot of money!!!
Author
Brilliant Chris! It just feels scary working on such a valuable watch to start with but as you found, it’s not sooo difficult!
Really glad it helped and thanks for letting me know how you got on.
Cheers
Ian
Working on replacing my girlfriend’s sapphire crystal & saw your approach. Question…did the replacement plastic seal fit around the flange on the watch face or did it appear to rest more on top of the flange? I bought a replacement crystal and it doesn’t seem quite large enough to fit over the flange…but the outer diameter seems to be the right size for the bezel, so I think I got the right size. Just wondering how you got the new seal started onto the watch flange.
Author
Good point Jay, fairly sure that it was over the flange as I wound it up. I also had concerns because the gasket looked slightly different to the original but it snapped on just fine. I think the gasket ends up ‘pinched’between the bezel and the flange. part of the gasket is visible over the bezel afterwards too. I wish I’d paid more attention to that bit now!
Let me know how you get on.
Thanks for stopping by
Ian
Nice article. Thank you. I dropped mine on ceramic tile today also and was wondering how to get the broken chrystal out. When I crack my car windshield I don’t tune up the engine so why should I pay a watch dealer to do that to my watch? Good advice. All the best.
Author
Thanks Sean! Yup, mine is still going just fine and it’s been a while now.
Good luck getting your crystal out and cleaned up. Just watch those hands, they are super fine and I imagine easily damaged!
Thanks for commenting.
Cheers
Ian
Your advices really help me a lot. This morning I almost cried when my beloved Rolex faced down agains the porcelain tile :(. I have a question, how can I now the size of the crystal and gasket ? thanks a lot.
Author
Hey Ana!
So sorry to hear that, it’s awful isn’t it?
I just Googled the model number on watch spare parts websites and copied the crystal serial number from them, then Google the serial number as well as the watch model. I bought my aftermarket replacement off ebay.co.uk for about £28 including the gasket. It fit a treat as you read about. I think I put a link in the article? They might have yours too. Emails were answered too, as I asked about the sizes etc.
Good luck, let me know how you get on!
Cheers