How easy is it to change out the bezel on a 1675 Gmt

[twnturbo]

My bezel is almost Nos in color which i love, but i picked up a nicely faded red backed one from someone here on RF ,thinking i'd like to switch it up every once in a while.Is it a Diy or do i take it to a jeweler ,i'm actually within 30 mins away from LAWW.This guy on youtube video seems to make it look real easy in just 21 seconds.

https://youtu.be/aW7gAfiyEvo

[Micha]

I switched mine many times, NEVER that quickly though. Sometimes it seems to take some extra effort... good luck

[Kingface66]

And take care in not being too aggressive. Bending/warping the bezel, itself, is a risk, and something you really want to avoid.

[swish77]

Sometimes easy, sometimes not so easy. Depends on the insert and the bezel. The tolerances are so tiny that the slightest variation can create a headache. A tiny ding on the side of the bezel or a little bend in the insert is all it takes to turn a 5-minute job into an hour-long struggle.

[armypilot]

I can only speak for myself, I have a 1980 vintage 16750. I switch back and forth between a pepsi insert and a black insert all the time. I pop the bezel off with my fingers, remove the retention ring and push the insert out from the bottom of the bezel. I snap the new insert in with my thumbs, applying uniform pressure starting at six o'clock working to twelve. Place the retention ring in and then snap the bezel back onto the watch. Takes about a minute. Been doing this for 25 years with no issues.

[jban5]

I've always wondered how many times something that is friction fit, like the bezel is to the watch and the insert is to the bezel, before metal loss causes one of them to become loose.

I have been thinking about getting an all black for one of my 1675's but thought that I'd like to source an original bezel also.

[rudestew]

Your right 21 seconds then springs n little things everywhere lol , lucky i was in London the next day a quick fix.

[southtexas]

Originally Posted by rudestew

Your right 21 seconds then springs n little things everywhere lol , lucky i was in London the next day a quick fix.

Oops, different model and era, different everything. Glad you got it fixed.

[bbhewee]

It depends on the insert and bezel tolerances. I have 4 inserts for my Sub and a couple for my GMT. 2 of the Sub inserts go in easy, one requires the table technique and the last one won't go in (and it was the one originally on the watch). Both inserts on the GMT go in easy. Essentially YMMV.

[terryuk]

Originally Posted by jban5

I've always wondered how many times something that is friction fit, like the bezel is to the watch and the insert is to the bezel, before metal loss causes one of them to become loose.

I have been thinking about getting an all black for one of my 1675's but thought that I'd like to source an original bezel also.

Relax, there's no metal loss involved!

[Vincent65]

Originally Posted by armypilot

I can only speak for myself, I have a 1980 vintage 16750. I switch back and forth between a pepsi insert and a black insert all the time. I pop the bezel off with my fingers, remove the retention ring and push the insert out from the bottom of the bezel. I snap the new insert in with my thumbs, applying uniform pressure starting at six o'clock working to twelve. Place the retention ring in and then snap the bezel back onto the watch. Takes about a minute. Been doing this for 25 years with no issues.

I'm sure you mean the tension spring/bezel washer, rather than the retaining ring, which is for the plexiglass!