Anyone ever have an insert that just won’t fit ?

[Eric88]

I have an old trick I learned (maybe from TRF or VRF?) at least a decade ago and has served me well with stubborn inserts.

Take a long neck beer bottle like a Miller Lite or similar and the circumference of the bottle is such that you can slowly press the insert down until it is tight and then apply even pressure around the insert as the bottle neck gets wider. This helps to reshape an insert to have a more uniform thing going on all the way around. The OP's issue MIGHT be related to the insert getting "flattened" somehow, for lack of a better term. Doing the bottle neck trick helps to create a bit more of a natural, subtle dome sort of thing.

The other thing I've done along with the above is I found a pill bottle where the cap is just the right size to fit over the insert. I usually do the above and then put the insert on the watch with a cloth and then place the pill bottle cap over top of it. Apply gentle, firm, consistent pressure and this will almost always result in a pleasing "snap" of the insert back into its proper spot in the bezel surround.

I have used these techniques repeatedly over the years and have had good luck with them.