Watch repair: watch glass replacement

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Watches today are not just a necessity. They are an indicator of the status, good taste and prosperity of their owner. But even the most expensive watches can quickly lose their attractive appearance in the absence of proper care and attention.

In addition to major repairs, such as replacing glass in watches, there is also a preventive one. Almost all modern models of mechanical watches require preventive maintenance once every 5 years. Such a repair in this case involves a complete disassembly of the watch mechanism, thorough cleaning and lubrication of all its components, and most importantly, adjusting the accuracy of the watch.

Procedure

Before proceeding directly to the disassembly of the mechanism, you should prepare the workplace. To do this, you need to organize a sufficient luminous flux and put a sheet of thick white paper on the table.

The disassembly process begins with the removal of the strap and opening the case back. The main thing to remember is that they are different: with threads, latches or small screws.

Fromof the opened case, you need to remove everything that is removed, and turn the rest of the mechanism with the lid down and put it on a sheet of paper. After that, carefully examining the clockwork with a magnifying glass, you need to find a small pin. Where it is located, there is a clockwork shaft. To adjust the accuracy of the watch, you just need to press this pin with a thin screwdriver and pull the winding shaft.

This completes the preventive maintenance of the watch. It's time to put all the pieces together in reverse order. At the same time, you should be especially careful with the hands, as they are incredibly fragile and easily bend at the slightest touch.

If, in addition to prevention, it is necessary to replace the glass in the watch, you will need to remove the dial by unscrewing all the screws on the bezel.

Do-it-yourself glass replacement in watches

The process of replacing glass in a watch begins with a partial disassembly of the mechanism. This is done so that the mechanism and other small parts that can interfere with the work of the master do not remain in the case.

It often happens that broken pieces of glass fall on the dial, causing damage to it and the movement due to the incessant movement of the hands.

It is worth considering that when you independently translate the arrows with the help of a transfer head, the risk of possible damage increases significantly. The rotating crown transfers the load to the hands, which are stuck in place due to broken glass. As a result, the wheel system undergoeshuge load, and the gears break. Therefore, in the event of a broken dial, you should immediately stop using the watch and contact the workshops to replace the glass in the watch.

After disassembly, remove the damaged glass by extruding, drilling, heating or high air pressure, and clean the dial from small fragments and dust.

Now you need to make or select a suitable glass, preparing a regular place for its subsequent installation.

Plastic glass replacement

A few years ago, plastic watch dials were very common because they are inexpensive and have certain advantages (as well as disadvantages). The main advantage of plastic is elasticity, therefore, in order to break it, you will have to make some effort. Even a serious blow to a heavy object, as a rule, causes minor damage to it in the form of a few scratches. They are considered the main drawback of plastic: shallow scratches can be removed, but with deep scratches you will have to change the glass. In addition, plastic quickly becomes cloudy, as microcracks appear on it over time, filled with the smallest particles of clothing and dust. By the way, these microcracks are easily polished, which makes the watch look like new.

Replacing mineral glass

Mineral glass is used more than plastic in the watch industry. It is found not only in wrist, but also in floor, wall clocks and even alarm clocks. FromThe advantages of mineral glass include the ability to achieve the highest possible tightness of the watch mechanism, high hardness, resistance to external damage and the ability to maintain an attractive appearance for a long time without clouding. However, along with amazing hardness, mineral glass is very fragile, and with a strong impact on a solid object it breaks shattered, showering the dial and mechanism with a hail of small fragments, making it necessary to repair the watch. Watch glass replacement in this case includes a general repair of the mechanism to remove the smallest glass chips to prevent further damage.

Replacing the sapphire glass

Sapphire glass is the most expensive of the three options listed. Crystals of artificially grown sapphires are sawn, turned and polished. Watch glasses obtained in this way have incredible strength and impressive weight. It is the amazing hardness of sapphire that explains its popularity among manufacturers of expensive Swiss watches.