Wristwatches today are not just a necessity. They are an indicator of the status, good taste and wealth of its 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 preventive maintenance. Almost all modern models of mechanical watches need preventive repair work with a frequency of once every 5 years. Such repair in this case involves a complete analysis of the clockwork, thorough cleaning and lubrication of all its components, and also the most important thing - adjusting the accuracy of the watch.
Execution order
Before proceeding directly to disassembling the mechanism, a workplace should be prepared. To do this, it is necessary to organize a sufficient luminous flux and put on the table a sheet of thick white paper.
The disassembly process begins by removing the strap and opening the back cover of the case. The main thing to remember is that they are different: with thread, snaps or small screws.
From the opened case, you need to remove everything that is removed, and turn the rest of the mechanism with the lid down and put on a piece of paper. After that, having carefully examined the clockwork with a magnifying glass, you need to find a small pin. Where it is located, there is a winding shaft. To adjust the accuracy of the watch, you just need to pull on the crown with just a thin screwdriver on the pin.
The preventive watch repair is over. It's time to put all the parts together in the reverse order. At the same time, you should be especially careful with the arrows, because they are incredibly fragile and easily bend from the slightest touch.
If, in addition to prevention, you need 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 a watch
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 are not left in the case.
It often happens that broken glass fragments fall on the dial, as a result of which it and the clockwork are damaged due to the continuous movement of the hands.
It is worth considering that with the independent translation of the arrows using the transfer head, the risk of possible damage increases significantly. The rotating transfer head transfers the load to the arrows, which stand still due to broken glass. As a result, the wheel system undergoes a huge load, and the gears break. Therefore, in case of a broken dial, you should immediately stop using the watch and contact the watch glass workshops.
At the end of the disassembly, you need to remove the damaged glass by extruding, drilling, heating or high air pressure, and also clean the dial from small fragments and dust.
Now it is necessary to make or select a suitable glass, having prepared a regular place for its subsequent installation.
Replacing Plastic Glass
A few years ago, plastic on the watch dial was very common, since it is inexpensive and has certain advantages (however, as well as disadvantages). The main advantage of plastic is elasticity, therefore, in order to break it, you will have to make some efforts. Even a serious blow to a heavy object, as a rule, causes him minor damage in the form of several scratches. They are considered the main drawback of plastic: shallow scratches can be removed, but with deep scratches it will be necessary to change the glass. In addition, plastic quickly becomes cloudy, as microcracks appear on it over time, filling with tiny particles of clothing and dust. By the way, these microcracks are easily polished, which gives the watch the look of a new one.
Replacement Mineral Glass
Mineral glass in the watch industry is used more often than plastic. It is found not only in watches, but also in floor, wall clocks and even alarms. Among the advantages of mineral glass, it is worth noting the ability to achieve the highest possible tightness of the clockwork, 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 hard object shattered, showering a hail of small fragments of the dial and mechanism, making it necessary to repair the clock. Replacing the glass in the watch in this case includes a general repair of the mechanism to remove the smallest glass chips to avoid further damage.
Sapphire Crystal Replacement
Sapphire crystal is the most expensive of the three options listed. Crystals of artificially grown sapphires are sawn, grinded and polished. The 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.