1970's Tissot Navigator 2481 / Trick to getting the bezel fitted?

WestCoastTime · Sep 22, 2025

Hello OF'ers

Have a 1970 Tissot Navigator cal 2481, case ref 44646-2X, serviced & ready to back together. Except, can't quite get the bezel fitted to the case...

Spring clip for the inside of the bezel

Rim around the bezel channel on the case to capture the spring clip (once installed)

But, no reasonable (or even unreasonable) amount of force from the press can get the bezel & case to mate up.

High dome for the crystal profile, but the upper die on the press does look like it is deep enough to not be bottoming out on the crystal.

I'm liking the look of this piece & would be happy to have it back together & put into service. If anyone has tips or tricks that I don't know about, would be grateful to hear them.

Cheers!

Archer · Sep 29, 2025

The bezel retaining spring looks bent up a bit, so the first thing I would do is make sure that it lies completely flat when placed on a good flat surface. Then make sure there are no burrs on the case where the bezel has to slide over, then apply some silicon grease to the case where the bezel mounts, or to the inside of the spring.

The bezel should press straight on with your fingers (this works with Omega bezels at least, but I don;t do a lot of Tissots like this). If it will not, then you may need to bend the spring in such a way that it doesn't stick out to the inside of the bezel as much - make it a looser fit.

WestCoastTime · Sep 30, 2025

Archer
The bezel retaining spring looks bent up a bit, so the first thing I would do is make sure that it lies completely flat when placed on a good flat surface. Then make sure there are no burrs on the case where the bezel has to slide over, then apply some silicon grease to the case where the bezel mounts, or to the inside of the spring.

The bezel should press straight on with your fingers (this works with Omega bezels at least, but I don;t do a lot of Tissots like this). If it will not, then you may need to bend the spring in such a way that it doesn't stick out to the inside of the bezel as much - make it a looser fit.

Thanks
I'll try rounding out the retaining spring & see how it goes.