Speedmaster 3570.50 Bezel Installation

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Hello,

I realise that this is my first post, so greetings from a lurker who really appreciates the depth of knowledge that can be found here.

So, I have an issue with the bezel on my Speedmaster. It is seemingly quite simple - I popped it off, and now I cannot get it to go back on.

Embarrassingly, I removed the bezel because I wanted to replace it with an aftermarket item I'd found online. Generally speaking, I don't muck around with or "mod" watches, but for some reason I decided to give this a go, and unfortunately I think I might have messed up.

I bought a cheap press to install the aftermarket bezel, and bent it pretty much straight away. It is kind of hollow compared to the original bezel, and basically flattened on one side. That's fine, I thought, lesson learnt and we can go back to the original; put the whole thing down to experience.

I cannot for the life of me get the proper bezel back on. I have been careful not to exceed "firm handshake" type pressure on the press, but have exerted as much force as I dare, and it's no-go. The bezel doesn't seem to be damaged or in any way out of true, nor does the watch case itself.

The upshot is, I am hoping it's my crappy press, but what I'd like to ask here, is whether these bezels are known to be tricky to put back on? Is it possible/likely I have put a tiny lip on the bezel by pressing when not correctly aligned? Are there any techniques for re-installing these?

I am mystified, so before I take it in somewhere, I wonder what you guys think?


Thank you.
 
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You have the right idea and it's very easy to do once you get the hang of it. A cheap crystal press works just fine, except the little circular dies aren't deep enough, so the hesalite or sapphire crystal usually ends up blocking you from pressing the bezel all the way in.

I happened to find a bottle of Allegra allergy medicine in the house and it turned out the cap is the perfect size for the bezel (30-ct-- I'm not sure if other qty have different size caps). You may need to unscrew the bottom piece on the crystal press so that everything fits before you press it in. Should be a light single snapping sound/feeling and doesn't take much effort.

Pro-tip: Use masking tape to hold the alignment of the bezel in place before preparing to press it on, as the bezel tends to shift during the process.

Good luck.

 
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Meme-Dweller, I cannot thank you enough!

Speedmaster bezel back in place - there is no mistaking that sound, and just a gentle press was enough. I am delighted; what a relief!

Cheers.