NCRich 13,744 Posted April 1, 2017 I've seen several posts asking about how to change (or just reinstall) a datewheel on a 2813 or 4813. This steals some material from an ancient post that the photos were messed up on. I edited the relevant photos and am just putting them here for easy access. This is the material that I used to first learn how to swap datewheels. There are a lot of photos but when you are dealing with movements with no dials or hands attached you are only talking about removing and reinstalling 3 tiny screws (without losing any pieces). It really only takes a couple of minutes. The hardest part is when you are working with a Rolex datewheel with overlay, like this one. It makes accessing the screws more difficult. Its really easy when the overlay doesn't obscure the screws. Make sure you: a) don't lose the spring b) don't lose the spring c) reinstall the spring AFTER putting everything back together. THIS IS NOT MY WORK, THIS IS MATERIAL CREATED BY AJOESMITH, I'M JUST PUTTING IT WHERE YOU CAN FIND IT. Peel of a post it and fold it in half Like this Then cut it in half Now you have 2 post its! Place the post its at 3 oclock and 9 oclock position and under the hour hand Use the hand removal tool to remove the hands, its very difficult to photograph as I only have 2 hands, 1 for the camera and 1 for the tool, so this pic is really just to show you the position, don't remove the hands by just using 1 hand. Use 1 hand to remove and 1 hand to hold the movement in place Second hand off All hands now off Next youll need a screwdriver, choose which ever one will fit best You need to 'loosen' the dial feet screws, heres 1 And another, just a few turns, you don't need to remove them completely The dial is now easily removed, its coming off a little Now its off This is also the dial spacer that goes underneath the dial Heres the movement with the dial off To remove the datewheel, there are 3 screws to be removed, 1 is ok but 2 are tricky. Here is a tricky one. Another one, its ok and easy to remove Here is the third and most difficult screw, as you can see from the pic its half covered by the datewheel Unscrew the first screw all the way, it wont come right out as the overlay it slightly covering it, that's ok, just unscrew it fully and leave it in place. Tried to take it out but it wasn't coming out and I didn't want to damage the datewheel so I just left it there, I also removed the other screw that easy to remove. Here is the problem screw, it half under the datewheel, I used my smallest screwdriver and just used half of the screw head and unscrewed in half turns until it was fully unscrewed It also wont come out fully due to the datewheel Another pic of it A close up of the screw to show you just how far under the overlay it is, quite difficult to unscrew but possible Datewheel comes off, youll notice that the metal plate also comes off as the datewheel overlay prevents removing this, its ok as it fits perfectly on the DG4813 so we can leave it like it is The underside of the datewheel and plate Whats this? This has happened every time I have done this, is a piece of the date change mechanism, not sure what this piece is called but itll have to be put back in place, no big deal A pic of the piece removed Here is the 'datechange spring' don't know what this is called either or the proper terminology but DON'T LOSE IT. Itll need to be removed - CAREFULLY Its now removed, sorry for the pic Here comes the new movement! Ok, movement getting ready Here are the 3 screws that need to be removed, on this movement you can see that they are easily removed as there is no datewheel overlay covering the screw heads. Remove all 3 screws Showing the screw to remove, same as the other movement All screws removed, datewheel off Again you can see this small part that seems to 'stick' on the back of the datewheel cover plate, this will need to be put back in place Again don't forget to remove this spring and DON'T LOSE IT! Again im not sure of the terminology for this part but its function is very important. This part needs, if its in the positin like the picture, needs to be moved slightly higher so the datewheel can be put back on. So from this position To this position Here is our part that needs to go back Simply set it in place, easy Ok here is the noob datewheel with was taken from the original noob watch movement To put it back on correctly, it needs to be lined up correctly. The 'hole' that im pointing to should cover the balance jewel, so put it back on like that This is why I like using plastic tweezers for this part as metal tweezers may damage the datewheel! Ok datewheel back in place, now its time to tighten the screws, heres 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NCRich 13,744 Posted April 1, 2017 Another, kind of covered by the datewheel overlay The third screw, it's a half covered by the datewheel so just tighten it in half turns so as not to damage the datewheel overlay Next the spring needs to go back in place. You may b asking 'Why didn't he put the spring back before the datewheel plate was put on?' Well, its done after so that parts don't fly everywhere! If you wait until the datewheel plate goes on then when putting this spring back, parts cannot 'fly' anywhere as they are held in place by he datewheel plate. It save a lot of time and hassle! The spring goes back here Set it in place like this Its difficult to shoe but use your tweezers to put it back in place. That's it, don't loose any pieces! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GenTLe 1,490 Posted April 1, 2017 Well done NCRich! And yes, that spring easily flyes away, so take care :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Odyseus 1 Posted April 1, 2017 I always fine the dial spacer a pain in the ass to refit :( Good job though :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RussP 22,106 Posted April 1, 2017 Great tutorial. The first one I've bothered to read. Looks like you've been doing this since 2008? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NCRich 13,744 Posted April 1, 2017 Great tutorial. The first one I've bothered to read. Looks like you've been doing this since 2008? Nah, read the first part better. I just put this together from another really old post. This is how I learned. I was in elementary school in '08. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RussP 22,106 Posted April 1, 2017 Ahhh,............A Joe SMITH. Get it !! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dendo 93 Posted April 2, 2017 Funny this is just what I need to do but it still looks like a bit of a fiddle...... ......mmmmhhhhh need to think about this Great post Rich!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NCRich 13,744 Posted April 4, 2017 Hey, there is one more caveat. Not all 2813s are built the same. Some use a one piece date corrector. See this: See the springs where the arrows are? You have to hold the date corrector in place while you put the spring ends in place. That provides the tension to make the quickset work. I just noticed today that they are built at least two ways. Keeps it interesting, doesn't it! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
epalanb 1 Posted April 6, 2017 (edited) Thanks NCRich! I struggled with this A LOT. I had this movement apart and back together at least a dozen times before I finally got it. I would never have gotten it without help from NCRich. As he points out in the post right above this one the tip of that little click spring that is about at the end of his bottom big red arrow needs to be pushed over to the left and then and only then it will allow the date corrector to sit where it needs to sit and also provide tension to hold that piece in place. Here is a pretty good pic of what it should look like with everything back in place right before putting the Date wheel cover plate back on. Only thing that hasn't been done yet is put that little click spring back in place @6 after the date wheel cover plate is back on. A note on the click spring @6. This pushes against the date jumper (the little finger looking piece @6 and pushes it up against the little cogs on the inside of the date wheel. This date jumper MUST be rotated up (pointing to 8 oclock roughly) like it is in the pic below for this to work. If it is hanging more downward it will prevent the date wheel from sitting correctly. The clickspring @6 has one side longer than the other. The long side goes up and in first and then the short side is on the bottom Edited April 6, 2017 by epalanb Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nikosaldente 630 Posted April 6, 2017 Thanks for sharing NCRich! Great tutorial! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nickfive 4 Posted April 6, 2017 Well done Rich. Once again showing how much of an asset to the forum you are :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
black263 228 Posted April 6, 2017 On some pictures you show the datewheel separate from the metal backing plate. How do you achieve that? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NCRich 13,744 Posted April 6, 2017 On some pictures you show the datewheel separate from the metal backing plate. How do you achieve that? It is two pieces. The plate rests on top of the datewheel and holds it in place. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
black263 228 Posted April 6, 2017 On some pictures you show the datewheel separate from the metal backing plate. How do you achieve that? It is two pieces. The plate rests on top of the datewheel and holds it in place. AHA. I had assumed from the pictures that the metal plate was under the datewheel. So it fits into the cut-out and sits on top of the teeth. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skinbobuk 0 Posted June 15, 2017 Thanks ever so much for this guide. I just swapped out a 2813 movement using it! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
enkebabtack 0 Posted November 21, 2017 Thank you so much for taking the time to write this guide! Does anyone know if this movement would be suitable for swapping into a gen 16XXX datejust case? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BC1221 44 Posted August 31, 2019 I found a pretty decent trick with that hand remover tool. I put masking tape on the little plastic bits that would touch the dial and secure them pretty well. This doesn’t leave a mark on the dials. Overall though, that tool sucks. Esp for movements with low hour hands. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Popperini 17,778 Posted August 31, 2019 (edited) So, I lost the little spring... heh. Luckily I’m replacing a dead movement, so I have two lots of parts! I’ve just used this excellent guide (thanks NCRich!) to swap over a date wheel with an ugly font for one with a nice font. I have a budget SD43 that died after not many days use, so I’m replacing the movement. The problem that I have now is that the date won’t advance when I hand wind the movement. The date turns normally when the stem is in date change position. So I need to figure out what’s going on there. The date wheel does a little jink at a point while I wind the movement, but doesn’t click to the next day. EDIT: ah, it would help if I was winding the movement the right way. Sigh... I really shouldn’t be allowed near this stuff. Edited August 31, 2019 by n0bby I’m an idiot Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NCRich 13,744 Posted August 31, 2019 17 minutes ago, n0bby said: So, I lost the little spring... heh. Luckily I’m replacing a dead movement, so I have two lots of parts! I’ve just used this excellent guide (thanks NCRich!) to swap over a date wheel with an ugly font for one with a nice font. I have a budget SD43 that died after not many days use, so I’m replacing the movement. The problem that I have now is that the date won’t advance when I hand wind the movement. The date turns normally when the stem is in date change position. So I need to figure out what’s going on there. The date wheel does a little jink at a point while I wind the movement, but doesn’t click to the next day. You have the spring mechanism up near the keyless installed incorrectly. That manually turns the date over. Its easy to move it while installing the DW and cover. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Popperini 17,778 Posted August 31, 2019 You have the spring mechanism up near the keyless installed incorrectly. That manually turns the date over. Its easy to move it while installing the DW and cover.Thanks Rich - it’s less technical than that. I’m just an idiot (see edit above)... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tribefan 6,768 Posted January 3, 2020 Hey I tried this and I think I've successfully converted my DG2813 to a no date model! Seriously, I had to harvest the DW from non-running 2813 to a new 2813. In the process, I lost one of the date plate screws in the movement and when I tried to get it back about 10 parts came off the date side. I have all of the parts so I tried piecing it all back together and lost of one the screws to the ether. In the meantime, I got the movement working again, it's been running like a champ for hours, so I just put all the gears back in and screwed the cover plate back on with the two remaining screws. Maybe this will work, maybe not, I'll have to find a donor watch to put it in and find out. The new movement is transplanted in the previously non-running watch so I'm not messing with it. Tip for newbies, position the screws on their heads, grab the threads with the tweezers at 90 degrees and flip the tweezers over to seat the screws in the holes. Took a good half hour and a lost screw to figure that one out. Another tip from a YT watch maker that worked out well, cut a piece of plastic bag the size of the movement, lay it over the dial and hands and grip the hands with the removal tool over the plastic. The tool never touches the dial or hands, worked great for me. And for the record, the patient in question was a $60 gate RG Omega that will not find it's way to a M2M forum. It's back with my youngest to see how long it lasts. Thanks for this tutorial NCRich, mucho helpful! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Popperini 17,778 Posted December 20, 2021 34 minutes ago, Theseed83 said: Nice to see GLWS! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites