mkinderm 0 Posted July 3, 2011 Hi, I bought a breitling navitimer some time ago from Lay. After a few days the hours and minutes hand stopped occasionally. Lay has repaired it and it is working fine. Since then, the famous 'breitling ruler' is very loose. I opened the watch to see if i could something about it, but didn't see anything pointing me in the right direction. Anyone having a clue how this can be done? thx upfront Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikeMcNair 0 Posted July 4, 2011 please post a pic, i will have a solution for you my friend. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mkinderm 0 Posted July 4, 2011 please post a pic, i will have a solution for you my friend. Hi Mike, Thx for your reply. Not easy to post a pic and show what i mean. let me try to make it more clear to you. The crystal on a navitimer is fit in a rotating ruler, originally pilots would use this to make fancy calculations while in the air. This ruler turns into the case but is very loose, actually when shaking the watch, you will hear it make noise. When i opened the back (i did not remove the movement yet) i could not see a way to tighten it up. Maybe i need to remove the movement to find some additional screws, but i am reluctant to do that before i know this is indeed what needs to be done. Kind regards, Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikeMcNair 0 Posted July 4, 2011 dammit, i posted a long ass reply this morning, and its gone. wtf? basically, you may need to pop off the bezel, or take out the movement. a pic will tell me which you need to do. both are easy with proper tools. also, silicone is your friend with these ruler rings Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SeanusMaximus 0 Posted July 4, 2011 Sorry to hijack the post - but talking of Navitimers, anyone got a nice 7750 kicking around they may be inclined to sell? any ideas Mike? Sean Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikeMcNair 0 Posted July 4, 2011 i have lots of 7750 parts. what do you need? PM me so as to not clutter this thread. cheers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mkinderm 0 Posted July 5, 2011 I opened the watch and found a screw sitting around. I will need to put that one back. I removed the crown and removed the movement. Not a lot of things i can see that allow me to make the ruler become more tight. I will take a picture tomorrow and send it to you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mkinderm 0 Posted July 8, 2011 So i fixed the loose screw and as i couldn't see how to tighten up the ruler from the inside, i decided i must remove the crystal to do that. As i do not have tools to do tha, i think i will go for the option already suggested on this board: dental floss and turn it a few times around the ruler. if that still does not work, i am going to fix the ruler permanently with some epoxy glue. thx for the help Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mkinderm 0 Posted July 13, 2011 I could not get dental floss to give me the right result. When turning dental floss around the ruler it will push upwards the bezel and make the watch look ugly. I also could not get the dental floss stay invisible. So i am considering to put a small drop of epoxy or loctite on the bezel and fix it permanently. Any one has experience? thx Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikeMcNair 0 Posted July 14, 2011 NO!!!!!! if you EVER go to sell it, you will regret gluing it! can you press the bezel CLOSER to the case? causing more pressure on the ruler itself? i just did this to a tag calibre 36 concept, and it worked like a dream!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mkinderm 0 Posted July 14, 2011 i can press the bezel/ruler closer to the case, but it does not stay there. if i go with my nail between the ruler/bezel and the case i will have approx 1 mm of opening. from the inside you cannot do anything at all: i opened up the watch, removed the movement and did not find a way to change anything at all; so i guess you need to pop the crystal to do something about it, but i have not tools for that. pretty desperate... ps: i like the watch i gets lots of wrist time Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikeMcNair 0 Posted July 15, 2011 CONTACT HARDWAREGUY, he has a press he may be able to sell ya. that'll get the job done!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mkinderm 0 Posted July 17, 2011 CONTACT HARDWAREGUY, he has a press he may be able to sell ya. that'll get the job done!!! I made a press myself with two pieces of wood cut at the right dimension; I tried to press the ruler on the case, but it does not help. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
no_one 0 Posted July 17, 2011 Took me a while to find this. Everything you need to know to fix your navi bezel. Did this with mine & it worked great. Not very complicated yet not so easy to do. Originally posted by cybee... 1) remove movt 2) push out watch glass - tip; wear gloves, push out with thumb(s) *be very careful as you may scratch the slide rule or break the glass!* 3) lift out the slide rule insert to reveal the bezel screws! 4) tighten the 3 little screws, but not too tight or the bezel wont spin! 5) refit and clean glass etc. Refitting the glass is either a Pro job, or DIY which has an element of risk. I carefully lined up the glass in place, then pressed down in 3 positions (ie. 120 degree spacing) until the glass went in. The I pressed the whole case (glass facing out, pressure on glass edges) onto a wooden wardrobe (or door frame!), something immobile, to seat it fully. Always keep the pressure on the edge of the glass, not the centre. Hope that helps! ps. don't be tempted to remove the steel bezel (unless its really dirty) as there's an o-ring underneath which is VERY difficult to put back in place. I damaged mine and had to get rid of it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mkinderm 0 Posted July 18, 2011 so there are 3 unvisible screws! great advice still not sure if i want to do this myself in view of the risk to break the glass Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mkinderm 0 Posted July 24, 2011 i actually did it myself. is not really too difficult 1. open the watch 2. remove crown 3. remove movement 4. push out by hand crystal: i did this by just pushing with my thumbs 5. remove plastic sealing that holds the crystal (i scratched the ruler by doing so, so watch out very carefully) 6. remove ruler and tighten 3 screws 7. put back ruler and plastic sealing 8. put back crystal. i first did it with my thumbs; i more firmly reseated the crystal by pushing hard on a small piece of rather soft wood with a round opening 5 mm smaller than the crystal 9. put back movement, crown and close watch i made pictures which i will post asap Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
no_one 0 Posted July 25, 2011 i actually did it myself.is not really too difficult 1. open the watch 2. remove crown 3. remove movement 4. push out by hand crystal: i did this by just pushing with my thumbs 5. remove plastic sealing that holds the crystal (i scratched the ruler by doing so, so watch out very carefully) 6. remove ruler and tighten 3 screws 7. put back ruler and plastic sealing 8. put back crystal. i first did it with my thumbs; i more firmly reseated the crystal by pushing hard on a small piece of rather soft wood with a round opening 5 mm smaller than the crystal 9. put back movement, crown and close watch i made pictures which i will post asap Congrats! You're well on your way to doing your own service & mods. This is where this hobby can really get fun. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
