Simple Cosmetic Watch Repairs You Can Do Yourself
More and more people are tackling DIY repairs of all kinds, but this generally doesn’t include repairing watches. Most people automatically take their watches to a jewelry store or to a watch repair professional to be fixed. Only a few of us possess the necessary knowledge about the inner workings of watches to successfully repair them at home, but this doesn’t mean that we need to pay for minor watch mending and repair tasks. Some of the most common repairs that every watch will need sooner or later, which anyone can do at home (with a little bit of perseverance) are described below:
- Cleaning, Replacing and Re-sizing Watchbands
Cleaning: Leather watchbands are usually pricey and they will last longer if you clean them occasionally. To limit damage caused by perspiration, take off your watch at night and let the leather breathe. Every week or so, remember to clean your leather watchband with a damp cloth.
To clean the band thoroughly, you must remove it from the case by detaching the pins. Mix 1 tbsp. of baking soda with 1 tbsp. of water and rub the paste on both sides of the watchband to clean stains and remove odors. Let it dry for about an hour. Next, wash off the paste and air dry the watchband completely (you should probably wait 8 to 12 hours). Once it has dried, use saddle soap of olive oil to bring back the leather’s natural sheen. Polish with a clean, soft cloth before reattaching to the watch case.
To clean metal watchbands, simply dip the watchband (NOT the watch itself) into a solution of 1 cup water and 2 drops of ammonia. Remove after 1 minute or less and rinse in clean water. Dry the watchband with an absorbent cloth.
Replacing: The first time you replace a watchband, you may find handling the spring-loaded holding pins a bit trying. First, measure your old watchband (its length and especially its width where it connects to the case). Next, select a replacement watchband of the correct size. The replacement band doesn’t necessarily have to be the same material as the old one. As long as the measurements match, your new watchband may be leather, plastic or metal.
Watchbands are generally connected to the watch case with spring-loaded retractable pins. To remove the old watchband, lay the watch on its side then insert a tiny screw driver or a special watch repair pin pusher tool into the space on either side of the pin that connects the band to the watch case. Push gently until it pops out of the holes holding it in place (‘lug holes’). Clean out the holes on the watch case using a pin or the point of a paper clip.
To install the new watch band, place the pins in each end of the new band and simply slide one side of the spring pin into a hole and push the watchband in place. If you are not able to slide the pin into the opposite lug hole, use a pin pusher, screw driver or other appropriate-size implement to compress the pin so that it slides into the second lug hole. Repeat this process to fix the other side of the new watchband to the opposite side of the watch case.
Finally, adjust the length of your new watchband. For leather or plastic watchbands, you may need to add holes. If your metal watchband is not the self-expanding type, adjusting its length will involve adding or removing links.
Re-sizing: Decide how many links you need to remove by measuring the new band against your old one or by wearing your watch and pinching the band to the right fit. Although there are removable links on both sides of the band clasp, there are usually more on one side than the other. The removable links have larger link pin holes than the other links.
Locate the links that you want to remove, put the watch on its side then put the first link you want to remove in a clamp, pin facing up. Use a small hammer to tap out pins that are flat and use your fingers to remove them completely. On some watchbands the pin heads will have a screw driver groove, and these will have to be screwed out with tiny screw driver. Be patient to avoid bending the pin and ruining it. Repeat to remove the necessary number of links.
The process described above can differ slightly according to watch brand. The pins on Elgin watches, for example, have tiny indentations on one side. You can insert an unfolded paper clip, a thumb tack or a straight pin into this indentation then gently tap it out. Fossil watchbands usually have two arrows on the two links closest to the clasp, with two holes on the edge of the links showing where the pins are. Tap out the pins in the direction indicated by the arrows. These are easier to re-size because you can simply separate the links with your finger nails or with clip-removing pliers.
Once you’ve removed the necessary number of links, re-attach the clasp to the shortened band. Fit the clasp and the band together, replace the pin in the joint between the two links and tap (or screw) in the pin. Some metal watchbands have links that are held together with clips.
2. Replacing Watch Crystals:
The crystal is the piece that covers your watch dial. Made of glass, plastic, or (in more expensive watches) of man-made sapphire, it can often get scratched, gouged or even broken. Whether or not you will have trouble locating a replacement crystal that is exactly the same as your old one depends on the age and brand of your watch. Sometimes, you’ll have to install a new crystal made of a different material.
Once you have bought a replacement crystal, you have to remove the damaged one. The first thing to do is to remove the back of the watch. Some watch backs can be pushed out from the back of the watch and others need to be screwed off. After removing the back, carefully take the watch movement out of the case. If your watch is a mechanical one, you’ll need to first remove the crown (the knob you use to wind the watch). Push the damaged crystal out, insert the new one and put the watch back together. Some watch brand backs can only be removed by professionals
3. Changing A Watch Battery:
Watch batteries are inexpensive and they are easy to replace. The alkaline batteries used in low-cost watches often need to be replaced after about six months, and the more expensive lithium batteries can run for as long as ten years. Check your watch manual to learn the specifications of the replacement battery you need to buy. If you no longer have the manual, take your old battery to the store with you and make sure the replacement battery you buy has numbers on it that match your old one. Make sure you get the right kind of battery (alkaline, lithium, silver oxide …).
Remove the screws from the back of the watch. If you need to pry open the back with the screwdriver, be careful not to scratch it. After the back is removed, you’ll see the battery. It will be held in place by a steel fastening that you’ll have to unscrew too.
Install the new battery facing the same direction as the old one, put back the steal fastening exactly as it was and refasten the screws, then replace the watch back.
For any of the simple repairs described above, it’s important to securely close the back of the watch when you replace it. Sometimes there is a mark or notch on the inside of the back that has to be aligned with the crown or stem before you press the backing back on. For watches with screws on the back, you should tighten the screws evenly and avoid over tightening as this could damage the screws.
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