Have you ever seen a watch without a removable case back and wondered how you get the movement out?? In this post I will show how to remove a two piece split stem from a watch.


Some cases were designed as a “one piece case” that does not have a removable back. With a watch like this, How do you remove the movement?

The first step to removing the movement is to remove the crystal. This is done with the help of a crystal lift. This is a very cool tool the grasps the outer edge of a crystal, then by turning the handle, the crystal is compressed making it a tiny bit smaller so that it can be removed.


Once the crystal is removed, on this model, the inside movement retention ring needs to be turned to “unlock” the movement from the case.

Now comes the tricky part, cutting the two piece stem to remove it.

I normally use a standard pair of cutters to gently pry apart the crown/stem to remove it. You place the cutters on either side of the case tube, gently apply pressure and “cut” the stem loose





Mark Sirianni Watch Repair
25 Fraley St.
Kane, PA. 16735
814-837-9435
watchdoctorpa@gmail.com email
9 Comments
John J Carlson
Amazing–thank you! This why you get all of my work !
Johnny
Thanks Mark. Always wondered about those.
El Chapo
Not very useful, but very, very interesting. Thanks
Duane
Thanks! I’ve always wondered about this when I notice the back of my Omega watch has no access.
James
I actually have one of these crystal remover tools, but had forgotten what it was for. Now you’ve brought it back to me! Thanks.
Mark Morgan
GREAT story. Mark
PatB
Absolutely amazing, thank you for sharing your vast knowledge with us.
Paul DePaul
How do you reattach the crown? I tried pushing it on but the stem recedes too far into the movement for the crown to reattach.
J Franco
Do you have a crown with the male end as in the first photo or know where I can get one? I have Longines Grand Prize that is missing its crown.