Anker watch with no removable back

[Kalanag]

That‘s funny 

 

Another find in a German forum. The frontloader is confirmed there, but no hint for removing the crown.

Edited March 27 by Kalanag

[oldhippy]

If it come out from the front then it must have a two piece stem. That is the only way a movement can come out. 

[Neverenoughwatches]

2 hours ago, AndyGSi said:

OPs followed by eBay.

Sold  a week and a half ago , so probably arrived right around the time of the thread starting.  Not a reliable plan for being the correct crystal then.

[AndyGSi]

1 hour ago, oldhippy said:

If it come out from the front then it must have a two piece stem. That is the only way a movement can come out. 

There are some movements as @Neverenoughwatches pointed
out that have the stem release from the front next to the dial.

[Neverenoughwatches]

1 hour ago, oldhippy said:

If it come out from the front then it must have a two piece stem. That is the only way a movement can come out. 

There are examples of a stem release mech around the edge of dial near the stem. I haven't experienced one but I remember couple of years ago ish there was a thread in the forum regarding one. 

[nenyon1]

4 hours ago, AndyGSi said:

I think that's this watch he's just bought.

Nailed it!  It's the same watch.

[nenyon1]

I did a very quick check without my loop, the stem appears to not wobble at all having done presses in all directions twice.  I'll pull off the glass then report back with more pictures.  If it's not a split stem, it's either a lever by the dial or screw off crown.  I'm doing this hobby to relax?

[mbwatch]

5 hours ago, LittleWatchShop said:

Does the crown wobble a little on one axis? If so, it is a split stem.

Oh thank you for bringing this up. I have been assembling a junk pile Benrus, and my first split stem. I had to buy a new male extension and it's just a little loose feeling in a way I found disconcerting. I had been meaning to ask if that's expected for a split stem. 

[nenyon1]

2 hours ago, Kalanag said:

That‘s funny 

 

Another find in a German forum. The frontloader is confirmed there, but no hint for removing the crown.

Great researching ! I've searched for hours and hadn't seen another.  do you mind sharing the site?

[Kalanag]

16 hours ago, nenyon1 said:

Great researching ! I've searched for hours and hadn't seen another.  do you mind sharing the site?

See post #3 by pallasquarz:

https://uhrforum.de/threads/anker-automatic

Edited March 28 by Kalanag

[rehajm]

18 hours ago, nenyon1 said:

I'll pull off the glass then report back with more pictures.  If it's not a split stem, it's either a lever by the dial or screw off crown.  I'm doing this hobby to relax?

Haha. An unexpected challenge only . Cases are sometimes fiddly and you have one of the fiddlier to start. 

You’re on the right track. Ignore our cave man ugga-bugga, pull off the glass and the next step will probably be obvious…

[nenyon1]

On 3/28/2025 at 3:15 AM, rehajm said:

Haha. An unexpected challenge only . Cases are sometimes fiddly and you have one of the fiddlier to start. 

You’re on the right track. Ignore our cave man ugga-bugga, pull off the glass and the next step will probably be obvious…

I'm a failure.  I can't get the glass off.  I thought the acrylic had a inward lip, it doesn't.  I get the grabber on it, and it just slips right off. I tightened it down to frightening levels, and can't bring myself to go any more.  I would love to clean and inspect the automatic movement.  BUT in the meantime it's keeping great time and has a strap for the first time in a while.  

[SwissSeiko]

It could be the crystal lift. Is it a cheap one? Sometimes the teeth on these arent very good. 

[AndyGSi]

Only got a cheap lift myself and never had any problems.

Are you gripping it as close to the case as you can?

[nenyon1]

4 minutes ago, AndyGSi said:

Only got a cheap lift myself and never had any problems.

Are you gripping it as close to the case as you can?

I am.  There's a tiny step on the crystal, I'll try to take a better picture after work. Both the step and the part before the dome are perfectly perpendicular to the case.  I clamp down the little step before the dome, right against the case, pull up, and it just slides right off, of the step.  A little tighter, same thing, even tighter and I start to get nervous about breaking the crystal.  I'm paranoid if I break the crystal, I won't be able to get a replacement due to how obscure this thing is.

[Geotex]

Older crystals can lose flexibility, so sometimes you do need to tighten down very firmly in order to allow the tool to decrease the diameter of the crystal as much as is needed for removal. Stiff, aged crystals can also become more likely to crack at that point, but there is good news. When it comes to a round crystal with no date window and a fairly generic profile, you should be able to find a suitable replacement by measuring without worrying that you need to find a part specifically matched to that particular watch model. 

Of course if it isn’t a front-loading style crystal, then it may not come out (in one piece...) with a lift no matter how firmly you tighten, but you seem to have eliminated other possibilities.

[rehajm]

hmmm…this one’s stubborn, innit?

You don't describe your technique- if you didn’t do this, try the following: set the lift on it’s end- that’s why it’s shaped that way! Next, opening the jaws all the way sometimes evens out the teeth. Then close so the teeth are slightly narrower than the crystal, carefully place the watch on top and slowly open the jaws until the crystal drops in the jaws while the case edge rests on top of them. Make sure the watch is flat and carefully tighten the jaws. Yes, it may become very tight and you may break the crystal. One of the few things that’s replaceable and considered a consumable in most cases…

…before you risk it though…do you have a clear photo from this angle with the backside? I’m not seeing a clear picture to conclude the back isn’t removable…I’m looking at this ebay picture of your watch- that looks like an edge on the case back..

…other versions of this watch have stainless snap off backs…

Edited April 3 by rehajm

[Neverenoughwatches]

10 hours ago, nenyon1 said:

clamp down the little step before the dome, right against the case, pull up, and it just slides right off, of the step.  

Clamp here, the short step won't have enough size for the clamp to hold onto. When the clamp has some good purchase on the crystal start to turn it slowly, to see if the crystal is moving with it. When that happens the crystal is nearly ready to lift off, another nip up and it should pop up, turn and pull.

[nenyon1]

15 hours ago, rehajm said:

hmmm…this one’s stubborn, innit?

You don't describe your technique- if you didn’t do this, try the following: set the lift on it’s end- that’s why it’s shaped that way! Next, opening the jaws all the way sometimes evens out the teeth. Then close so the teeth are slightly narrower than the crystal, carefully place the watch on top and slowly open the jaws until the crystal drops in the jaws while the case edge rests on top of them. Make sure the watch is flat and carefully tighten the jaws. Yes, it may become very tight and you may break the crystal. One of the few things that’s replaceable and considered a consumable in most cases…

…before you risk it though…do you have a clear photo from this angle with the backside? I’m not seeing a clear picture to conclude the back isn’t removable…I’m looking at this ebay picture of your watch- that looks like an edge on the case back..

…other versions of this watch have stainless snap off backs…

I'm convinced it's a front loader.  There are no seams whatsoever on the back. I've been wrong before though...

10 hours ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Clamp here, the short step won't have enough size for the clamp to hold onto. When the clamp has some good purchase on the crystal start to turn it slowly, to see if the crystal is moving with it. When that happens the crystal is nearly ready to lift off, another nip up and it should pop up, turn and pull.

Here's where I am, loosened the clamp 100%, then brought it back to the second step on the glass.  The watch dropped down, as you said.  I then examined that it was uniformly even around the glass.  Tightened it to one hand tight.  Tried a pull and could see the clamp slip.  Then tightened to uncomfortable tight with two hands.  I begin to be nervous.  Pull at the clamp, and same thing, the clamp slips of the glass (not all the way, I'm using small movements).  Tighten a little more, now I can rotate the glass...  Just a little...  Risk tightening further?

11 hours ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Clamp here, the short step won't have enough size for the clamp to hold onto. When the clamp has some good purchase on the crystal start to turn it slowly, to see if the crystal is moving with it. When that happens the crystal is nearly ready to lift off, another nip up and it should pop up, turn and pull.

Your trick did it!!!  It's off.

Ok, I examined around the dial, looking for something that might indicate how to get the stem off and the movement out.  I see no lever.  What I observe is damage to the dial right next to the stem, no where else.  It looks like tweezers pressed up against that dial, causing the indentation.  My thought is the crown needs to be removed?

[AndyGSi]

Does anything appear when you pull the crown to the setting position?

Maybe it was a split stem that was damaged and someone's replaced it and the marks on the dial are where they held the stem while screwing the crown on?

[nenyon1]

18 minutes ago, AndyGSi said:

Does anything appear when you pull the crown to the setting position?

Maybe it was a split stem that was damaged and someone's replaced it and the marks on the dial are where they held the stem while screwing the crown on?

The pictures are of the watch with the stem in setting position, and no, even at an angle, I haven't been able to discover anything.  I hadn't considered that it may have been a split and now it's solid.  I'm going to have to find some tiny pliers...

[Neverenoughwatches]

1 hour ago, nenyon1 said:

Tighten a little more, now I can rotate the glass...  Just a little...  Risk tightening

When the crystal starts to rotate you know that you are on your way. Always rotate it, just pulling it upwards rarely works unless the crystal is a slight fit. With each little nip on the clamp the rotation gets a bit easier. I have cranked down hard on the clamp sometimes and was convinced the crystal would shatter. Like most materials,you push them to their limits in one attempt and they are liable to break, but small increments of pressure allows them to acclimatise to a situation. 

[AndyGSi]

So looking closer this looks like some sort of botched tube also.

[LittleWatchShop]

IDK, I might consider sacrificing the crown by cutting it off.

[Neverenoughwatches]

12 minutes ago, AndyGSi said:

So looking closer this looks like some sort of botched tube also.

Has the tube come away from the case ?