Longines Quartz

[Cesar]

Hello all. I am new to this site and have to say I am very humbled by the amount of information discussed in this forum. I have learned a lot by reading some of the discussions. I love precision parts as I have been in the aero space business for over 30 years in the machining/manufacturing sector. Watches have always been of great interest to me but not until now I have decided opening them and looking at those marvelelous machined precssion pieces used to put movements together. I am passionate about it now.

Now on to my own topic. I need help opening this Quartz Longines watch. Can anyone tell me the way to get this movement out of the case? I have added 2 pictures to show the face and movement. Thank you in advance for your help.

[Don]

Hi Cesar. You might try gently depressing the little button at the end of the white arrow while pulling the stem.

[Cesar]

Don, I have already removed the stem but the movement rotates but doesn't come off. I am wondering if it has to come off the front. Thanks for your response.

[Geo]

Welcome to the forum Cesar.

Given that the shape of the dial, it will have to come out the front. The bezel and glass will first have to be removed, but not having worked on one, I am reluctant to suggest the next move. The bezel screws might be real and might be decorative. Given the quality of the watch, do not proceed until someone confirms what is required.

[Cesar]

Geo, I tried to remove the screws but they seem to be decorative. I was thinking it comes through the front but was reluctant to try to force it. It does not suggest anywhere that you should use a 1200 wrench so I assume it is not under pressure. Thank you for your suggestion. I will wait to see if anyone has worked on one before.

[Jim]

Hi a am also new to the forum  but I do have a suggestion.   From looking at the movement there appears to be movement hold-down screws at 11 and 4  if you carefully remove those after removing the watch stem as described above the movement should come out of the back  one thing to note those screws may have to just be turned slightly to orient the underside of the screw.  I would need to have a closer look to be sure   actually you may be able to rotate the movement to see the underside of the screw and put it in the proper orientation.  best of luck.

 

Sincerely

Jim

[Cesar]

Jim, I had those screws removed but the movement only rotates. It seems like there is a spacer holding the movement but I haven't found a way to remove it as well. If you notice closely, the dial is slightly larger than the movement. Which makes think I would have to remove the spacer or the Crystal. I will take a look at removing the screws to see if I haven't miss anything. Thanks for the response and suggestion.

[Jim]

Additionally if you look closer there is a small area at 12 where you can view the orientation of those screws I think.  This is just a guess but if you loosen up 1/2-3/4 turn  on those screws the movement should rotate easily   The screws may not come out but just need orientation first.   Just go slow and be careful and gentle 

 

 

Again best of luck

 

Sincerely

Jim

[Cesar]

Jim, I will give that a try.

[Jim]

Is the spacer in the back rusted in place or jammed ?  or is it actually part of the case?  I have worked on many front loaders  I defiantly would have gone after the back looking at that movement. Especially  if the front screws just turn.   Let me know what you find   I am sure there is some special Longines trick involved.    One other thought  sometimes there is one orientation that will allow the movement to release. 

[Geo]

Measure the across the dial to get the largest size then measure the diameter of the inside of the case and you will get a good idea if it is possible to come out from the back.

[Cesar]

Jim, it is hard to tell if it is part of the case or not. It doesn't look rusted just dirty as you can see in the picture. I will try rotating it to see if there is in fact a position where it will come off.

Geo, I will do measurements to figure out the size.

[bobm12]

I second Jim in the suggestion about the screws. It seems to me that once loosened, the movement should rotate in such a way that the screw at 11 will be positioned at the gap at 12. Then it is a matter of lifting the movement. Of course, it is not confirmed so proceed with caution. Taking measurements is definitely good!

[Cesar]

I will give it a try and let you know if there is any success.

[Cesar]

Well after trying all the above I am still not able to remove t movement. The dial us bigger than the back opening and I cannot rotate the movement because of the dial's shape. Back to the drawing board. Any other suggestions will be appreciated.

[Geo]

Post high resolution close ups of the edge of the watch taken at the 12, 3, 6 and 9 to let us see more detail of the bezel. It just might be more obvious to some of us how to remove the bezel if seen from these positions.

[WillFly]

My opinion, for what it's worth - and I don't have half the skills of some of the guys here - is just a bit of logic. The movement has to be attached to the dial - the dial is larger than the hole in the rear casing - ergo: it must be a front loader.

 

Looking closely at the face of the watch, those screws appear to me to be more than just moulded into the bezel as a decorative item. Note the slight off-centredness of the screw next to the date window. Have you tried them all carefully? Do they unscrew but have no effect on the tightness of the bezel? If both of those things are true, or they don't unscrew at all, then the bezel must snap off.

 

So. as Geo rightly says, look carefully at the bezel edge, where it joins the case, and see if there's anything remotely like a prisable join. And post some pics!

 

Cheers,

 

Will

Edited October 7, 2014 by WillFly

[Legarm]

[Jim]

Okay one last thought from me  :-)     Many years ago I worked on  a PP that had a 18k split case in order to remove the movement the middle of the case had to be split.  Fortunately I knew an older watch maker that showed me how to split it using a double sided razor blade.  Still makes me nervous.   If the side of the watch looks like it has a seam it could possibly be the same arrangement.  look on the side of the case for a faint line.   If you can post a pic of the case side we can all chime in  :-)     again good luck 

 

Sincerely,

 

Jim

[Cesar]

Jim,

i am trying to post more pics from different angles including the side but being new to this site I need help doing that. Please let me know how to do it.

It looks like the Basel can be removed but again I am reluctant to insert anything on it. I have a Longines watch with a split case and that one is easy to take apart. This one has been a challenge.

Thanks for all the advice.

Cesar

[anilv]

Re the 2 screws on the back...

 

If the movement is loaded thru the back these srews will do nothing to hold it in.

 

I think the bezel comes off once the screws are undone, some may be decorative... 12 seem a bit excessive!

 

Anil

[Cesar]

I am going on vacation but will be back. I will try to remove the Bazel and post the results. Have a great couple of weeks. I will be reading posts if anyone comes up with other suggestions. Thank you all.

[Geo]

I am going on vacation but will be back.

Have a good one Joe!

[Jim]

Dear Cesar,

I am also new to this site   but I am sure one of the senior members will chime in and assist you in uploading.  We are all interested in the outcome now :-)

 

Sincerely

Jim

[Jim]

http://www.watchrepairtalk.com/topic/20-uploading-images-to-the-forum/

 

 

Just found this link within the site with directions for how to upload pictures

 

Sincerely,

Jim