There’s been a lot of different ideas being thrown around the internet on how to replace the bezel insert of the Steinhart Ocean 1. I foolishly knocked mine by accident and scratched the edge of the insert. So I ordered a new insert from Steinhart, for €15 – you can see it here.
After contacting a fellow member of the Christopher Ward Forum, who had done this already (HendrixGreen, many thanks) I decided it would be best to go with the way Steinhart themselves suggested to him. That is to pierce the insert itself with a tool and pry it off. Doesn’t sound that easy, and it did indeed turn out to be a bit fiddly. But, I managed it – and recorded the whole process too. Take a look at the video to see me do it in real time.
Here’s the damage:
So I give the insert a good seeing to with a small terminal / technical screwdriver:
And then I can pry it off once it’s come loose:
Here’s the bezel without the insert:
And then we clean up the residue glue and stick the new insert in:
As good as new!
Hello, very helpful post. I have wondering the whether to have to do the same thing. Can I ask a few question.
1, Was it a really strong knock that scratch the bezel?
2, Does the new bezel insert come with some glue at the back already? Cuz you didn’t seem to apply any adhesive when you put in the new insert.
Thank you for your answer
Hi, yes it was a hard knock on a wall that created the mark. The new bezel has a sticky glued back so you can stick it straight on. Thanks for reading!
Thank you for your reply, that really clears my concern.
Thank you for this helpful video. Are those ceramic or aluminium bezels?
This is an aluminium bezel insert. You wouldn’t be able to do the same to a ceramic one.
Would it b easer to just remove the entire bezel then use a method to heat the bezel to remove the insert?
Does the bezel hold the crystal on the watch case?