# Bulova Accutron II Snorkel



## ikorman

I just wanted to introduce myself here. I own a number of watches but my current favorite is a Bulova Accutron II Snorkel with orange inner bezel. The smooth second hand is a winner, for sure! Accuracy is impeccable! Does anyone else think this watch should have been made with a sapphire crystal? They also have a new one, that's a chrono, Anyone see it live? How is it?


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## mharris660

I just got the same watch but with the red bezel. It's a really nice watch and I love the "coffin" bracelet.


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## ikorman

mharris660 said:


> I just got the same watch but with the red bezel. It's a really nice watch and I love the "coffin" bracelet.


Nice choice! I HAD to get mine in orange and with mesh bracelet to get as close to the original Accutron Snorkel 666ft. BTW, vintage ones jumped in price!


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## mharris660

Way up in price! But I would love to have one


ikorman said:


> Nice choice! I HAD to get mine in orange and with mesh bracelet to get as close to the original Accutron Snorkel 666ft. BTW, vintage ones jumped in price!


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## DaveD

This thread needs a picture and yes I wish the snorkel had sapphire because I will eventually scratch the mineral glass for sure


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## yankeexpress

Thought they did have sapphire crystals, but what do I know, could be wrong.

96b237 chrono Snorkel ($119 new at Areatrend weeks before Black Friday)

Edit: It has a mineral crystal, apparently.


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## ikorman

DaveD said:


> This thread needs a picture and yes I wish the snorkel had sapphire because I will eventually scratch the mineral glass for sure


That's an awesome picture! The blue cast makes it! I had to really study it because I thought the metal was that color somehow.


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## Zealot

Here's mine, I love it!


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## J.D.B.

One of the nicest-looking cushion cases out there! Definitely on the list, now. This "back to the future with updates" approach is proving a very successful strategy against my wallet.


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## CamelJockey

Been thinking about getting the blue snorkel and putting a blue rubber or blue leather strap on it, like the strap on the Surveyor.

I can't decide between these two watches....which one do you guys find more aesthetically pleasing?


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## househalfman

They're distinct enough that you can get both without duplicating the style but i'm partial to the snorkel because I have one. 


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## ikorman

CamelJockey said:


> Been thinking about getting the blue snorkel and putting a blue rubber or blue leather strap on it, like the strap on the Surveyor.
> 
> I can't decide between these two watches....which one do you guys find more aesthetically pleasing?
> 
> View attachment 10242490
> View attachment 10242514


I tried the second one at the store and it is a much different feel: small and a bit too plain. Snorkel was an easy choice for me.


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## mdwilson

Love my Snorkel, the bracelet is very well made and extremely comfortable.


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## ikorman

mdwilson said:


> Love my Snorkel, the bracelet is very well made and extremely comfortable.
> View attachment 10278074


I was wondering how this bracelet felt. Glad you like it!


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## mdwilson

The Snorkel II is a nice watch for sure. I paid like $300.00 for mine about a year or so ago. On eBay right now a few companies are selling it brand new for $175.00.


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## mdwilson

Bulova Accutron II Black and Red Dial Stainless Steel Quartz Men&apos;s Watch 96B210 | eBay


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## househalfman

I got mine on Amazon during Black Friday for $126 I think. It went as low as $108 on another website if I recall correctly. Cant beat for those prices. 


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## ikorman

Snagged an original one today!


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## unreformed66

ikorman said:


> Snagged an original one today!


Now THAT is sexy! Nice score.


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## ikorman

unreformed66 said:


> Now THAT is sexy! Nice score.


Only thing is missing bracelet. I am probably going to start with leather and figure out a mesh at some point.


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## journeyforce

I think the Acutron II Snorkel is a nice watch.


I do like the original one better. So to answer your question about a sapphire crystal on the Accutron II. No I would prefer that it is acrylic like the original Snorkel. That acrylic crystal on the Accutron diver's watches is quite beefy and can be polished.


It seems Bulova used the same dial in the Snorkel 666ft watch as they did on the regular Deep Sea diver. Your dial is like mine on my newly acquired Accutron Deep Sea Diver.


I think you will like the original with its steady hum.


Oh yeas, never ever ever ever turn the hands backward on the original snorkel. You run the risk of sheering off the micro teeth of the index wheel and that is a [email protected]@h to get a replacement for.


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## chefmateo

They are great watches for sure. Sapphire would make it perfect in my opinion. I bought 4 versions..one being the chrono you speak of. It's probably my favorite of the lot, with the exception..that it has the small seconds hand that doesn't sweep like the other versions. I put a BoR on the blue version and you talk about a LOOKER!!


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## The Bigwatch Guy

The original Bulova Snorkel was a mechanical watch and was prized by soldiers as it could be had for not much money back in the day.


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## CamelJockey

chefmateo said:


> They are great watches for sure. Sapphire would make it perfect in my opinion. I bought 4 versions..one being the chrono you speak of. It's probably my favorite of the lot, with the exception..that it has the small seconds hand that doesn't sweep like the other versions. I put a BoR on the blue version and you talk about a LOOKER!!
> View attachment 10354410


where did you buy that band from? I'm thinking of buying that same blue Snorkel soon


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## Accu-man

Love the photos...I just picked this one up on ebay and I will do a full restoration the day I get it. Not knowing the demand I went out on a limb at $200 but I have extensive knowledge of the 218s and will make it like new again.









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## flydiver

Anyone know the expected battery life in this movement ?

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## tayloreuph

Accu-man said:


> Love the photos...I just picked this one up on ebay and I will do a full restoration the day I get it. Not knowing the demand I went out on a limb at $200 but I have extensive knowledge of the 218s and will make it like new again.
> 
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> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk


Accu-man, I was watching that one too. Glad it went to a good home. Let us know when it's up and running

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## Accu-man

I wasn't really sure what it was worth but with 14 bidders and 20 bids I figured I would splurge on it. Sorry I had to take it from a fellow forum mate : - /

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## tayloreuph

Accu-man said:


> I wasn't really sure what it was worth but with 14 bidders and 20 bids I figured I would splurge on it. Sorry I had to take it from a fellow forum mate : - /
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk


No worries! I wasn't bidding, I'd recently purchased a '69, all black bezel for the same price. No bracelet though, so you're up on me...

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## Accu-man

tayloreuph said:


> No worries! I wasn't bidding, I'd recently purchased a '69, all black bezel for the same price. No bracelet though, so you're up on me...
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Not sure if will keep it after restored. My collection is more in the "formal" style, especially since after reading how big it is, it will probably look huge on my arm. I have a customer who returned a RR approved model cause he said it looked like a "girls" watch. So, after I restore it ill decide.

Why dont you post a photo of the black bezel piece?

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## journeyforce

Accu-man


You beat me in that auction also. Had I won it I was going to take it and a working 218 that I had with a badly worn gold plated case over to my watch maker and have him swap out the movement thus giving me a nice example for my collection.


But is nice to see a fellow forum member getting it. Post pics when it lives again(of course I have bought Accutron watches that were listed as part and that they did not work and it turns out the seller never bothered to test it with a new battery. All of those actually worked with a new battery. You may get lucky and all the "issue" was, that it needed a battery.


That watch is not really that large. It is about 40mm so if you can wear a Seiko 6309, 7002 or SKX007 diver with ease then the Accutron Deep sea will fit you perfectly. The lugs are 18mm


It is a shame about the RR watch being returned, I have one and after wearing it a couple of days it looked good on me


Cheers


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## Accu-man

journeyforce said:


> Accu-man
> 
> You beat me in that auction also. Had I won it I was going to take it and a working 218 that I had with a badly worn gold plated case over to my watch maker and have him swap out the movement thus giving me a nice example for my collection.
> 
> But is nice to see a fellow forum member getting it. Post pics when it lives again(of course I have bought Accutron watches that were listed as part and that they did not work and it turns out the seller never bothered to test it with a new battery. All of those actually worked with a new battery. You may get lucky and all the "issue" was, that it needed a battery.
> 
> That watch is not really that large. It is about 40mm so if you can wear a Seiko 6309, 7002 or SKX007 diver with ease then the Accutron Deep sea will fit you perfectly. The lugs are 18mm
> 
> It is a shame about the RR watch being returned, I have one and after wearing it a couple of days it looked good on me
> 
> Cheers


Got it yesterday. No hum but coils tested good. More checking to do. I will probably swap a good movement I already have and trouble shoot later. Excited that its not too big for my wrist. Will post pics in a few.

Question: I have taken the bezel off and was wondering if anyone knows if it is supose to have some type of friction ring inide?

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## journeyforce

Accu-man said:


> Got it yesterday. No hum but coils tested good. More checking to do. I will probably swap a good movement I already have and trouble shoot later. Excited that its not too big for my wrist. Will post pics in a few.
> 
> Question: I have taken the bezel off and was wondering if anyone knows if it is supose to have some type of friction ring inide?
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk


If you meant that part that goes click click click when turning the bezel, mine does not do so.

The only thing different on your deep sea diver's 218 movement is that the date wheel had red numbers. So if you want it to be all original in looks then you will need to swap the date wheels. I personally like black numbers so I would have directly swapped the movement into this watch.


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## Accu-man

journeyforce said:


> If you meant that part that goes click click click when turning the bezel, mine does not do so.
> 
> The only thing different on your deep sea diver's 218 movement is that the date wheel had red numbers. So if you want it to be all original in looks then you will need to swap the date wheels. I personally like black numbers so I would have directly swapped the movement into this watch.


I haven't put it back together yet but noticed no wire/spring and was wondering if previous owner lost it. So you are saying that just friction holds the setting? Is it bi directional or just counter clockwise? Thanks for info.

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## Accu-man

journeyforce said:


> Accu-man
> 
> You beat me in that auction also. Had I won it I was going to take it and a working 218 that I had with a badly worn gold plated case over to my watch maker and have him swap out the movement thus giving me a nice example for my collection.
> 
> But is nice to see a fellow forum member getting it. Post pics when it lives again(of course I have bought Accutron watches that were listed as part and that they did not work and it turns out the seller never bothered to test it with a new battery. All of those actually worked with a new battery. You may get lucky and all the "issue" was, that it needed a battery.
> 
> That watch is not really that large. It is about 40mm so if you can wear a Seiko 6309, 7002 or SKX007 diver with ease then the Accutron Deep sea will fit you perfectly. The lugs are 18mm
> 
> It is a shame about the RR watch being returned, I have one and after wearing it a couple of days it looked good on me
> 
> Cheers


No hum, but coils checked out. Turned out just a loose coil strap at 12:00 position.
: D

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## tayloreuph

Accu-man, here's some shots of mine. I don't think it wears too large either. On a strap, it's not a 'dress' watch by any means, but I do have it in rotation more than many of my other dressier watches










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## Accu-man

Very nice. Unique bezel. I don't believe I've see one like that. Those are the same hands mine came with but I'm thinking of putting some white spaceview (hour and minute) and a red signatured second hand. I'm partial to high contrast dial and hands. I like the strap. I have two on the way; a black silicone and a stainless. Will see... I hope to post pic today.

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## Accu-man

tayloreuph said:


> Accu-man, here's some shots of mine. I don't think it wears too large either. On a strap, it's not a 'dress' watch by any means, but I do have it in rotation more than many of my other dressier watches
> 
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> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


That is a really nice watch! The more I look at it the more I like it..better than mine. I love the band with it as well. I have mine up and running, calibrating waiting on a band. Then pics.

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## The Bigwatch Guy

Love it, great look.


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## Accu-man

Accu-man said:


> That is a really nice watch! The more I look at it the more I like it..better than mine. I love the band with it as well. I have mine up and running, calibrating waiting on a band. Then pics.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk












Paul


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## Accu-man

Here is the new band for the Deep Sea. Not sure if I like it or not.









Paul


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## ArchieGoodwin

I'm "all in" with the Deep Sea goodness! ;-) Like your new Deep Sea Paul, and the group pic as well.

Here's some pics of mine.







Eric


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## Accu-man

ArchieGoodwin said:


> I'm "all in" with the Deep Sea goodness! ;-) Like your new Deep Sea Paul, and the group pic as well.
> 
> Here's some pics of mine.
> 
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> Eric


Love the second hand!

Paul


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## tayloreuph

Accu-man said:


> Love the second hand!
> 
> Paul


ArchieGoodwin, is that an original bracelet? What's the make? Trying to find curved end pieces is a drag!

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## ArchieGoodwin

Tayloreuph, unfortunately no, it isn't. It's actually just a relatively inexpensive, yet solid link stainless bracelet I picked up off of Amazon. I believe it's an "oyster" style. I like the look of it with the watch, but you can tell the endpieces aren't quite the right fit. The lugs extend beyond the length of the endpiece, so they don't match up perfectly.

Eric
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tayloreuph said:


> ArchieGoodwin, is that an original bracelet? What's the make? Trying to find curved end pieces is a drag!
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## V.I.T.

Getting back to the Snorkel II, I really like mine on a blue rally that I had on another watch. The strap is from Fossil and I have to say, they're a good buy; they usually have a decent selection, prices are good, quality is good, and those quick change spring bars are super convenient.


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## ikorman

The only thing better than a snorkel is two snorkels.


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## Accutronredux




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## mystic nerd

Today I ordered a 98B219 from Amazon. I'm psyched!

I've been wanting a black watch, and one with Bulova's 262 kHz movement and sweep second hand.

Price was about $151 with free shipping. With Bulova having discontinued that model, I don't expect to see a lower price - they could rise again when the market responds to the lack of available stock. Ebay prices were higher, when I looked.


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## lockh33d

Guys, I have a bit of a concern regarding Snorkel 96B210.
I was lucky enough to win an ebay bid on that (factory refurbished) piece. However, the bezel red seems to be very faded. Here it is:








In fact, on that wrist shot it seems slightly better than in reality. In reality, you get an impression it's even more faded, almost nearing pink.
Is this normal?

For contrast, this is the photo from the listing:


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## ReallyBored

Did you buy that from the ebay seller based in Houston? I recently bought one too, and the bezel is also that faded, bleached red (pink). It's not what I was expecting, but I'm ok with it. Over on the Seiko forum, some people bleach their bezels on purpose. :-d What was more troubling to me was that the inside surface of the crystal had greasy smudges. I didn't feel like returning it, so I cleaned it myself (mostly, anyways).


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## lockh33d

ReallyBored said:


> Did you buy that from the ebay seller based in Houston? I recently bought one too, and the bezel is also that faded, bleached red (pink). It's not what I was expecting, but I'm ok with it. Over on the Seiko forum, some people bleach their bezels on purpose. :-d What was more troubling to me was that the inside surface of the crystal had greasy smudges. I didn't feel like returning it, so I cleaned it myself (mostly, anyways).


Exactly right - seller from Houston. 
Mine has no smudges on the inside of the crystal, but there is a tiny silverish piece of dust there - once you see it, it starts bugging you. Also, the back is somewhat gashed and scratched - like somebody did not take proper care with the case opening tool.
I am now having doubts whether it was Bulova refurbishing those watches and not "some guy".

Did you open and clean it yourself? Is it difficult to take it apart and put back without compromising mechanism, face or seals?


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## ReallyBored

Well, it's more involved than changing a battery. But not significantly so. If you want to give it a shot....

(1) Remove the caseback;
(2) Remove the white plastic spacer (note that the spacer has a tab on one side which matches a notch in the inside wall of the case... this will help you orient the spacer when you put it back in);
(3) Remove the battery (held in place with a clip);
(4) Remove the thin acetate insulator sheet that's under the battery;

At this point, the movement will look like pic 1 below....
The pic shows the movement upside down, with the setting crown located on the upper right and the bezel crown located on the lower right. Do you see the inscribed "PUSH" on the right hand side of the movement? And the arrow (-->) next to the "PUSH" which points to the edge of the movement?
A closeup of the "PUSH" and arrow inscriptions is in pic 2 below...
Behind the PUSH and arrow you can see an out-of-focus metal tab, this is what that tab looks like when it's in focus (pic 3)…
Look at that tab. It has a round divot on the left hand side. This is the stem release.

(5) Unscrew the setting crown, and leave the crown in the Zero position (the position where the crown spins freely, without changing the time or the date);
(6) Place a pin head in the stem release's round divot (pic 3), and gently push down while simultaneously pulling out the setting crown; The entire crown and stem should easily pull out. If not, don't force it;
(7) With the crown and stem removed, the dial and movement should easily drop out. Be careful to not mess with the hands, these are fragile!
(8) Clean out whatever you need to clean out;
(9) Now move backwards, replacing the dial and movement, replacing the crown and stem (it should snap right back in), etc.

I ought to note a couple of things. One, if you don't want to attempt this, the guy at the mall watch kiosk can probably handle it. And, two, it might just be easier to return the watch, since the Houston seller has a good return policy.


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## tayloreuph

What about the second internal bezel crown? Does it need to be released from the movement as well, or is it up nearer the dial side, and the movement drops out without disengaging it?


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## lockh33d

ReallyBored said:


> Well, it's more involved than changing a battery. But not significantly so. If you want to give it a shot...


This is excellent. Thank you for this excellent tutorial. I will probably attempt it at some point. Need to get some kind of case holder.

I am unable to return the watch as I bought it on short holidays in the US and now I am back in EU. Besides, where else am I going to get a Snorkel? Initially, I though the watch is to big, but I replaced coffin bracelet with mesh and the watch grows on me with each passing day.

I love the UHF, accuracy and sweeping second hand. I am puzzled why Citizen (Bulova owner) is not using this tech in their watches.


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## ReallyBored

tayloreuph said:


> What about the second internal bezel crown? Does it need to be released from the movement as well, or is it up nearer the dial side, and the movement drops out without disengaging it?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


hi tayloreuph. The internal bezel and crown are completely separate. The dial and movement will drop out without affecting the bezel at all.


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## ReallyBored

tayloreuph said:


> What about the second internal bezel crown? Does it need to be released from the movement as well, or is it up nearer the dial side, and the movement drops out without disengaging it?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[
> 
> Oops! Double post bug!


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## Siwash

I took the plunge. I'm not a jeweler or watch modder---the most and only thing I've done was to do the Seiko SNZH 50 fathoms mod.

I opened up my Snokel. The crystal looked smokey when viewed sideways (and even, in many conditions, from the top), and so I wanted to clean the crystal.

Opened i up, removed the stem (my movement did not have the helpful "push" stamped on it, so I had to google around for some guesses for this point), took out the movement and spacer. The ring stayed in place. Washed the crystal a good bit, and put it all together.

Now. . . I HATE opening a watch since I don't want to jeopardize water resistance! didn't like this.

BUT, the result was phenomenal and fantastic---it was like having an entirely new watch! I could see the blue for the first time, it looked good from all angles, and now, I'm wondering if it's my One Watch to Rule Them All. Cleaning that crystal did tons for the watch---shame on Bulova for half-assed factory methods.


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## Siwash

I took the plunge. I'm not a jeweler or watch modder---the most and only thing I've done was to do the Seiko SNZH 50 fathoms mod.

I opened up my Snokel. The crystal looked smokey when viewed sideways (and even, in many conditions, from the top), and so I wanted to clean the crystal.

Opened i up, removed the stem (my movement did not have the helpful "push" stamped on it, so I had to google around for some guesses for this point), took out the movement and spacer. The ring stayed in place. Washed the crystal a good bit, and put it all together.

Now. . . I HATE opening a watch since I don't want to jeopardize water resistance! didn't like this.

BUT, the result was phenomenal and fantastic---it was like having an entirely new watch! I could see the blue for the first time, it looked good from all angles, and now, I'm wondering if it's my One Watch to Rule Them All. Cleaning that crystal did tons for the watch---shame on Bulova for half-assed factory methods.


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## FL410

It is amazing how much cleaning a hazy crystal will transform an older watch. You don’t realize how bad it is until you clean it.

I have done this cleaning to almost all of my Accutron II watches, and a good number of mechanical watches as well. I don’t know what causes the haze exactly, but it happens over time. These watches did not leave the factory looking like that. And this has happened to many of my other watches over time, though usually only the quartz and less expensive ones. Invicta Pro Divers will haze up as well, both the Seiko movement as well as the Sellita Swiss movement versions. 

I have been collecting an example of nearly the whole Accutron II line for a while now, and the ones that I cannot find new anymore, I purchase pre owned. If they are one of the older production models, they almost always have the haze inside the crystal, even new old stock. First thing I do is take them apart and clean the inside of the crystal, replace the battery, remove the caseback gasket and clean the seat, re lube the gasket and reassemble. A little case and bracelet polishing if they need it, and bam, like a new watch. And as long as the gasket is in good shape and you lube it, the water resistance should be to factory spec. I’ve taken many a self overhauled watch swimming, snorkeling etc, with zero issues.


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