Bezel Play??

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Rookie1986
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Bezel Play??

Post by Rookie1986 »

Bit of a strange question I guess, but how much bezel play do people expect to have on a new watch, or more importantly how much is acceptable?

I received a C60 Trident around two weeks ago, the watch seemed great to me and I was happy with it, today we had family visit and I was talking watches with my uncle, he had a look at my C60 and said that he loved the design of the watch and the translucent dial was mesmerising, he was looking at the watch and then I could see him look confused with the bezel, he was moving it back and forth, held it to his ear and said that the play on the bezel wasn’t right to him (he could hear an audible “click” when pressing the bezel at the 12 and 6 o’clock). He then compared it side-by-side to his watch which didn’t have any play and showed me the difference between the two.

Now his watch costs in the multiple of thousands so considerably more expensive than my C60 but now it’s got me thinking, how much (if any) play should there be on the bezel??
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Re: Bezel Play??

Post by kiter65 »

You say his watch cost thousands yet you are comparing it to one that costs hundreds...apples and oranges mate
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Re: Bezel Play??

Post by Rookie1986 »

kiter65 wrote: Sun Dec 27, 2020 11:07 pm You say his watch cost thousands yet you are comparing it to one that costs hundreds...apples and oranges mate
I’m just asking how much play (if any) is expected, I only have one other dive watch of my own (Orient Kamasu) which has zero bezel play but wanted to see if this was “as expected” on the C60 or if it was possibly something wrong.
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Re: Bezel Play??

Post by kiter65 »

Fair point, it’s been along time since I owned a C60, hopefully someone will be along soon who will be more helpful :thumbup:
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Re: Bezel Play??

Post by H0rati0 »

ATM I am wearing a C60 mk2. There is no play in the bezel - rock solid until you move it.

Mk3 I cannot speak for, but I understand the bezel is pretty awesome, if a little more pliable then mk2.
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Re: Bezel Play??

Post by Rookie1986 »

H0rati0 wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 12:46 am ATM I am wearing a C60 mk2. There is no play in the bezel - rock solid until you move it.

Mk3 I cannot speak for, but I understand the bezel is pretty awesome, if a little more pliable then mk2.
It’s hard to describe, but the play isn’t left or right but if you press the bezel from the 12 or 6 o’clock position it actually moves up and down away or towards the case (not rotating, but in and out from the front of the watch, so if pressing at the 12 it sinks there and at the 6 raises up away from the case).
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Re: Bezel Play??

Post by A1soknownas »

Hi,

The same happened with mine when the model was first released (viewtopic.php?f=1&t=52295) and it was mentioned again more recently in March this year on this thread - viewtopic.php?f=1&t=53897

The Trident MK3 was promoted as having a great bezel action and I believe this is the experience of most however there are tolerances and some occasionally are worse than others like mine and yours unfortunately. I am sure the best examples of the Trident MK3 bezel will rival many more expensive watches. I guess you have a 40mm? It seems to be more common in this size.

CW would likely deem it to be in tolerance as they seem to do with the majority of issues mentioned here when first reported. You could go through with contacting them to return or refund if that is your preference but be prepared to have to push it. Their response on Trust pilot was as follows so they know of the issue and don't seem to be bothered -

In achieving the improvements we have made to the bezel, which have been recognised as a more precise, stable and attractive-sounding rotating action, we have aimed to make it not just as good as we could make it, but also as strong as the best on the market, which are often available for many times the price of Trident 3. We have made many improvements to the bezel’s sound, click and rotation of which we are justifiably proud. The levels of lateral movement or ‘play’ of the Trident 3 bezel are well within standard industry comparisons; however we care very much for our customers queries and as a result, and as part of our programme of continuous quality improvement, we are embarking on a review of the new bezel’s action and performance, working to achieve the same high quality standard we have so far achieved in sound, click and rotation yet further, with the lateral movement.

Trident 3 owners can be assured that any lateral movement of ‘play’ in the bezel will not worsen over time and is not a sign of malfunction or damage to the bezel. We are listening and determined to improve; feedback to our product design and technical teams is welcomed, to accelerate the process of making our bezel function the best that it can be.


Mine was only slight with a rocking at 12 and 6 but it has not got any worse. I have seen sloppy bezels on watches both cheaper and much more expensive than the Trident MK3 so it really comes down to what you are happy with.

Hope you can either live with it or have some luck in getting it sorted :thumbup:
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Re: Bezel Play??

Post by MileyCyrus »

I don’t have a CW dive watch but my brand new Tudor Pelagos has a slight “rock” to the bezel. Exactly as you describe, if you press down you feel movement. I don’t really worry about it, it sounds normal from the little digging I did online. As long as it sticks where it should and doesn’t feel like it’s going to fall off, I wouldn’t worry.
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Re: Bezel Play??

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

I only have two watches with dive bezels. Both have a little "rotational play", but no up/down or side to side movement.

The Orient Mako, being a 60-click bezel, has more of this rotational play than the 120-click C65.

Now, although I don't dive, I do occasionally use them for timing things: the tumble drier in the back of the garage; how long I've been out walking, and so on.

That said, it seems to me that there are three very important things a dive bezel must not do: turn clockwise; fall off; rattle around. The last of these is annoying, the first two dangerous.

Apart from that it's down to your own notions of acceptable imperfection which, as we see regularly on the forum, differ markedly between individuals.

Mine haven't committed any of the aforementioned deadly sins in seven and two years respectively, so I reckon they're OK.
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Re: Bezel Play??

Post by H0rati0 »

Rookie1986 wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 1:21 am
H0rati0 wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 12:46 am ATM I am wearing a C60 mk2. There is no play in the bezel - rock solid until you move it.

Mk3 I cannot speak for, but I understand the bezel is pretty awesome, if a little more pliable then mk2.
It’s hard to describe, but the play isn’t left or right but if you press the bezel from the 12 or 6 o’clock position it actually moves up and down away or towards the case (not rotating, but in and out from the front of the watch, so if pressing at the 12 it sinks there and at the 6 raises up away from the case).
Interesting. I have just tried my MK2 again and there is a very small but perceptible vertical movement if I press at 12 o'clock. It feels like a spring compressing - which makes perfect sense because that is what it is (check out images of bezel construction on the web).

I have never noticed it before and I won't be losing sleep over it!
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Re: Bezel Play??

Post by JAFO »

Have I been lucky? I must have at least 8 watches with rotating bezels, some cheap Chinese, and others expensive, and all them centre on the 12 perfectly, and show no play horizontally or vertically. The only one that seems off is a red orient kamasu that isn't as "clicky" as you would expect when turning it. Still centres accurately though.
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Re: Bezel Play??

Post by strapline »

Mmmm...bezel play, eh! I'd be a little less concerned by that than the small matter of water resistance discrepancy that is doing the rounds in another thread viewtopic.php?f=1&t=55670&p=837913#p837913. A little rotational play here or there vs the small matter of 300mtrs worth of water resistance. :lol: :lol:
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Re: Bezel Play??

Post by Rookie1986 »

strapline wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 2:48 pm Mmmm...bezel play, eh! I'd be a little less concerned by that than the small matter of water resistance discrepancy that is doing the rounds in another thread viewtopic.php?f=1&t=55670&p=837913#p837913. A little rotational play here or there vs the small matter of 300mtrs worth of water resistance. :lol: :lol:
Desk-diver here and I remove my watch every time I wash my hands (which is a lot during these times of COVID) so it’s unlikely to even encounter water during its life time. Not good though if they are not reaching the expected depth that the watch is advertised at.

As far as bezel play goes it’s not noticeable when rotating the bezel or during everyday wear so I’ll likely just live with it and not lose any sleep over it (I only asked because I hadn’t seen bezel play like this, usually the discussion is around play on the rotational axis).
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Re: Bezel Play??

Post by brash47 »

Many brands, expensive and cheap in my lifetime. I've also removed a number of bezels. Some to adjust (Orient PSD...bezel needed gloves to move) some to replace (I did custom bezels on both my Orient Mako II USA models and it turned out great).

The most common factor I've found on all the bezels I've removed (European and Japanese) is the spring.

Some have a spring that encircles the entire bezel, some have the spring/ball at 12. But keep in mind the spring is there to give you the stop and ratchet. It is always forcing the bezel "up" slightly off the watch body.

Even with great machining and pretty meticulous work, there will be some that come off the line where the spring will cause a slight high spot where it pushes against the bezel.

This will account for the "up and down" movement of your bezel. On aftermarket bezels, there might even be some actual sliding movement.

I checked my 2 40mm 600 pro MKIII. One GMT and the sapphire. I didn't find any of this play in mine.

On the GMT, the bezel didn't perfectly line up with the 12 and 6...CW took it back, no questions asked, fixed it and returned it to me...all free of charge. That's just an alignment issue.

My advice is this:
Hit up CW CS. Send a picture and a video of the problem. I'll bet they take it back and fix it. That was my experience. As long as you can document exactly what the problem is, I'd bet they will make it right.

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Re: Bezel Play??

Post by Ntynan »

Next to no play in mine. I’d say it compares well with much more expensive watches.
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