# Removing Screwed Back



## 2guntex (Apr 28, 2011)

Hi i have a Services Scout pocket watch, it as two seams no hinges no releaf or raised edge to prise open, so i am asuming it is a screwed off back and front but no matter how i try i cannot unscrew , i have only tried using hand pressure as i know of no other way as i dont want to damage it, can any one help .


----------



## Will Fly (Apr 10, 2012)

If the case back has no ridges or indentations which can be opened with a screw case tool, then it has to be opened with a case knife. The knife is pressed against the seam where the back joins the body, and the back should pop off. Some case backs are very hard to prise open but, if there are no indentations the case back rim, then it won't unscrew.


----------



## antony (Dec 28, 2007)

Have a good look on the internet before you get try to remove the back , I have a a waltham pocket watch with a plain back & it unscrews & I also have lots with plain backs that just lever off.


----------



## Will Fly (Apr 10, 2012)

antony said:


> Have a good look on the internet before you get try to remove the back , I have a a waltham pocket watch with a plain back & it unscrews & I also have lots with plain backs that just lever off.


Very true. The Waltham - and similar screwback American cases - very often have milling around the edge of the rim, which is there to assist gripping.


----------



## Shiner (Mar 2, 2011)

You can buy a Vacuum Watch opener like this on ebay for a few pounds. Press the holder firmly to the case back and turn anti-clockwise.


----------



## Shiner (Mar 2, 2011)

If that doesn't do the trick, then I put some double side tape around the edge of the vacuum holder. This gives a much firmer grip to the case back and usually works a treat.


----------



## Shiner (Mar 2, 2011)

If it still refuses to budge, then desperate measures are called for. Find yourself a nice big nut and super glue it to the case back. Give the glue about ten minutes to set and then GENTLY turn the spanner anti-clockwise. Once the back has been removed pour a little nail polish remover in the nut thread opening and leave for a few minutes for the nail polish remover to dissolve the super glue.


----------



## Thomasr (Oct 11, 2011)

Shiner said:


> If it still refuses to budge, then desperate measures are called for. Find yourself a nice big nut and super glue it to the case back. Give the glue about ten minutes to set and then GENTLY turn the spanner anti-clockwise. Once the back has been removed pour a little nail polish remover in the nut thread opening and leave for a few minutes for the nail polish remover to dissolve the super glue.


----------



## Shiner (Mar 2, 2011)

Don't knock it. It works! I have had to resort to this method and it has proved to be successful. There are even more drastic measures that can be taken that will safely open a screw case back. The only downside could be is that when you have gone to all this trouble the movement turns out to be a load of garbage.

Bearing in mind that a lot of screw back cases also have a screw bezel this will have to be removed before the movement can be removed from the case. If the bezel is also proving difficult to unscrew then to avoid the chance of cracking the crystal, it needs to be removed and to avoid the damaging the hands these too have to be removed before attempting to remove the bezel.


----------



## Upvcchange (Jul 14, 2014)

Great idea with the nut will do that when I get stuck


----------



## Haggis (Apr 20, 2009)

:notworthy:


----------



## Always"watching" (Sep 21, 2013)

Rather extreme measures suggested for a pocket watch which in my view is more likely to have a lever-off back, rather than a screw-on - as advised by Will Fly, and I would tend to take his advice.

I recently started a thread on the Forum entitled "Collector in Distress" (In the Watch Discussion Section) concerning watches where there just doesn't seem to be a way of getting the case-back off, whether it is a screw-back, even with notches, or a lever back, even with a proper slot. My tendency from now on is to always approach any watch with caution so that I know it is going to be tricky before I cause scratches, and I never use a sudden blunt force to open a watch. In fact, the best tip to come out of that thread, as far as I am concerned, is that a Stanley knife, when carefully used, will open certain tricky lever-off case-backs like magic, and it can also be helpful in the matter of lever-off watch backs that have no slot whatsoever for getting the back off.


----------



## trackrat (Jan 23, 2012)

One slip with a Stanley knife generally results in a trip to hospital. :stop:


----------



## Shiner (Mar 2, 2011)

Obviously if the type of watch in the opening post of the topic is known to have a push fit back then my suggestions would be of no use as these are specifically for screwed back cases. I used the title of the post 'Removing a SCREWED back' as an appeal to avoid the further destruction of perfectly good screwed back pocket watch cases.

Using a Stanley knife or penknife to open a case that 'appears' to be a push fit rear cover has resulted in the destruction of a great many screwed back case covers by totally destroying the threads of the case.

Has anyone noticed the number of pocket watches, especially American watches that are now appearing on the market with 'display back cases'? These cases are not original watch company display cases but a standard screwed back case that has had the ruined original screwed back cover replaced by the front screwed cover of another damaged or badly worn screwed back case.

So the history of this type of case is lost because the makers marks and servicing history marks have all been lost by disposing of the original rear screwed cover.

These are examples of a genuine Waltham display case used by a company rep or jeweller to impress a potential customer. The movements could be changed as and when required by the rep or jeweller. The other one is a fake display case, made up from two front covers. So another screwed back case bites the dust, and the second movement is now looking for a new home. What with the melting of gold and silver cases plus this type of damage, is it any wonder that half the pocket watches for sale on ebay are movements only?


----------



## Shiner (Mar 2, 2011)

A genuine display case by Waltham.


----------



## Shiner (Mar 2, 2011)

For want of a better word, a fake display case.


----------



## Seismic one (Jun 21, 2008)

I have used this method with some success the main advantage it won't scratch or damage the case. Get a large hunk of Blue Tak flatten in your hand to roughly the size of the watch , place it onto the watch and with the heel of your hand press and turn. Does'nt always but worth a try.


----------

