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DLW watches ceramic inlays

36K views 62 replies 25 participants last post by  mrfourcows 
#1 ·
Anyone with experience from DLW Webstore - dlwwatches ?

Im looking for info about the ceramic inlay for the sumo.


I've emailed and asked, and got an reply saying that the inner and outer diameter was a good fit, however the thickness at the outer diameter was abit low, which you can see on the picture I added.
Anyone tried this bezel inlay, and if so, how did you find it? Im thinking of several layers of adhesive tape to make the inlay sit abit higher, like the original.

All the best!
Johan
 
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#2 ·
Is the outer dia low - it doesnt necessarily look it. But the original bezel was triangular in section - the inner dia is higher than the outer.

But to pack it up - i have used shims before. I have made these in plastic cut from sheets. Use a metal scriber/compass thing
 
#3 · (Edited)
Apparently it's out of stock, emailed them to see when they'r expecting a new batch, and if the new batch will fit a bit better thickness-wise.

This and a domed sapphire would improve the look of the watch in my opinion greatly, and would make me keep it for much longer.

UPDATE:

Apparently they'll have new stock in about 2 weeks (same measurements as before)


UPDATE 2:

Damien checked stock and there was actually one left which I ordered, will update again once I get it with impressions
 
#4 ·
Apparently it's out of stock, emailed them to see when they'r expecting a new batch, and if the new batch will fit a bit better thickness-wise.

This and a domed sapphire would improve the look of the watch in my opinion greatly, and would make me keep it for much longer.

UPDATE:

Apparently they'll have new stock in about 2 weeks (same measurements as before)

UPDATE 2:

Damien checked stock and there was actually one left which I ordered, will update again once I get it with impressions
Awesome! Looking forward to it! I was too chicken to try it myself, im glad you did though! Thanks :)
 
#6 ·
Was greeted by a nice little package as I arrived home today.

The bezel was well packaged.





The bezel shines quite nicely, mirroring the ceramic one I have on my Deep Blue Recon





Put it over the sumo one to get an idea on how it'll look, and I think it'll look amazing, just need to get some double sided tape.



The numbers are engraved (although shallowly, I suppose because of the thickness of the bezel, similar to my SAGQ007), and then painted.

Upon closer inspection of the bezel under a 10x loupe (I have a problem, I do this with all watches/watch related things I buy and in most cases it ruins the fun :-() I saw that mine came with a hairline smudge on the 5 in 50. The smudge was almost unnoticeable with the naked eye from a normal distance, but once you know it's there you always see it, however it was easily fixed with a needle.





Blasted both the watch and the bezel with my UV flashlight, and the lume-pip seems to match the lume colour of the original bezel/watch.

Even after 30 minutes it hasn't lost it's power and shines as good as the original, maybe with a slightly warmer greenish tint, will do a more extensive test tonight.





Just need to buy some doublesided tape that's used for bezels and with patience and a steady hand remove the bezel and replace the insert. I'll update once I've done this if I run into any problems.

Feel free to ask any questions you might have.
 
#10 ·
Alright, another update.

I recommend whoever will buy this bezel insert to fit it with thicker double sided tape, and not ruber cement or glue or whatever.

The ceramic bezel insert is thinner, considerably, so that it will fall into the bezel.

The measurements I took might not be completely accurate but will give you an idea on thickness difference.

I tried filling the gap with GS Crystal cement, will wait till tomorrow to let it set and will see if I can fit the bezel back to the watch with the book trick without sinking the insert into the bezel a bit.

I must say that removing the Sumo bezel is extremely easy.













 
#11 · (Edited)
Ok, another update.

I managed to snap the bezel back on the Sumo after the Crystal cement set.

Again, it's not a good idea to do it with crystal cement or whatever you call it, and you'll have (I believe) much better luck with thicker double sided tape, or something similar to those draught proof sticky sponge things as they compress a bit.

There is a gap between the inner bit of the bezel and the crystal, probably 0,5mm or so and I believe that this will always be the case if you want the outer part of the insert to be flush with the bezel (at least using my method). You *might* be able to get it to fit better using thick double sided tape but I doubt it.

However, this gap is with the Sumo's original flat crystal, I believe with a domed Sapphire, it will actually fit bang on, and maybe even take a bit of the dome out of it, so it looks a bit more flush, but this will need to be tried by somebody who already has one and wants to give this bezel insert a try as I can't justify getting one right now, plus I'm not extremely comfortable taking my Sumo apart and fitting a domed sapphire myself at this stage.

All in all, I like the way it shines and looks, it's an inky black which plays well with the sumo's dark charcoal dial. It gives the watch a more sophisticated look and should've been one of the upgrades the Sumo received as part of the Prospex line update.











 
#12 ·
Had a chat with Damien about the ceramic inlay and the possibility of doing it for newer models.

Apparently it's really tricky to get the the double slope of the original insert done properly in ceramic. Still would like to see one on a Sumo with domed sapphire as I believe it will sit completely flush and maybe take a bit of the dome height away, he never thought about it and might try to see how it looks.

Regarding newer models, I was interested if he'd consider doing an inlay for the Shogun, however he said he'll focus for the moment on the more popular models (sumo, skx, etc) but it could be a possibility if enough interest is shown, so maybe we could do a poll at one point.

I'm happy with the way it turned out, even though there's the small gap, I think once I get my hand on a domed/double domed sapphire it'll sort out everything (hopefully).

I removed the excess crystal cement from the edges of the insert with a needle and a springbar tool , no scratches whatsoever on it.


In case anybody was wondering, I have no affiliation with Damien or DLW watches, and don't get anything out of this, just trying to get more ceramic options for Seikos.
 
#34 ·
Does anyone know how thick the edge of a crystal need to be to sit perfectly flush with ceramic insert on a SKX?
I don't own a SKX/mod, but I don't believe the gap issue is even an issue with the SKX. Look at his instagram account dlw.watches or search #dlwwatches for examples.

The problem for the sumo bezel insert arises because of the dip at the inner diameter that creates two different heights.
 
#41 ·
My experience is the same: although the quality and materials of DLW are top notch, yhe design is a bit off. No amount of shims could fix the lip on the outer edge of the bezel, without ruining the fit on the inside of the bezel.

I had to grind off the top 1/3 of the bezel to get a flush fit. It was a lot of work, but it looks amazing.

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#50 ·
Also, not sure if you were there when the installation was done... but if you were, was there an issue with the ceramic bezel insert being too thin?

Like the DLW one is a bit thin, such that you can either install it lower to flush with the crystal, or higher to flush with the outer bezel. Does the yobokies one have that same issue?
 
#51 ·
Many of the posters here have bezel inserts from DLW and crystals from elsewhere. This FB video made me decide to pull the trigger with DLW but having them supply both to me. It will be a while before they arrive and the mod is done, but I will post results when finished.

 
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