• Apprentice
    22 Jul 2021, 4:20 p.m.

    I just purchased a used Bronze Aquatimer (Darwin edition). I love it and the
    timekeeping and chronograph are working great. My only concern is the bezel
    won't turn. Is there a way I can fix this myself? Perhaps the bronze on
    bronze has seized up? Or is it user error on my part? I know the bezel is
    only supposed to turn counter-clockwise, but I can't seem to budge it.

    Thanks for any tips,

    -Troy

  • 22 Jul 2021, 10:44 p.m.

    Hello Troy and welcome to the forum. I am sorry to read about your Darwin , I
    believe someone here on the forum fixed this by holding the watch under hot
    water for some time and that loosened the bezel.Maybe it could work with your
    watch too, I hope.

  • Apprentice
    23 Jul 2021, 4:09 p.m.

    Tonny,

    Thanks for the reply. I was able to finally get it going and now the watch is
    perfect. I ended up putting a few drops of WD-40 around the seam of the bezel
    and the case. After letting it sit for a few minutes I tried again turning
    the bezel and was successful. Afterwards, I washed the watch since I wanted
    to get as much of the WD-40 out as possible (over time it can have a tendency
    to become sticky). I might add a silicon spray later to keep it lubricated.

  • Insider
    26 Jul 2021, 3:22 p.m.

    I assume your isse is with the outer bezel and not the inner bezel. The outer
    bezel should turn bidirectionally. Your issue shouldn't be with lubrication.
    The tolerances between the bezel and the case are quite tight. It's likely
    that there was oxidation jamming it up or even fuzing them together. Now that
    you've got it moving you should rotate the bezel often to keep it that way and
    always flush it with clean fresh water when you have exposure to salt water or
    even prolonged exposure to salt (ocean/sea side) air.

  • Apprentice
    26 Jul 2021, 5:30 p.m.

    Clem, you're correct it was with the outter bezel seized with the case. I
    think it's a weird design if the user needs to turn the bezel regularly to
    keep it smooth. The gap is incredibly tight, but I think a thin layer of
    silcon will help prevent it from seizing in the future. With all my dive
    watches, I do wash them in warm water after they've been in the ocean or lake.
    I can't wait to take this one out on the water.

    Thanks,

    -Troy