I don't know this watch, but I'm thinking that the movement may be removed through the top of the case. Some cases are one-piece, and use a crystal that has a straight wall that a tool grabs ahold of, and compresses. I've worked on many watches that use this design, and there were / are (?) hand-held tools made by the Manufacturer for a specific Model, as well as tools that fit a wide range of crystals.

And: if this is a one-piece case, you'll ( probably ) need to pull the stem out to remove the movement: it's a 2-piece design, with a part that's retained in the movement by a screw, and another part that snaps-into the first part. It's sometimes possible to just grab the crown and pull it off, while other times you need to use a tool that slips under the crown.

If it's a 2-piece stem, keep an eye on the fit: if it's been pulled apart many times it can get loose, and should be replaced. Hamilton used these designs in some of their watches, and I've seen a few that were just barely still holding together!

Michael.

 

Sometimes you can take the crystal off of the watch and hold it face down. Then rotate the crown slowly and shake the watch gently as if you are trying to get the movement to come out. Once the two-piece stem reaches the correct place the movement will fall out. Just make sure you have a soft piece of cloth for the movement to land on.

 

Exactly!

Michael.

 

Thanks guys, something to think about. I could buy the tool that removes the crystal that way. The stem does not seem to want to come out, and in fact it has some issue pushing back in after the time setting stop, but this watch was pretty gunked up, especially in the strap area. Maybe some decades of skin and grime has the stem a bit fouled:

I cleaned it all up externally with a toothpick and soft toothbrush so that when I do get it apart I don't trash the movement with all that ick.

The crystal has a plastic feel to it, which would be dissapointing, given this thing is rolled gold pressed on the case. I just took apart an old off-set (4:00) Seiko 6309A-8679 and it has a plastic crystal, boo. I will post that one up in another thread as the dial feet appear to be broken on that. Fun.

 

It most likely has a plastic crystal.

 

If this is a one-piece case with a front-loader movement, it would surprise me to know that anyone made a one-piece case with two different compositions welded together (gold-plated brass to steel). Now that I have commented, I'll be curious to see how the movement is accessed.

 

I think I will hit a watch shop around here to see if they have some experience before I try to prize off the crystal or the back. This thing is tiny at 33mm, way to small for my wrist, but I am interested in cleaning it up.