I had so much fun [and leftover tools] with my DW-5000C-1b project that I wanted to do another, so I’ve been doing a lot of research and reading. I have learned a lot from all of you—and am still learning. This is another learn-as-I-go thread.

I was looking for an easy G-Shock to work on and found a non-working, mislisted 5600C (it was listed as a DW-5700) on eBay. It looked like it was in good shape—but if not, parts or donors are easy to source. (And this one has no sentimental value, so no worries if something goes wrong.)

The watch arrived today, and the plan is:

• Check the module and replace the battery
• Disassemble and ultrasonic clean parts
• Replace screw-back gasket
• Disassemble, clean, and lube pushers
• Align module
• Replace band with Casio
• Replace the bezel with Malaysian (or Brazilian, depending on stock)
• Remove scratches in crystal? (Maybe. This will require learning and practice on junk watches, first)
• Pressure test? (BIG maybe. Read below.)

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The band is non-Casio, but the spring bars look genuine. (I will check further later.) Also, the watch smells a bit—I think it’s the band.

The buttons are a little stiff.

The crystal has some very minor blemishes. I don’t think I’ll need to polish the crystal. I’ll take a closer look after I clean it.

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You can see a lot of gunk on the case, especially around the bezel screws. I was prepared to heat the screws (per several posts here) to break the thread lock compound, if necessary, but the screws came off easily with a gentle turn.

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Likewise, the case back unscrewed easily with a rubber ball:

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I took the old battery out (using non-conductive, plastic tweezers 😉), replaced it, and pressed the AC reset:

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And we’re in business! The light works, too—steady and bright.

The rest of the project should be as easy, but I must research how to seal the case before ultrasonic cleaning.

Pressure Testing:

I assume this is risky because the watch is so old, but I’m very tempted to buy a pressure test tool to ensure everything is sealed correctly. I wouldn’t dare go to 20 bar, but I would feel comfortable testing to 3 or 5 bar. I’m not planning to replace the pusher gaskets in this project if they look OK. They’re old, and there’s no reason to torture them. Do any of you have thoughts on pressure testing old G-Shocks?

That’s all for now; I’ll update this thread with progress.

To ensure good results with the pressure testing, all of the seals need to be replaced. The seals, especially the button seals, are almost 40 years old and can easily fail at 20 bar of water pressure.

I won't recommend cleaning the watch case in an ultrasonic machine with the module still inside. It will most likely damage the module. Take out the module and then clean the case or just use Isopropyl alcohol and a toothbrush.

 

To ensure good results with the pressure testing, all of the seals need to be replaced. The seals, especially the button seals, are almost 40 years old and can easily fail at 20 bar of water pressure.

Thank you; this is great insight. I'll avoid pressure testing.

I won't recommend cleaning the watch case in an ultrasonic machine with the module still inside. It will most likely damage the module. Take out the module and then clean the case or just use Isopropyl alcohol and a toothbrush.

Agreed; the module doesn't need to go in there. I've already cleaned the case a bit with rubbing alcohol and it looks much better; nothing stuck to the stainless.

 

If you wanted to sonic clean the case, I would press out the crystal to sonic clean the case. Even if I weren't going to pull the buttons and replace the button stem seals, I'd still clean the case without the crystal installed.

Just FYI, the pressure test that watch makers typically do is not like the pressure testing a scuba shop does.

A watch pressure tester puts the case under pressure above the water, submerges it, and if the seals allowed pressurized air in then they will also let air out and you can see the bubbles as it escapes as it depressurizes. Air, having something like 1/80th the viscosity of water, bypasses seals much more easily so watchmakers only usually test to 3bar, that being equivalent to 20bar of water pressure. This has the advantage of having very little chance of having water get into the case. You can do a submerged pressure test with a watch pressure tester, but only to about 5bar.

A dive equipment pressure tester is just what you think when you think of pressure testing equipment. It's a big chunky pressure cooker looking thing and equipment is submerged and then pressurized to the same bar pressure they are rated to. This tests the seals against pressurized water intrusion so there's no need for equivalence but it does mean if it fails the test water gets into the equipment.

But with pressing the crystal out there's some risk of breaking it so I would personally not worry about sonic cleaning the case. If you wanted to restore the water resistance, I'd remove the buttons and replace the button stem seals and clean the stem tubes and the rest of the case with isopropyl and a swab.

Looks great so far, I somehow missed your DW-5000C-1B restoration so I'll have to go check that out!

 

If you wanted to sonic clean the case, I would press out the crystal to sonic clean the case. Even if I weren't going to pull the buttons and replace the button stem seals, I'd still clean the case without the crystal installed.

My only fear of pressing the crystal out is ruining the crystal gasket, but it looks like cleaning the case won't be necessary (earlier reply: I cleaned it with rubbing alcohol, as you and others suggest.)

Just FYI, the pressure test that watch makers typically do is not like the pressure testing a scuba shop does.

Great information, thank you! I was going to the bubble test (with the added step, I read, of doing it with air-only first, incase of catastrophic failure—the crystal popping out.)

 

@bklyn.carroll

Another nice get!! The watch looks almost undamaged 👍.

I wouldn't worry about pressure testing at all TBH, unless you are planning to take it underwater at all then as long as the gasket is lubed and the watch sealed it shouldn't let water in.

Just make sure that the gasket is free of any dirt, be careful here as the originals can stretch very easily and not go back in shape. Also while the gasket is out, brush out the channel too. Both of these things should mean a good seal.

The way I test these is to purely take the module out, (just in case submersion lets water in), lube and seal then I just dunk it in enough warm water to make sure it's completely covered. Warm water with some liquid soap that is, so it does a bit of getting into any external dirt for 5-10 minutes.

This is a good way to see if "normal" amounts of water, i.e bathing/showering, (if you leave your watches on while doing that), washing up, etc, get in the watch or not.

I've never had any, even with the original gasket still in, let any water in.

 

Thank you; I found one of your posts where you mention the warm soapy water; thank you for describing it more detail. (I have a spare-new case gasket, if needed.)

 

I did some work on the watch today. I also experimented with some crystal polishing on another watch and had good results; so I’ll be adding that to the list.

First, I put carbon tape on the decal above the piezo spring. You can see the spot where it sits:

Carbon tape courtesy of wife’s coworker. The lab got a new SEM and had a bunch of tape they couldn’t use. (One of the bags contained a dead fruit fly. 😅)

Looks like a good fit.

I’m taking the buttons off next, so I recover the tape; it’s double-sides sticky.

All the buttons looked fine except for this bent one:

I put it in a small vice and was able to apply gently pressure, with a plastic tool, and straighten it. (This is before straightening)

Tomorrow I’ll do ultrasonic cleaning.

 

After days of experimenting with different polishing techniques (from hand to machine) and polishers (from toothpaste and baking soda to metal polish), I settled on a few grades of diamond paste, leather, mineral oil, and hand polishing.

I avoided cerium oxide because I didn't want to expose my house and lungs to this abrasive mineral. At least diamond paste comes in an oil suspension, so (I'm guessing) there's less chance for it to become airborne? Just my hunch. But I know there are medical studies on cerium oxide and its irritating effects on lungs. (But to be clear once again, I'm just a dude with an internet connection and not a health scientist.)

A scratch by the A in Alarm was the deepest, as was another in the center of the crystal. I decided not to remove them because, in my experiments on other mineral glass crystals, these types of scratches are deceptively deep and I’d just make the whole crystal thinner.

The total time for polishing, including time to wash between stages, was a little over an hour. I started with 800 grit but decided to go down to 400 after not making progress, but then proceeded from 400, 800, 4000, and 100,000. I used a little wood block to move the leather. Friction heat was not an issue.

I'm not sure 100,000 was necessary, but I did cause a new scratch with the 4000 grit. While I took precautions not to cross-contaminate, I think the mineral oil released some coarser grit that got stuck around the gasket.

Before:

After:

Materials:

Before images:

After images:

 

Thank you for sharing the progress with us. This polishing technique also made quite a difference in the overall appearance of the crystal. It looks much more presentable now.

 

Thanks, I think you put it very well: presentable.

Before I started researching polishing, I assumed the objective was to remove all the scratches, but now I see it’s just enough to try and make it presentable.

 

I love threads like these

 

After sitting on this for a year, I picked it back up tonight. The pusher assemblies were already cleaned and only needed to be lubricated and reassembled. Now that the hard part is over, I hope to finish it this week.

 

Looking good!

 

 

Looks great, you just can't beat one of the old ones coming back to life👍

 

Here is another one:

 

@bklyn.carroll sorry to revive an old thread here. I have a 5600C that needs some work. Would you be willing to take it on?

 

I'm sorry for not getting back to you sooner. Unfortunately, I don’t do that type of work—I’d be afraid to mess something up and make someone sad (or angry); most of the work I’m doing on my own watches is about learning—and that might mean mistakes. However, as a forum, please post about your watch! You will find many people who can offer advice and guidance.