I’ve been collecting watches for a few years now, and one of the most frustrating experiences I had involved a long-beloved piece—a vintage-inspired timepiece with a rotating bezel that I’d picked up from a dealer a while back. After a couple of months of regular wear, I started noticing that the bezel wouldn’t move as freely as it used to. Initially, I thought it was just a little stiffness from the new watch, but eventually, it was so stiff that I couldn’t set it at all. Given the watch’s focus on sporty functionality, this was a huge disappointment.
At first, I attempted some common fixes on my own. I tried gently cleaning around the bezel, suspecting that some dust or debris might have accumulated in the grooves. I even followed a few online tutorials that recommended using a very small amount of lubricant to help ease the movement. Unfortunately, these DIY attempts didn’t yield much improvement—the bezel either remained stubbornly stiff or, worse, began to click in a way that suggested something internal might be off.
After spending a few days with mounting frustration and researching more online, I reached out to the dealer who had sold me the watch. Their customer service was polite, but instead of an immediate fix, they suggested that I take it to an authorized service center. I wasn’t thrilled about the idea since it meant sending off the watch and potentially waiting weeks without the piece, but I figured it was worth a shot.
A few weeks later, I got the call: the problem was due to a slight misalignment in the internal mechanism of the bezel—there was a manufacturing oversight that hadn’t been apparent in the first few wears. The service center adjusted the mechanism, cleaned the internal parts, and re-lubricated the dial contacts. When I got my watch back, the bezel rotated as flawlessly as it should, and I felt a huge sense of relief.
The key takeaway from this experience is to be patient and methodical in troubleshooting when something isn’t working right. DIY fixes are great if you’re comfortable with them and the issue is minor; however, when it involves critical functions—especially on a luxury piece—it’s worth getting professional help sooner rather than later. Also, if you notice even a subtle change in the performance of your watch, don’t delay in seeking advice. Sometimes a small oversight in the manufacturing process might be causing big headaches later on, and catching it early can save you time and expense. Hope this helps anyone facing a similar issue!