How To Change The Bezel On A Vostok Watch

Changing the bezel on a Vostok is a very quick and easy mod that you can do yourself. If you want to get into modding watches this is probably the simplest place you can start.

Why Change A Watch Bezel?

The main reason people change the bezel on their Vostoks is to improve the aesthetics of the watch. The bezels that come with the watch are often quite boring and you can get a lot of better looking ones that can really change how the watch looks over all.

This can also help give you a little more uniqueness to your watch compared to the next person who has the same model.

Sometimes people change them because they are damaged or just very scratched and scuffed, but mostly it done to just make the watch look nicer.

(You can read more about – Why Do People Love Vostok Watches?)

Where To Buy Vostok Bezels

You can easily buy new bezels online. You can get them from the official stores such as Meranom. They have all the standard bezels that usually come with the watches as well as some other designs. These stores work directly with the factory which means anything you buy has been made directly by Vostok, so you should have no problems with any of these products. 

You can also by bezels from the usual online stores like eBay. Often these will be originally produced by Vostok but you can also find plenty of 3^rd party bezels too. These can be cool and have some interesting designs and colours, as well as often being lumed.

(You can read more about – Where Is The Best Place To Buy Vostok Watches?)

If you buy an aluminum bezel, you could potentially ghost it, you can read more information about doing this – How To Ghost The Bezel On A Watch

Check You Have The Right Replacement Bezel

The bezels may look different but they can usually fit across a number of different models. Vostoks are designed in a way that most of the parts are interchangeable, but you still need to check.

When you are buying a bezel, just make sure it will fit with the case you have.

The vostok watch you own will have a 6 digit reference number. The first 3 digits are the case number and the last 3 are the dial number.

You need to check that your watch and the bezel you are getting will work together. They usually will, but you want to double check.

You also need to check what it is you are actually buying. You can buy a fully ready bezel, or just a bezel ring that needs a separate insert that you will need to glue in.

So again make sure you are buying the right thing, or at least know what you are getting. If you only buy a bezel insert, you will not be able to do much with only this part and then you will have to place another order to get the ring.

Remove The Bezel Of A Vostok

To get the Bezel off, you simply need to prise it off with a knife.

You can use a watchmaker’s case knife or really any sort of other knife you have. It doesn’t need to be sharp, just flat and sturdy. It is probably better that it is blunt in case you slip and cut yourself. People often use a butter knife, but sometimes they can be too thick to wedge in between the case and the bezel.

You can also add tape to the blade to avoid scratching the watch. Another option is to put some plastic over the watch so it forms a barrier between the watch and the knife. Basically metal on metal is not good so either option will help avoid scratches.

You just need to place the knife in between the case and the bezel and prise it off.

It should be able to twist the knife when it is in position and the bezel should pop right off but sometime they can be stiff. Sometimes they can take a little force to get them off, but mostly they pop right off.

You can also try and loosen it up by inserting the knife at a few different places around the watch and trying to prise the bezel up little by little.

Tension Ring

Inside the bezel you will see a tension ring. It looks like a bent piece of wire, it’s not a full ring, i’ts basically a thin wire with 8 bends/sides.

You need this part to give the friction to your bezel. If your bezel is too stiff when you move it, then stretch the two ends of the wire out so they are further apart, like you are making the ring bigger.

If your bezel is too loose and spins too easily, squeeze these two ends together, this will tighten the ring up.

You only need to make minor adjustments with this. Don’t bend it or stretch it a crazy amount. The tiniest of bends will make a massive improvement. Only move it 1mm, maybe even less and see how that changes things.

Reinstall The Bezel On A Vostok

Before you put the Bezel back on you should give the watch, the bezel and the tension ring a clean.

Dirt can build up under the bezel and around the crystal, so it is to best clean round the edges before you reinstall.

Once everything is ready, you need to start by installing the tension ring. If this is not done correctly and sitting flat, the bezel will not go back on the watch.

The ring will fit into the small groove on the underside of the bezel. Make sure it is evenly positioned and properly in place. You can use a toothpick to help you poke it in if you need to.

Then you just need to put the bezel back on the watch. Just put it in position and then push it down evenly and it will click into place. It might take a little effort, but it’s easy enough.

So long as your tension ring is correctly installed, it should pop right back on and you will hear it click into place.

Conclusion

That is it. That is how simple it is to remove the bezel and add a new one on. It really only takes a few minutes and is very straight forward. The hardest part is probably deciding what bezel to buy and then having to wait for it to arrive. Hopefully now you will give this a go and change up the look of your Vostok and make it even coole

(If You are interested in fixing things on a Vostok, you may want to read more about – How To Adjust A Vostok Bracelet)