Apple Watch Adhesive Replacement

it is really immposible to take it off …. it is really $@$* … i lost 15€ (item 1 + shipping) … i thing that iFixit is able to make better solution like this cheap without any specific manual …. This manual is not too precise to understand how it works in real life

I appreciate that this guide / company exists, but you basically have to be a surgeon to do all this without ruining your watch. The adhesive has been “updated” but is still a complete pain and there are no instructions for how to peel / apply the new style of adhesive. I wasted $50 and about two hours of my time.

Brown paper shown in step 4 comes off more readily than the blue plastic that needs also to be removed before proceeding to step 4. I have tried unsuccessfully to get the blue layer to lift so I can place the sealing gasket down like pictured in step 4. Incidentally, I am replacing only the battery which swelled and popped the screen off. Removing the old adhesive was tedious but at least I had the screen already removed. I thought I could avoid removing the screen but I decided that would not be a simple task and would likely ruin the adhesive placement process so I “bit the bullet” and disconnected the screen so as to make adhesive placement easier. If I could only get that blue plastic layer to lift off so I could place that first adhesive side down properly! The handling of the adhesive is a missing step. It is straightforward to understand what needs to be done but doing it is a whole different level of difficulty.

I have read this over and over and I now think that it is instructing to peel only the brown layer and the adhesive layer off the strip pad leaving the blue layer attached to the pad. (That is what it says.) if this is the way to do it, then the graphic might be made more clear by making the outer ridge of the strip pad blue in color indicating that the plastic layer should be left with the pad. The current graphic shows a strip of blue on the outside ring that has been separated even thought the text clearly does not include it. (To be fair, the graphic does show a layer remaining but it is white and not the blue plastic that the pad I received has.) I took off all three layers and am having difficulty separating the plastic layer first. If this can be removed leaving the blue plastic affixed to the strip then the ring is immediately ready to be placed on the perimeter of the watch base as described in the next step. If I am unsuccessful in getting the blue plastic layer off the three layer adhesive ring I have created, I suspect I will be ordering a new adhesive strip to try the above method of removal.

Part 1: It is very stressful to remove the blue side of the adhesive strip edge from the actual sticky pad. After several attempts (with just the paper readily trying to come off every time), I used the middle square of adhesive. I removed the middle square and placed the sticky corner of that middle square on top of the blue skinny strip of the actual adhesive that was to go around and seal the watch. Using the needle nose tweezer tool to stick between the adhesive and blue as it started releasing, it finally lifted it off the sticky strip. You have to be EXTREMELY slow and careful as it can stretch the strip.

Part 2: Then the trickier part is removing the watch face from the base. Mine was attached much differently than the ones in the videos, so I left it on and had to put the strip OVER the face and then attempt to place it. Extremely hard but the only option I had at this point - the sticky strip was off and I was committed (and stubborn to win). I did stretch the strip just a tad in all the maneuvering , but I got it on and it worked! They need to place a removal tab sticking out, with maybe a very small piece of the paper under that spot with instructions on how to ‘‘pull there carefully”!

Since the new 3M adhesive is a transfer adhesive and not strictly a double-sided tape, I found it much easier to remove the brown backing tape first (which easily comes off) and then to place the adhesive together with the blue plastic onto the watch. Be careful to keep the small rectangle inside attached to the outer strip. Then you press firmly on the blue plastic with an opening tool and finally you can peel off the blue plastic with tweezers. If the adhesive is coming off, just apply more pressure with the opening tool and try again.

I also tried to peel off the brown backing paper together with the adhesive for at least one hour first, until I tried it the other way around.

Just managed to do this in about 2 minutes. Here are my tips. First, lay the top half on a flat surface with the flat side facing down. Ensure that the bends are 90 degrees on each side of the bracket and that the middle part of the bracket is actually flat. I noticed that even with careful removal it’s very easy to bend this bracket a little. Just make sure it’s straight. Now, the technique of actually sliding it into place. Slide in the left side (without the tab) first. This should be done horizontally. Now for the harder part. First, ignore the tab itself, what you care about are the two clips that the tab separates. These two clips will snap on to the outside of the lower half. I took a few moments to make sure everything was properly aligned and then squeezed it together with a pair of tweezers. Best of luck!

When I removed the old adhesive, there were to small tabs that extended into the watch batter case. No mention of these tabs, which are shaped like small T’s, anywhere in the repair manual for the Series 1 (original). I’ve just finished my repair (battery replacement and new seal, and have set the watch on the charger. I’m concerned that those two tabs, which I removed with the old adhesive seal, may have been important elements in the watch either for breaking some electrical connection, or making a “tamper proof” type of switch if broken or removed.

When I put the watch on my charger, it did not light up indicating it was being charged. SO, iFixit, you should better document the Series 1 removal of the adhesive seal to address those small “T’ shape extensions into the watch case!

Update: I think this was a failed purchase for the replacement battery and adhesive seal. After placing the finished repaired watch with the iFixit battery on my charger, the watchface seemed VERY warm to me, and soon became almost too hot to even touch.

Shortly thereafter, the charging symbol was replaced by a red thermostat symbol. Now when I put it on my charger, it’s blank and I get nothing from it in the way of a display. So, buyers beware! iFixit, your product and directions have disappointed me!

not sure if it was change or i was sent the wrong one but my tape (blue color) was a “single” side adhesive tape not double. Not sure what’s up with that, i scratched and scraped the inner part of the tape to make sure it was single and indeed no other protective film came up. Disappointment level = disappointed

My display just fell off after a week without even using the watch. Is there an adhesive problem?

I followed directions meticulously replacing battery and touch sensor, but once reconnected I put watch on charger, and all I get is the lighted Apple logo going on and off every few seconds. Watch will not log on. I double checked all connections and they seem good. Any suggestions?

I didn't really have an issue getting the adhesive on and screen back down. It looks brand new. My screen was not the issue - battery swelled and popped the screen off. I put in new battery and new adhesive strip. After getting all back together it looks perfect. It charges up, but all the text is red and no touch interaction does anything. anyone know what is wrong?