How tight should the crown be?

[rundmlee]

Hi (Hej)!
I'm trying to be careful with regards to screwing the crown back in. I've read the warnings about not having to over-tighten the crown.
It seems that the top of the crown is about at the 12 oclock position when the threads start to catch. I continue to turn clockwise, and after only about 270 degrees, I encounter a good deal of resistance to continue to turn the crown. So, now the crown is about at 9 oclock. With some more force, I could continue to turn the crown where I think it will actually stop completely back at 12 oclock, but at that point, it would seem like it's really really tight, where I'd be afraid of over tightening... So I think at the early 9 oclock (which would be less that a complete turn) it already feels tight enough, but of course now I'm worried that it may not be enough to be truly seal against the elements/water, etc...

Thanks (tack),
P.S. I'm using a Sea Dweller...

[Alcan]

The coronet on the crown rarely lines up at 12:00. Just the luck of the draw when the crowns and tubes were machined and the threads cut. Mine seats at about 5:30. Tighten it until it's snug, and it's seated.

[BiG JeEzY]

When your crown reaches the 9 o clock position as you had described, that is when I would stop tightening it. Ironically, the more you overtighten the crown on the watch, the more likely you are going to reduce the watch's water resistancy over time.

This is because when you over tighten the crown, you place a lot of pressure on the seals that protect the watch from water and dust and it eventually can damage the seals or reduce their effectiveness. So in other words, tighter does not make the watch more water resistant. So when the crown stops turning, that is when you stop, avoid forcing the crown to line up after that.

[nimm12]

never overtighten the crown , use just normal thumb pressure and do not press tight on the crown when turning it down.. the threads will be worn out over time.

[Tools]

There aren't many threads on a crown, so it doesn't take much to screw it down..

As far as trying to turn it until the crown is at 12:00, if I read your meaning to say that you believe it ought to be aligned that way, don't.

Hardly any crowns line up when tightened to "snug" as they should be... How the crown lines up is completely random..

[mcubed]

Originally Posted by rundmlee

Hi (Hej)!
I'm trying to be careful with regards to screwing the crown back in. I've read the warnings about not having to over-tighten the crown.
It seems that the top of the crown is about at the 12 oclock position when the threads start to catch. I continue to turn clockwise, and after only about 270 degrees, I encounter a good deal of resistance to continue to turn the crown. So, now the crown is about at 9 oclock. With some more force, I could continue to turn the crown where I think it will actually stop completely back at 12 oclock, but at that point, it would seem like it's really really tight, where I'd be afraid of over tightening... So I think at the early 9 oclock (which would be less that a complete turn) it already feels tight enough, but of course now I'm worried that it may not be enough to be truly seal against the elements/water, etc...

Thanks (tack),
P.S. I'm using a Sea Dweller...

That's interesting. I have never checked but I think my sub crown turns more than one complete turn...What do the rest of you think? My Sub does have a good bit of resistance towards the end when the crown hits the outer rubber gasket, but I never feel like I have to "force it".......

[abigsecret]

If a crown turns less than a full turn, your crown and case tube needs to be replaced, because that's not enough to be considered water resistant.

[Tools]

Originally Posted by abigsecret

If a crown turns less than a full turn, your crown and case tube needs to be replaced, because that's not enough to be considered water resistant.

I agee with ABS.
I did not read your initial post as carefully as I should have.. If you notice the picture I posted that clearly shows the threads and O ring of late Triplock crowns, you will see that there should be ~ 1 1/2 to 2 complete turns and they should be smooth...

[BiG JeEzY]

Originally Posted by abigsecret

If a crown turns less than a full turn, your crown and case tube needs to be replaced, because that's not enough to be considered water resistant.

I also agree with ABS.

However, as long as the crown is completely screwed in but not overtightened, the watch should be completely splash proof. There might be a slight risk when submerging the watch completely under water.

However, if there was a brand that knows how to make water resistant watches, its Rolex. They have been doing it longer than any other watchmaker and have all the know how to do it.

[Iceman]

Originally Posted by abigsecret

If a crown turns less than a full turn, your crown and case tube needs to be replaced, because that's not enough to be considered water resistant.

Whew... I was worried for a moment coz the crown on my GMT sure turns more than 1 revolution!

Cheers!

[mcubed]

In the interest of helping this guy out on his SD, which I think is new: Has anyone else noticed that it does take a bit of effort to screw in a triplock towards the end? Not a lot, but some, especially when they are not well used?

Also, when I bought the watch, the watchmaker said it is a good idea to push the crown straight in, then start to turn, rather than pushing down and turning at the same time.

[roadcarver]

Yep, tightening the crown on the SD does indeed takes a wee bit more effort. I think that's when you know the seals are close to being compressed.

Originally Posted by mcubed

In the interest of helping this guy out on his SD, which I think is new: Has anyone else noticed that it does take a bit of effort to screw in a triplock towards the end? Not a lot, but some, especially when they are not well used?

Also, when I bought the watch, the watchmaker said it is a good idea to push the crown straight in, then start to turn, rather than pushing down and turning at the same time.

[Downing]

Before I take my SD diving, I'm going to make sure the crown is good and tight.

I'll do two 100-foot dives next week and at least two 130-foot dives plus lots of 100-foot dives during a two-week diving vacation next summer. That's a lot of water pressure.

Under the circumstances, I'd rather deal with more wear and tear on the seals than a flooded watch.

[CPTL]

I wondered the same thing when I first got mine. Then I noticed after a couple of time-changes that the crown always seems to stop turning at the same place. I figured that must be where you're supposed to stop. It seems so delicate at first, though.

Has anyone ever damaged a crown by twisting or pulling?

[JJ Irani]

Guys,

Just for your information, the Oyster case is waterproof even with the CROWN UNSCREWED.

So, when you screw down the crown, you DON'T need to tighten it at all.

Just stop when the screwing stops!! I know that sounds kinda dirty, but, hey....you know what I mean!!

Cheers - JJ

[roadcarver]

However, only for a certain dept like 25 m or something?

You're a horny ol' man!

Originally Posted by JJ Irani

Guys,

Just for your information, the Oyster case is waterproof even with the CROWN UNSCREWED.

So, when you screw down the crown, you DON'T need to tighten it at all.

Just stop when the screwing stops!! I know that sounds kinda dirty, but, hey....you know what I mean!!

Cheers - JJ

[Tools]

Originally Posted by JJ Irani

Guys,

Just stop when the screwing stops!! I know that sounds kinda dirty, but, hey....you know what I mean!!

Cheers - JJ

I know exactly what you mean.....especially at our age..

[Downing]

Originally Posted by JJ Irani

Guys,

Just for your information, the Oyster case is waterproof even with the CROWN UNSCREWED.

So, when you screw down the crown, you DON'T need to tighten it at all.

Just stop when the screwing stops!! I know that sounds kinda dirty, but, hey....you know what I mean!!

Cheers - JJ

JJ, are you sure about that? You mean I could take my SD down to 100, 130 even 4000 feet without the crown?

Are you sure?

If so, that's good news as I've been somewhat and admittedly unnecessary a little anxious about this.

[abigsecret]

Originally Posted by Downing

JJ, are you sure about that? You mean I could take my SD down to 100, 130 even 4000 feet without the crown?

I would not recommend diving with the crwon unscrewed!
And JJ is correct about the crown not having to be screwed in WHEN THE GASKETS ARE BRAND NEW!! When the gaskets are starting to show wear, this is not true anymore!

[rundmlee]

I thank everyone for their input. After all your comments, I've determined that I indeed did not have my crown screwed in all the way. I am able to continue turning past a full turn.. but I still stop, when I do feel the screwing stop, ie. I am carefully not to over tighten. Now, one dead give away detail that I should have included was that I noticed that when I only turned it less than a full turn, there was still a noticeable gap between the crown and the casing. As I continued to turn, that gap basically disappeared.

Now.. while I had the crown only screwed only 270 degrees.. I did wash my watch a couple times that way. While I know it would be inappropriate to dive in that condition, I'm sure that it was still water resistent enough to handle my watch washing. However, from now on, I'll have the crown screwed in all the way. Also, I'll take your recommendation and ignore how the crown logo alignment may be, since as you said, it's random.

Thanks again!

[SeaDwellerBund]

New to forum, this is my first post. I own a Sea Dweller and have quite a deep experience with screw down crowns. I would like to make a point that it is imperative to screw the crown down until it tightens agains the case for reasons more than immediate water resistance. Screwing down to where it mates fully with the limits of its threads and case ensures that no foreign matter will contaminate part of the threads and the visible gasket. Not screwing completely until snug will allow foreign matter to settle in the threads, the gasket, and in the crown itself, resulting in rapid wear of the crown system. The gaskets were designed to serve the normal life (5-7 years with proper care) even with fully screwing the crown. You would shorten the life of the crown system by not using it properly. This is an important reason why you should always have the crown screwed snug and completely. The Sea Dweller is among the most robust divers and will take various forms of abuse, including using the crown in dirty environments, but this will shorten its useful life between services. By the way, the IWC Aquatimer 2000 has machining so perfect, that the crown script lines up perfectly when screwed down. I know, because I owned one before. Best Regards

[CPCC]

I screw till you cant screw anymore. Otherwise it could get me into trouble, with the crown I mean. You have to go with instinct. Hard to describe. I'm sure someone out there is wondering about the torque measurement. If you decide to ask rolex, please share.

[Richard H.]

I am concerned about the crown on my Sub, the crown does not screw down flush with the case. I can turn it 1 1/4 turn untill it it is tight and I still have a gap that is about the width of my fingernail. It is still under warranty and I have been thinking about taking it to an AD to look at it. Should the crown screw all the way down flush on my Sub?

[JBat]

Just about anytime you're dealing with o-rings, "snug" is the word you should be thinking of more than tighten. Thread the crown down until it snugs in and stops turning and you'll be fine. Cranking it down defeats the purpose of having o-rings in the first place and could cause damage.

Like JJ said, the watch is water resistant with the crown unthreaded.

[SeaDwellerBund]

"tightly screwed down" and "securely screwed down onto the case" are the exact words stated in "Your Rolex Oyster" manual. This means screwed until crown is fully down, not partially down, not "snug", as you say", but down onto the case. The crown will meet the case surface and offer increased resistance to turning. When you reach this increased resistance you know its tight. Do not turn past the increased resistance point upon crown contact with case and you have done it perfectly. Once again, my points regarding debris ingress is a concern for all seals, not just water tight ones. The manual says tight, and I'm pretty sure it means it. This is also to maintain crown integrity on impacts during use. A loosely threaded screw is also a fast degrading one. Ask any mechanical engineer and get their opinion if you don't believe me. The o-rings are very high performance modern material will be just fine with this treatment, as long as you follow service intervals of 5 to 7 years (with 18 month checks if you commercial dive or scuba) depending on use. BR

Originally Posted by JBat

Just about anytime you're dealing with o-rings, "snug" is the word you should be thinking of more than tighten. Thread the crown down until it snugs in and stops turning and you'll be fine. Cranking it down defeats the purpose of having o-rings in the first place and could cause damage.

Like JJ said, the watch is water resistant with the crown unthreaded.

[chris_nor_cal]

Originally Posted by Richard H.

I am concerned about the crown on my Sub, the crown does not screw down flush with the case. I can turn it 1 1/4 turn untill it it is tight and I still have a gap that is about the width of my fingernail. It is still under warranty and I have been thinking about taking it to an AD to look at it. Should the crown screw all the way down flush on my Sub?

This is an optical illusion. My watch does the same thing and I've done hundred foot dives with it. The crown is never flush with the case but it is still sealed