Why Don't All Watches Have Screw Down Crowns?

A Discussion around Watches and Screw Down Crowns. The sports watch set the standard and has since become well known for its function. Why don't all watches have them? Is it because manufacturers are lazy or find them unnecessary for their purpose? Is it because of the practicality of simple manual winding? We might see how the screw down crown becomes more relevant as we move our attention to how the sports watch has influenced the industry.

#ScrewDownCrown #DressWatch #SportsWatch

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[vautrain]

The main disadvantage of a threaded crown on a manual wind watch is that frequent winding promotes wear on the crown and tube threads. Anyone who has handled many vintage Rolex Oyster manual wind watches knows the threads on these watches are often quite worn. Therefore, a manual wind watch is generally better off with a traditional crown (and one reason I no longer own vintage Rolex manual wind watches). For an automatic, this is obviously much less of a concern. But consider that crown threads don’t obviate the need for gaskets, so on a watch with a threaded crown, the threads represent just another point of potential failure, in addition to the gaskets.

[renebense]

When they sell watches with a screw down crown and they say that you can swim with the watch, people would try it and some people can't swim..

[cedarcanoe]

It’s not only about water resistance, but just as well about dust and humidity resistance.

[Valera_Scotland]

7:39 ! Yes! I'm really considering the First Omega in Space... What a beauty... To be fair what a LOAD OF BEAUTIES! Gorgeously edited video... Great narration. Excellent channel!

[AlonNahary]

In my rotation, I switch watches every couple of days. Unlike one watch collection, I interact with the crowns a lot. I prefer a screw down crown only on my recreational watches. For day to day desk job, one needs a screw down crown like a fish needs a bicycle. These are also a nightmare to assemble. I build watches from parts.

[bobbywatchaddict]

I’m with your follower who much prefers a watch with a screw-down crown; however there are a few good reasons why manufacturers do not choose to use one:
1. It’s a dress watch. They have put the production money into characteristics needed in a dress watch. In other words, it’s not a sport’s watch, and as IDGuy states, they don’t expect or want this dress watch to be worn into the water.
2. It’s a hand-wind, mechanical movement. You’ll need to manipulate the crown almost daily in order to wind a mechanical, hand-wound watch. Cycling a screw-down crown through literally hundreds of openings and closings each year is very likely to eventually end with a damaged screw thread. A push-pull crown with good design and gaskets is a much better choice here; it can be water-resistance up to 100 meter if designed and manufactured properly.
3. Nope, that’s about it. If it’s a sports watch with a quartz or automatic mechanical movement, then it should have a screw-down crown.

An interesting aside: a GMT watch used by an active traveler, hence the crown must be opened often in order to change the local hour hand, could perhaps best be fitted with a push-pull crown. If the watch is intended as a sports watch, which is likely, then a screw-down crown would again be preferred, so what to do? Perhaps, as the user/ owner, it might be best to limit crown openings and use the rotating bezel to show the local time zone. Food for thought.

[seanengel]

Hello Guy! Thank you for a great video, it raises a lot of different issues. I think basically that form follows function. Obviously you can get a 100 meter water resistance without having a screw down crown, whether or not it has one is probably do to three factors: function, marketing, and manufacture. I think largely that the whole issue of water resistance is market driven. I would almost say that that the best effect of water resistance is that the watch is more resistant to dust! As I have collected, worn watches over decades, I notice how large, bulky and uncomfortable watches have become. Most people do not need a watch with even a hundred meter water resistance. How many people need crown guards? We just like the idea. The "what if". I have two dive watches that I bought because I liked the way they looked. And they are heavy and uncomfortable to wear. Are they cool? Yes. Are they practical for my lifestyle? Not at all. My watches need to fit under shirts, sweaters, jackets. I have five watches that I only wear in the summer because they are a hassle unless I am wearing a short sleeve shirt! The beauty of the handwind movement is that it doesn't need a lot of hight, because you don't have to make room for the rotor. You add an automatic movement and you have to increase case thickness. You add 100 meter water resistance and you have to add case thickness. I love the fact that original field watches were so flat. That was an important design parameter. They were tough, small, water resistant and reasonably accurate. The ultimate sport watch. And it didn't need a screw down crown.

[thewristwatchexperience]

A little history here: On 30 October 1925 in La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland, Paul Perregaux and Georges Perret, registered Swiss patent No. 114948 for a winding system where the crown could be screwed down on to the case to create a waterproof seal.When Hans Wilsdorf saw this patent, he must have thought he had found the solution he had been searching for. He bought all rights to the patent and had it assigned to him, and then applied for a British patent on 1 September 1926: Source - Vintagewatchstarps

[larsvargas]

I thinks it makes a lot of sense to not have a screw down crown on a manual wound watch.

[willsherman]

Beyond screw down crowns, you bring up the larger question of why these big traditional watch companies don't innovate and stay in tune with their customers more. For example, the large Swiss watch industry is going to be buried by smartwatches if they are not more innovative, and spend more time on R&d. You can see it in simple things like their watch bands. I bought a fairly expensive Hamilton recently, and found the band to be almost completely unusable. It looked beautiful, but was horrendously thick and stiff, and had so few holes in it for adjustment it would only fit a handful of people with very large wrists. IMO👍.

[japd]

I do sail, swim, practice snorkeling, ride a motorcycle under heavy rain, practice sports in a quite humid climate, ... that is my everyday life, EVERY DAY, to me a screw-in crown is a must.

[Doc-BTW]

Great vid IDGuy! Screw down crowns provided marketing & functional advantages. The marketing advantage was initially overlooked. We know who won.

[DrRolexPhD]

@IDGuy Thank you for addressing my question! Fantastic video as usual.

[mandinigunasekara]

I wash my watches with detergent using a soft brush every few days. Screw down crown relieves me of the worry that I might accidentally pull the crown out, while washing.

[PaKePo]

*"I personally am willing to pay whatever marginal increase in cost of a watch with a screw down over a push/pull"*
Thank you

[Valvey]

Screw down crowns add complexity to the key works because they require an added position which disengages the movement. On less expensive watches that makes it harder to get out of one stem position and into another.

[mdaydj]

When we talk about waterproofness we must also take into account with a dress watch there can be spillages involving drinks. It's not impossible that you could end up wearing a drink or have it pour down your arm whilst being in a dress environment. For that reason and the damage that can be done from having a glass knocked over onto your arm I wouldn't even consider a watch without some level of fluid ingress protection. Its almost unforgivable that an expensive timepiece, in some cases, has none

[robertsullivan]

Lol I didn't get by the first two minutes. I have a modest 11 watch collection. Five have screw down 👑S I found them a pain. I like to be able to pick my watch out of the box pull the 👑 out wind it set it and go. My favourite watch for simplicity is my Breitling ref 806 navitimer it doesn't have a date to fiddle with either. Also constantly screwing the crown in and out in a recipe for wear and repair down the road. Don't get me wrong for a diver or a field watch that might see serous water risk good idea. I'm not a fan of screw downs otherwise.

[benwatkins]

Great subject, and much to consider here. For an every-day-wear automatic or quartz watch, I argue a screw-down crown is a must. With a properly maintained watch w/screw down crown, it's reassuring to not feel you must remember to take your watch off before, say, taking your kid out of the bath tub, or doing dishes, or hosing off your motorcycle, or...
However many watch crown threads are poorly designed/manufactured (mainly too fine of threads or too few) and prone to cross-threading/stripping. And small crowns are difficult to use, especially if you have large hands and understandably a real deterrent for the end user.

[Eric_Nielsen]

Push-down crowns (with gaskets) make sense on a manual-wind watch. It lets you wind the watch at the 1 position vs an 'unscrewed' 2 position. I wish *every* automatic watch had a screw-down crown but for pieces I wont swim in anyway (mechanical chronographs, dress watches) it's fine. It's the huge variety of 'sporty/dressy' automatics with a push down crown that really disappoint.