So I have been tinkering and thinking about becoming a watchmaker in the future. I read the forum often and have been reading some books as well. Anyways I bought this vulcain chrono and noticed the crown tube looked bad. I removed the crown and took some photos. It looks like it needs to be drilled out. But I’m no expert and would really appreciate the forums advice and thoughts! Ps I’m aware there’s a missing chronograph runner I order it already! My friend pointed that out and also wondered how the minute counter was holding on!
The tube is likely a friction fit. These tubes come in assortments. MANY assortments, for older style watches such as yours, but also assortments for modern quartz watches. The right assortment which likely would have a tube for your watch likely contains tubes of dozens of proportions. Most of the tubes would have two different diameters. The assortment that would have a tube for your watch would have the smaller diameter which would press fit into the hole in the case, and the larger likely being 2.50 mm diameter to fit the crown. I have 9 assortments of case tubes for water resistant cases. And once in a while, I am unable to find a tube that is exactly what I need. That involves making a tube to suit my needs. You sure you wanna try to become a watchmaker?
You really need to remove the movement to get a view from inside the case. Some tubes are press fitted, some screwed in, and some soldered in. Hard to know for sure until you see the tube from the inside. Once you know what type it is, then you can go from there. In this case it's unlikely to be screwed in - those tend to be on cases with more water resistance. Cheers, Al
Thanks @Canuck and @Archer for responding! I will try to get th movement out sometime soon. Canuck I’m not sure if I want to become a watchmaker yet. I’m testing the waters right now
Don’t give up your day job in an intensive effort to change your career. Unless you have the financial resources to invest a lot of money to get into the trade.
I definitely won’t! I’m not in a place financially to be able to do it. I live in the frigid north and there is no watchmaking school close by and no one to apprentice with. I do however have a friend who’s a professionally trained watchmaker who can help. I’ll actually be able to post photos of the inside tonight.
Press fitted and should be very easy to replace. I use a tool made by Horotech for this, and this example shows the replacement of a friction fitted tube in an Omega Cosmic. not the exact same watch by any means but will give you a good idea of what's involved: Select a pusher that will fit in the hole of the case and press the tube out: New tube: I apply Loctite retaining compound to the new tube before pressing it in: Then use the other side of the press to seat it: You just need to take proper measurements of the tube in order to order a new one from whoever your supplier is. Let us know how you make out. Cheers, Al