Watchmaker replaced original Eterna crown w/o asking - Can it still be used?

Hi all

Followers of the Eterna-Matic thread may remember my post of my first Eterna. One of the reason I had purchased it in the first place was the fact that it still had the original crown. I recently had it serviced. When I picked it up last week, to my surprise, I saw the original crown in a little plastic back and a generic crown on my watch. I had no issues setting the time or date with the original crown before taking it to the watchmaker.

He explained that he had to replace the original crown as it was no longer waterproof. Well I didn't expect a vintage watch from the 60s to be waterproof. I would have appreciated if he had asked me before replacing it. Anyhow, I'm happy to wear it as is (may even take it for a swim 😁).

But what if I one day would like to pass it on as a gift or sell it. Can the old crown be put back to work or is it a goner? Apologies if this is a stupid question as I don't have watchmaking knowledge whatsoever, or if the question cannot be answered without inspecting the crown physically. I'll give it a try with a picture.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

As mentioned above, as long as the threads are ok, it can be replaced on the watch. You just need to communicate your wishes to your watchmaker. Those gaskets are difficult to replace, since the washer is not meant to be removed. There are a few people who will do this, but it's not typical.

Thanks everyone for your comments. I'm relieved the crown may still be used and will check with different watchmakers whether anyone would replace the crown gasket.

In any case it's a lesson learnt to clearly communicate to a watchmaker prior to the service what he should and what he should NOT do. I only made sure he wouldn't polish the case, but never thought about the crown.

No, it's not that simple. Many gaskets are secured inside by a washer that is pressed into place and not meant to be removed. The washer must be removed before you can remove the gasket, and it is not straightforward to do that without destroying the washer.

Very interesting insights. I will definitely keep you posted how it turns out with my watch and crown, but it'll take a while as I'm not in a rush.

I have several vintage watches with service crowns and if factory is not available (like brands that no longer exist as they once were), an aftermarket if a suitable factory replacement isn’t available. If the waterproof-ness of the watch is important to you, then don’t use the original crown- just keep it in a parts bin if you ever wish to sell the watch. Several of my Omegas have fresh factory service crowns and I keep the originals labeled in baggies in my parts bin.

Thanks for your point of view. I may just do that.