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.

 

Hi, nice watch. If the internal threads are still intact a watchmaker should have no problem refitting it and even if they weren’t a good watch maker will make it work.

 

My watchmaker is sometimes able to change the crown gasket, maybe you can find someone to do that for you too.

 

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.

 

Nice watch, congrats.

As it has been said correctly by members before, you will not find any problems in the future to make it work.

It would have been preferable to have the gasket changed instead of placing a generic crown, but that's not an easy task.

The only issue you can come across is the lenght of the stem, if the watchmaker worked it to fit the new crown. But then, its just a question of a new stem to be applied and worked accordingly to the original crown.

 

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.

 

Aren't all crown gaskets replaceable?
Seems to me these are just pressed in. It might require a hand press and tublar piece to center it smoothly.

As for threads when my Bulova crown came unscrewed I just applied a thin film of blue lock tight to the threads.

 

Replacing a tiny o-ring seal inside the crown may or may not work. The material and dimensions may be slightly different from the original and it may not compress properly or even contact the tube evenly all the way around. There are a number of brands where the only way to ensure water resistance is to replace the crown.

 

Some are so tight you can’t get in there to get the old one out or put the new one in.

 

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.

 

Yes, what Dan said. Sometimes my watchmaker can get the washer out and re-crimp it in place... and sometimes he can't.

 

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.