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Crown Stem Replacement


gioarmani

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Is there anything special one needs to do to swap out a crown & stem on a Rolex sub (Eta 2836-2) other than pressing the release button? Are there any gears that need to be readjusted, mainspring tension released, etc? The reason I ask is, I attempted to do this on an old japanese model a few months ago and after getting the crowns swapped out, the watch wouldn't work anymore; once the crown was screwed all the way in, the second hand quit ticking.

Thanks.

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A few bits of advice:

1) Always make sure to pull the crown out to the time setting position prior to releasing the stem. This will ensure that the clutch does not fall out of place, and you should also set the hands to 12:00 anyways in case you are removing hands; this will provide a baseline for where to set the hands so that the date transition stays correct.

2) Never use anything smaller than a 1.2mm screwdriver to press the release button.

Hope this helps.

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Yessir. If you use something like a needle or pin to pres the button in, then the button can recess past it's set hole, and will have to be re-set for the stem to click back into the keyless works. There have been a few recent topics on this subject, so if that should occur, there are some excellent photo tutorials on how to fix this, but the best way to go about it it is to avoid it altogether.

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Ubi is absolutely correct. There are small notches on oposite sides of the release button. These notches stop your screw-driver (1.3) from depressing the button too deep. If you do depress it too deep it will get stuck...bet on it! At that point a keyless works rebuild is in order...not a difficult repair but you have to have passed Watchmaking 101 :D

Remember when working with movements, The Zigmeister summed it up best,

"if you have to ask, you are in way over your head"

Best of luck :thumbsupsmileyanim:

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Remember when working with movements, Ziggy summed it up best,

"if you have to ask, you are in way over your head"

Best of luck :thumbsupsmileyanim:

Hopefully that saying will go down in history...and years from now I will be quoted by my grandsons...unlikely, but I can dream can't I...

For a how to do the crown removal, see this post...

1st post...

2nd one...

RG

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  • 9 months later...

To remove the crown from the stem- Seat the stem boss into a pin vise, and with a bit of pressure, you can unthread the crown from the stem. Be careful- If the crown doesn't want to turn, don't force it, as you could snap the stem at the crown (leaving the broken half of the stem inside the crown). If you feel significant resistance, heat the stem up a bit where it mates at the crown- This will soften any glue present, and should help in the crown removal.

Best of luck...

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What if the crown is spring loaded on the stem. You can push the crown in and spin it freely. When the crown is is not pushed in, it is in the locked position and will spin with the stem.

To remove the crown from the stem- Seat the stem boss into a pin vise, and with a bit of pressure, you can unthread the crown from the stem. Be careful- If the crown doesn't want to turn, don't force it, as you could snap the stem at the crown (leaving the broken half of the stem inside the crown). If you feel significant resistance, heat the stem up a bit where it mates at the crown- This will soften any glue present, and should help in the crown removal.

Best of luck...

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@G on the other one you did, i have found that if the stem is just a touch too long then once it is fully in and screwd down then the movement will stop, Ziggy would be able to tell us what gears it was pushing on and causing this but it takes a couple of times to get the length right and if you a trimming one down always stat longe and work you way down. If you cut it too short you cant stretch it!!!!!!!!!!!

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