Triplock Comparison (for those contemplating mods)

[freddy333]

I came across a few pics I took of one of my Daytona 1165xx's that show the difference between the rep Triplock crown that these (and many other Rolex rep) watches come with and the genuine Triplock crown (and tube, which you cannot see) I installed in its place. I thought others might be curious to see how both compare to the Triplock crown as fitted to the Daytona 116509 on Rolex.com. Hopefully this little review-let will be useful to anyone that may be wondering if a crown swap is worth the time, effort and expense (it is).

What you cannot see from the pics is that the teeth on the gen crown are much sharper and more clearly defined than on the rep crown. So not only does the gen crown look more defined, but it feels more substantial between your thumb and finger when you turn it. And since the threads on the gen or (Swiss-made) after market crown tubes are also more substantial, the crown feels much smoother when you twist it and the threads should last alot longer too.

[yt74]

Thanks, that was useful!

[ubiquitous]

A few more...

As freddy333 pointed out, the coronet and triplock stampings on the exterior of the crown are more defined and sharp/precise-

But, the other characteristics that will identify a genuine 703 Triplock are:

1) The opening of the crown where it fits over the tube- The genuine Triplock tube is quite large at the base diameter where the gasket sits.

As such, the crown has to have an opening large enough to accomodate. This picture shows just how large the opening is-

***Note that the opening starts at the base of the bevel- Rep crowns use smaller diameter tubes and hence require a crown with a smaller diameter opening. You'd see the crown's bevel and then a flat edge at the base before the opening...

Here is a comparison... See the difference?

2) The 'cut' of the ridges are much more defined on a genuine crown, and the profile is typically much shorter on the gen as well (rep crowns are too 'tall'). Compare these pics...

In this pic, notice how flat the tops of the crown ridges are.

Same watch (after mods)... Now with a gen crown-

Nice, sharp, pointy ridges...

And, as freddy mentioned, the feel of the crown is much better as well. Much smoother when unthreading from the tube... Much more confidence inspiring...

[HauteHippie]

Here's my gen triplock, and please ignore the smudges on the side of the case

[freddy333]

The Triplocks originally fitted to Subs and Sea Dwellers appear to be slightly different from those Rolex installs on recent Daytonas. As you can see in the pics of Daytona Triplocks (in my original post), the 3 dots appear to 'float' about half way between the bottom of the coronet and the edge of the crown face. But the dots on the Triplocks intended for Subs and Sea Dwellers are located closer to the coronet and spaced further apart from each other. Here is a scan from page 325 of 'The Best of Time: Rolex Wristwatches' (2nd Edition) by Dowling & Hess describing some of the differences

Based on the information in the book and more online research, I selected this same version of the Triplock for my WM DRSD

If you compare this crown with the Daytona crown from my original post, I think you will see the difference.

Although this version of the Triplock with the closer (and wider spaced) dots is what Rolex fitted at the factory, I have seen many gens with the Daytona style Triplock. So I think Rolex may be fitting either version during servicing, depending on what they have in stock at the time.

I want to add to what Ubi said about the profile of the gen Triplock being shorter. This is actually quite an important point because when the watch is viewed from the front, which is the way most watches are photographed, you can always tell a rep watch from a gen by the width of its Triplock crown (the rep crowns are too wide). Once you can spot the difference, the width of the crown becomes one of the first things you notice about a watch and this makes it easy to spot a rep (and harder to verify a gen if you are looking at a good rep with a gen Triplock).

[ubiquitous]

The vintage Triplock 703 (like this):

Have been fitted to watches up until the early 90's, when they were phased out with the smaller coronet/tighter dot pattened crowns. So, that's why some 16520's have the same crown, while others don't.

For what it's worth, RSC replaces with the new style small coronet version.

[freddy333]

That makes sense, Randy. The Daytonas I was referring to in my original post are the current 1165xx models, not the out of production 165xx versions, which would have had the earlier Triplock.

[leatherback]

THANK YOU! I posted this question on the other forum but THIS is exactly what I needed to know. I needed to know which was the correct crown for my 16800 project and if the other was correct for a 1680.

I have this one on my more modern TW best sub project just because it was new. It is beautiful but know I know it is incorrect:

But I also still have one of this type crown that I got used. It is difficult to see in this pic but has the shorter wider coronet:

I have a MBW 1680 on the way from TTK and I am VERY happy to know that I already have the crown for it! That is ONE LESS thing I will have to lay out funds for in it's modification.

[freddy333]

Here is a comparison... See the difference?

Someone just asked me what the difference is between the two crowns in Ubi's pic, so I thought I would try to clarify this a bit more.

It may be difficult to see, but the diameter of the shaft that runs up from the inside of each crown is slightly different (the shaft in the gen crown (on left) is a bit wider). Anyone who has ever tried to fit a gen Triplock crown onto a rep crown tube (the tube that comes fitted in a Rolex rep watch) knows that the inner shaft of the gen crown will not fit into the hole in the rep crown tube. And this is one of the reasons that modders need to replace the crown tube when fitting a gen crown to a rep watch.

You can also very clearly see the difference in definition (sharpness) of the gen crown's 'teeth' compared to the rep's almost rounded edges (great photo, Ubi). A gen Triplock in new or mint condition can sometimes be almost painful to wind for any length of time. Also, the short, smaller diameter shaft that fits into the end of the shaft is spring-loaded (this is what gives the crown its springy resistance when you press and screw it into the case). The spring is a bit more robust in gen crowns.

[ubiquitous]

Actually, the difference I was trying to point out here was the size of the opening in the crown. The gen has a much larger inner diameter, whereas the rep has a smaller diameter (note the arrow pointing to a flat top surface at the base- The genuine crown doesn't have this, but rather angles/bevels in).

Also... If you look closely at the threads, the difference in quality is very easy to see.

The size of the shaft for the stem is different between the two because the tube diameters are different (on both O.D. and I.D.). The rep tube is smaller to match the rep crown having that smaller I.D. opening. Because of this, it is impossible to fit a gen crown onto a rep tube and hence why the pair has to be upgraded at once.

I tried cleaning the pic up a bit to hopefully show this a little better. Since I'm at the office, I have to rely on the use of old pics instead of being able to snap new ones...

[thewightstuff]

that extract from the D&H book is nonsense.

twinlock only on the 5512 and until 1958?, early prototype triplock even though the tube for this crown was still twinlock!!!!!

what was used on the watches inbetween then?

twinlock was standard until replaced by triplock 701 in 1971. this had an extra shoulder on the tube to seal inside the now deeper crown but no external oring on the tube. the 701 was upgraded to 702 with the change being a tool fitting inside the crown tube and the crown having a slightly smaller stem shoulder to allow it to pass through.

this was then replaced by the 703 we all see today and saw the intorduction of the external oring.

Edited May 10, 2007 by thewightstuff