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Is screw-down crown necessary for waterproof watch?


cubancurl

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I know this forum is about replicas but there are so many watch experts on this forum and right now I need one.

Just received my Invicta limited edition pro diver ladies watch. Sooooo beautiful, it's the closest I've found to the Rolex Submariner with the blue dial.

Anyway, on the watch is states 'water risistant 200m' so I know I can at least shower with it or swim on the beach shore. When I pulled out the crown, it easily pulled out, I didn't have to unscrew it like most dive watches. I thought this was a defect and I was so disappointed especially after reading that invicta watches do have issues sometime. I looked through it's paperwork and found a phone number to call if I had problems with the watch. I called and spoke with a gentleman who said that even though most of the dive watches do have screwdown crowns, this watch model 1513 does not have a screwdown. I asked him if it was necessary for a 'waterproof' watch to have a screwdown and he said this watch had a different mechanism/gasket inside and the water would not come in.

Well, are there any watch experts that could colaborate with that. I know this is not a real 'dive watch, ' but I want to know it won't leak if I use it swimming.

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I agree, if you think about it, having a screw down with no gasket would definitely leak because it is the rubber gasket that makes the seal, not the threads. The threaded crown only provides pressure on the gasket to maintain that seal. I assume that Invicta has built some kind of mechanical lock using multiple gaskets that allows them to not use the threaded crown.

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My Breitling Hercules is a push down crown...

The Watch is a chrono as well...

It's been diving to 60 feet...

Water Skiing...

And spent countless hours floating in a pool while its owner sucked on Toddy's... B)

I've had it for going on 8 years and never once a problem...

Double T

breitlinghercules6841lbe1.jpg

.

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Everyone gather 'round: Group hug!!! :wub:

Thank you for taking the time to reply with your knowledge. I was going to return the watch because it didn't have a screw down, now I see it doesn't matter and your replies make sense. My replica Chanel J12 was a screw down crown and it wasn't even splash-proof. :o

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Like everyone said you ought to be okay. DON'T wind it while underwater, and get those crown stem gaskets checked every couple years. Welcome to the forum!

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Hey CubanCurl...

A few of my modern and vintage Omegas have push in crowns and are water resistant (Vintages are good for around 100 ft and the modern ones are good for around 300ft). As others have said; just make sure to get those gaskets checked and greased every 2-3 years if you're just wearing it around and every year if you plan to dive/swim frequently.

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I have a gen Ebel 1911 and it doesn't have a srew down crown but it's 100% waterproof.

One thing is essential during swimming or showering DON'T turn or move the crown.

Carpe Diem

Cats

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  • 8 years later...
On 07/10/2008 at 5:55 PM, cubancurl said:

I know this forum is about replicas but there are so many watch experts on this forum and right now I need one.

 

Just received my Invicta limited edition pro diver ladies watch. Sooooo beautiful, it's the closest I've found to the Rolex Submariner with the blue dial.

 

Anyway, on the watch is states 'water risistant 200m' so I know I can at least shower with it or swim on the beach shore. When I pulled out the crown, it easily pulled out, I didn't have to unscrew it like most dive watches. I thought this was a defect and I was so disappointed especially after reading that invicta watches do have issues sometime. I looked through it's paperwork and found a phone number to call if I had problems with the watch. I called and spoke with a gentleman who said that even though most of the dive watches do have screwdown crowns, this watch model 1513 does not have a screwdown. I asked him if it was necessary for a 'waterproof' watch to have a screwdown and he said this watch had a different mechanism/gasket inside and the water would not come in.

 

Well, are there any watch experts that could colaborate with that. I know this is not a real 'dive watch, ' but I want to know it won't leak if I use it swimming.

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Well, although Invicta makes beautiful watches - and Im sorry to say that - the quality isnt there. cheap 100m water resistant Seiko watch will probably have a better water resitance than 200m water restiance Invicta. I have never seen a quality watch with 200m water resistance without a screw-down crown (and Invicta achieved it???). It is cheaper and much more better to make a screw-down crown to achieve water resistance than a 'strong' gasket. your Invicta will have a decent water resistance but I wouldnt trust the water resistance in water, even just swimming.

 

If a watch has 100m water resistance, it should withstand a pressure equivalent of 100m depth. if you swim - and therefore move around - the pressure on the water resistance increases massively. I wouldnt go to water with a watch without a screw-down crown.

 

Another important thing. the water resistance might not be a problem when the watch is new and the gasket is unworn, but the more often you pull the crown out to wind up the watch or set up the time/date, the more you wear out the gasket. the tightness of the gasket decreases with time as well, so with time the water resistance gets a bit worse.

and lastly, do you trust Invicta to test their watches so they can guarantee 200m water resistance without a screw-down crown? I wouldnt. 200m is a great depth / pressure. Rolex Submariner (with a screw-down crown) has rated 200m water resistance.

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Well, although Invicta makes beautiful watches - and Im sorry to say that - the quality isnt there. cheap 100m water resistant Seiko watch will probably have a better water resitance than 200m water restiance Invicta. I have never seen a quality watch with 200m water resistance without a screw-down crown (and Invicta achieved it???). It is cheaper and much more better to make a screw-down crown to achieve water resistance than a 'strong' gasket. your Invicta will have a decent water resistance but I wouldnt trust the water resistance in water, even just swimming.
 
If a watch has 100m water resistance, it should withstand a pressure equivalent of 100m depth. if you swim - and therefore move around - the pressure on the water resistance increases massively. I wouldnt go to water with a watch without a screw-down crown.
 
Another important thing. the water resistance might not be a problem when the watch is new and the gasket is unworn, but the more often you pull the crown out to wind up the watch or set up the time/date, the more you wear out the gasket. the tightness of the gasket decreases with time as well, so with time the water resistance gets a bit worse.
and lastly, do you trust Invicta to test their watches so they can guarantee 200m water resistance without a screw-down crown? I wouldnt. 200m is a great depth / pressure. Rolex Submariner (with a screw-down crown) has rated 200m water resistance.


Bah...nonsens...sorry to say that but that's just the same what every unexperienced watch noob on most of the watch fora says about watches and their waterproof rating.

1. There's no massive increase of pressure once you move your watch under water...at uhrforum.de there was one geek who tested it (theoratically as well as physical)...just nonsens. Pressure is slightly higher but only on the exposed parts what makes the watch even more waterproof.

2. These companies want to make money. The don't want you to use your up to 30m rated watch for swimming for example...better buy another watch which is rated 100m or above. So there are these DIN and lists and stuff that tell us that a 30m rated watch is good for washing your hands, 50m can be worn while taking a shower, 100m while swimming and only all above for diving.

Back in my younger days I had lots of swatch. They all where rated 30m and I did everything with them...jumping from 10m, diving to 7m, swimming hours and hours...none of them ever got wet inside.
My watchmaker today pressure tests most of my watches to 6atm, some to 10atm which means 60m or 100m in depth rate. None of these watches ever got wet inside!

So when a Company sells a watch that is rated 200m waterproof you can do whatever you like (in- and underwater of course ;) ) with that watch. If the watch is getting wet inside the QC was bad but not the crown system. And...you are covered by the guarantee... :)

Sent from my wooden drums via Tupperware

Uhhh...I got traped by a grave digger...that thread is 8 years old...quick...gimme a beer...need something to wipe away the odor of death... ;)

Sent from my wooden drums via Tupperware

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Zodiac Sea Wolfs didn't have screw down crowns and were wr to 100 meters. I have 3 Gruen Swiss watched wr to 100 meters. I have several other watches without screw down crowns wr to 165 ft. Many 60s era divers watches didn't have screw down crowns and had 100 to 300 meter wr.

Screw down crowns were started, I believe, by Rolex and were copied by other brands later. Were they needed? With the number of decent depth rated watches without them I would think not. It is as much a marketing gimmick as anything else.

On a side note...many here have talked about the need for a rubber O-ring gasket. One of the most waterproof (not merely water resistant) watches ever made was the Mido. Mido used a lead caseback gasket which is much better than rubber. It won't tear and seals perfectly. The stem gasket was cork. The neat thing about a cork gasket is that oce moisture touches it it begins to swell creating an even tighter seal. Mide was listed as "waterproof" when other watches had to say :water Resistant" All Mido watches, even dress watches, held the waterproof seal.

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One of the benefits of a screwdown crown is once it's closed, you can't accidentally bump it or turn it underwater and compromise the seal. It holds everything in place until you unscrew it again.

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Crown guards are almost a separate issue. The crown on my Nastymariner is so dented it won't seal anymore, and that's with crown guards. Imagine the damage it would have got without them! It probably would have been broken clean off.

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Yeah, crownguards are certainly not really meant for waterproofness unless you go smacking your watch against something underwater and sheer the crown off (which definitely can happen, my grandfather did it numerous times with him old omega on building sites).

As for screw-down vs non-screw-down, I usually just use screw down (oysters) but there are plenty of watches without. Just don't go playing around with the crown underwater and you should be fine.

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