Broken Noobmariner - Crown fell out

[kenmasters]

Hi,

I bought a Noobmariner, originally from TK less than a year ago. I gave it to a friend and a week ago he says the crown fell out while he was adjusting it.

Is this a common problem ? How can I fix it myself ?

Thanks!

K

[freddy333]

If you have to ask, probably not.

Either the crown unscrewed from the stem (remove caseback, release stem, screw crown back onto stem, reinstall stem) or the stem broke (replace stem) or the stem release in the keyless works got bent & it can no longer lock the stem in the movement (disassemble the keyless works, find/fix the problem, reassemble). If you post a good, clear close-up pic of the part of inside of the crown, I can tell you more (refer to the 'Macro' section of your camera's manual).

[Ray T]

i tightened the crown too tightly on one of my other non noob watches and the tube snapped. quite rare i bet.

[kenmasters]

Ok, I'll have to take a closer look by opening up the case.

The stem is still attached to the crown. Broken stem ? worth fixing ?

[RJR]

PM sent

[RJR]

Ok, I'll have to take a closer look by opening up the case.

The stem is still attached to the crown. Broken stem ? worth fixing ?

Is it the entire stem and crown together? Or is it part of the stem with the crown attached? If it is the entire stem, the stem will taper down and look smaller on the end. If it is the same size with threads then it broke off. One thing you have to be very careful of when removing the stem is damaging the keyless works.

[alligoat]

I've gotten pretty good at screwing up the keyless works on the CN movements and I would guess that's probably the case in this situation. They seem to be much more delicate than the eta movements. Then you're faced with the old dilemna, paying $30-40 to fix a $10 movement. But I've had them fixed in the past and had good results after that.

[RJR]

I've gotten pretty good at screwing up the keyless works on the CN movements and I would guess that's probably the case in this situation. They seem to be much more delicate than the eta movements. Then you're faced with the old dilemna, paying $30-40 to fix a $10 movement. But I've had them fixed in the past and had good results after that.

Yea, if you push the release to hard it will mess up the KW. On the A21 you have to push very gently while pulling on the stem.

[kenmasters]

Got a pic.. looks like the stem did not snap off.. I'll open it up later this week to see if it'll go in. Is there a pictorial of how to do this on this forum somewhere? Thanks.

[freddy333]

Sorry to say this, but the stem did break. You will need to both get a replacement stem (julesborel, ofrei, cousinsuk, etc) & remove the broken end that is still probably in the clutch gear in the keyless works (though it is possible that the broken piece could have fallen out of the watch, you may still need to open it up to verify).

[alligoat]

I agree with Freddy, broken stem. I think a watchmaker would be in order, and you might have to buy a whole new movement- does Borel or Ofrei sell just chinese stems?? Good luck.

[kenmasters]

Crap.. what does a full stem suppose to look like ? I'm thinking its not worth it for a $100 watch.

[freddy333]

[alligoat]

Kinda a crap shoot. Buy a movement for say $25, and pay a watchmaker $30-40 to install it. Or just buy another watch...

[RJR]

Based on your pics you should be able to take the piece of the stem that is stuck in your keyless works out without taking the watch movment apart. You will need some tweezers to do it but most likley you should have enough exposed to get it out.

Who ever your friend is that you let borrow your watch owes you a repair bill. This could not break without him messing with the crown. Maybe he didnt damage the movment in the process. Does the watch still run at all?