zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

: "A crown is just a crown"..... While
: that is true, there's a lot more to it.

"a lot more" of what? Regardless of brand, crown is related to only 3 parts: crown, case tube, and watch stem.

For a diver watch, crown is spring loaded (so when you unscrew it, you got a little pop-out feel). There are screw threads on both the case tube and crown, so are called "screw down crown").

Then there is the watch stem (the stick goes into the watch). The stem is attached to the crown by threads. Watchmakers often apply Locktite (thread locker) to prevent the crown uncrew itself.

So, what's the similarity & difference between Rolex crown and Omegas? (we are comparing the divers)

Both Rolex and Omega have the same 3-part design. Actually, most other watches (if not all) have the same mechanism.

Both Rolex and Omega (actually any diver watches) have rubber inside the crown.

Rolex places 2 rubber o-rings onto the case tube. Plus the 1 rubber on the crown, we have 3 rubbers, thus called "triple lock".
Omega chooses to use longer thread (notice the length of the crown) instead of placing o-rings on the case tube.

Except the 2 o-rings, and crown length, there is not much difference. If someone put 1 more o-ring, it can be called "quadruple lock". A name is just marketing hype, not much substance in it.

: A crown is the weakest part of the watch.
Actually the weakest part of the watch in terms of water tightness is the rubber o-ring(including those on the case back), because it will degrade over time. Once the o-ring is aged, no matter how many o-rings are there, it won't be safe to go under water.

Whoese design is better? Neither are better than another. They are just engineering choices.

It
: also gives you 'feedback' of a watch's
: quality. Cheap autos wind with noise.
: Winding an Omega is a pleasure, the feeback
: is butta smooth and quiet. You should try it
: yourself!
The winding feel on ETA 2892-A2 is very similar(if not the same) to Omega 1120/2500. Are you refering to ETA 2824/2836 by "cheap autos"? Yeah, they seem a little stiffer. However, whatever the feel is, it has little to do with the crown, it's a movement thing.

After hearing a post about a crown
: actually falling off of a new Omega, and
: some posts about problems with setting the
: watch
The keyword is A Post, not a lot of incidents. I've owned many watches including about two dozen Omegas, and a couple of Rolexes, as well as many from other manufactures. Crown falling off is really really rare.

It's not a surprise at all. Remember, the crown is attached to the stem by threads and locked by Loctite. If the watchmaker didn't apply the thread locker carefully, it can easily unscrew itself (fell off). This could happen to a Rolex too because the design is the same.

, I think that crown design (not just
: the metal top of course though) is
: important.....
Again, not much about "design". Only 3 parts are related. That's why I said -- A crown is just a crown.