Whether your watch crown was broken off or simply disappeared one day, you don’t have to throw your favorite watch away just because it is gone. Use this guide to learn how to measure a dustproof watch crown without the crown so you can order a replacement and keep wearing your favorite watch.
You can tell that your watch crown is a dustproof one by checking on the watch case for a stamp of “water resistant” or “waterproof”. Watches without this marking will have a dustproof crown. These watch crowns will also be lacking the case tubes you see on watch cases with waterproof crowns. But since case tubes can fall out of waterproof watches, you should always check the watch case to see if it is marked as water resistant or waterproof as well.
Tools Needed:
- A digital gauge
- And a notepad and pen
Step 1
The first thing you will need to do is determine the diameter of the missing watch crown. To do this you will need the watch case and your digital gauge. Hold the watch case in you hand so that the hole where the crown used to be is clearly visible and easily accessible. You should be able to see a small cut out or indent around the hole for the watch stem where the crown would sit. This is the diameter you will measure.
Take your digital gauge and position the backward opening jaws inside the indent. Open them until they stretch snugly from one edge of the indent to the other.
OR
You can use the regular jaws of your digital gauge to measure for the crown size. Simply open the jaws wider than the indent in the metal watch case where the crown would normally sit, then close the jaws until the rest at the outside edges of the indent. If you choose to use this method, be very careful since you are estimating where the indent edges are and your digital gauge jaws will not catch against them.
No matter which method you choose, be sure to repeat this measurement a few times to ensure you have an accurate result and then record the diameter on your notepad.
Step 2
The last measurement you will need will be to find the tap size of the crown. To do this, you will need to remove the watch stem from the watch case and movement. For help doing this, please check out these links:
Step 3
Once you have removed the stem of the watch, take your digital gauge and use it to measure the outside diameter at the threaded end portion of the stem. Again, close the jaws around the end of the watch stem until they grip the metal closely.
If the stem has been damaged and you cannot measure the threaded portion, you can use the movement number on the movement itself to look up the correct size stem and tap for the watch.
Record the measurement of the tap size. Sometimes the tap size is not always listed in millimeters, to convert your millimeter measurement to the correct tap size, check out this conversion chart.
Step 4
Once you have all three measurements in hand you are ready to order your new dustproof watch crown. All you have left to do is decide if you want a white or yellow crown to match your watch case, and if you want the crown to be flat or domed.
Finished
With all your measurements and styles in mind, you can order your new watch crown here! Or, to learn more about removing, replacing, or measuring watch crowns, visit our Learning Center today!
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