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What to do about worn Timex crowns

RichJensen

By RichJensen
in Watch Repairs Help & Advice

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RichJensen Member

RichJensen

Posted
Posted

Having gotten my Timex model 27 up and running, I've got another hitch both with this watch and two others that were straightforward clean/oil jobs:

The crowns have been worn almost smooth and unfortunately Timex crowns do not appear to be screwed onto the stems. I'm not sure how they were fitted to the stems and Google is not particularly helpful when it comes to removing and replacing them.

I've kicked around the idea of using either a needle file or a blade to cut new grooves, as this would keep me from having to make sure that the stem still seats properly with a replacement crown, but I'm not overly fond of this approach either.

 

watchweasol Distinguished Member

watchweasol

Posted
Posted

As Stated by OH  they are pressed on and as such are replaced complete.  One way to make them serviceable  is to fit in a lathe and knurl them. Not exactly PC but will most likely breath a bit more life into them.

HectorLooi Distinguished Member

HectorLooi

Posted
Posted

NOS stems and donor watches are getting increasingly harder to find. 

I've been toying with the idea of removing the old crown and cutting threads on the stem to fit an OEM crown.

One day I'll get down to doing it.

Right now I have an Accutron crown that sticks out by a little more that a millimeter. Obviously it doesn't belong to this case. And it's also a pressed on crown. Hmmm... 😏

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GregG WRT Addict

GregG

Posted
Posted

Unfortunately, Timex crowns are press fit onto the stems, so there's really no way of cleanly removing and replacing them. I've toyed with the idea of pulling it off, milling out a regular crown and pressing a new one on, but i choose to just buy used Timexes with good crowns to service.

You can find NOS boxes of stems and crowns on eBay, but you have to find the exact one you need, and you need the service manual to find which one you need. I'm sure someone here has the manual in order to help you out.

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