Rolex GMT 1675 stops , crown comes out.

[chriz74]

Hello. I'm experiencing this new problem on my Rolex GMT 1675. The watch was serviced less than two years ago. I leave it on a watchwinder most of the time, I barely use it. Recently I noticed the watch stopped running on the winder so I unscrewed the crown to set the time and to wind it but when I pulled it to setting position it came off, without the stem. I put it back, played a bit and it locked again on the stem. Today the same thing happened. Yesterday I used the watch the whole day. This morning I found it stopped at 12.01 circa. Unscrewed the crown and same thing happened, it came off. I put it back again. I'm wondering why this behavior. I ordered a Rolex case opener so that I can look inside. Any advice on this problem anyone?

Thanks

Edited April 30, 2016 by chriz74

[chriz74]

By looking at this picture it seems that when it comes off the last part stays screwed on the stem, the smaller tube. The rest comes off. 

[Andyclient]

looks like the crown has simply come unscrewed from the stem , open her up remove the stem screw back on tightly with a drop of loctite and that part should be done , the stopping bit might be a bit trickier 

[clockboy]

The stopping issue I expect will be the auto side of the movement. I have the same issue with my Rolex 3135 but have not had time to investigate however it runs great providing I remember to give it a manual wind now & again.

As Andy suggests a touch of loctite should do the trick with the stem.

[bobm12]

But not the Loctite glue but the Loctite thread locker, usually number 222!

[SSTEEL]

5 hours ago, chriz74 said:

By looking at this picture it seems that when it comes off the last part stays screwed on the stem, the smaller tube. The rest comes off. 

 

Creown Clutch Chamber by Micky Aldridge, on Flickr

Edited April 30, 2016 by SSTEEL

[chriz74]

That's what I thought. Probably that spring was lost the first time the crown came off (and fell into the ground)

[bobm12]

can you repair it using a spring, say, from a spring bar? Just saying....

[SSTEEL]

Its possible, but you need to crimp it back in place with great care, I to this day can't find the correct tool to do this, so have to do it manually with a small pair of pliers.

[chriz74]

I stand corrected. The spring is still there. There is spring action when unscrewing the crown. The watch is running till yesterday, I have to understand why the crown detaches from the clutch some times. 

[SSTEEL]

You need to carefully extract the stem to repair the clutch mech, also using a good quality pin vice, and small flat pliers, you should be able to get it sorted, you could use a tiny amount of adhesive to be sure, but don't use too much otherwise you will lose the clutch functionality.

[anilv]

Hi Chriz,

You mentioned that you usually have the watch on a winder. How often do you set it to wind? 

My view is that if the watch is running constantly what you're doing is putting unnecessary miles on it. .. a watch is a mechanical device and like anything with moving parts...it will wear.

I could understand if it was a perpetual calendar with all the bells and whistles as these are a pain to set correctly but for most watches storage in a sealed container and a wind every few months should be sufficient.

Bear in mind Rolex autowind stuff (pivot post especially, reverser wheels not so much) need replacing every few years and original parts are getting hard to source unless you go to Rolex!

As for the crown, you may try recrimping the crown but you need to solve the underlying problem as to why it stops. A properly serviced Rolex should go for more than 2 years before it needs servicing.

Anil 

[clockboy]

Its to get a better assessment of the regulation & to check that the auto-wind is working correctly. I don,t think running a Rolex on a watch winder for a couple of days will make a lot of difference to it,s life.

[chadders1966]

The OP specifically stated the watch is on a winder most of the time, not just for checking. I agree with Anil that for most watches this is unnecessary and can be a cause of premature wear of parts. I do have a very nice walnut watch winder myself, which these days is used as a large display case, it's never switched on.

Stephen

[Ducati2242]

Premature wear . If it were on your wrist it would be working all the time . Thats whats meant to happen. I keep my breitlings on a winder and i'll be surprised if they don't outlast me . I won't care after that.

[chadders1966]

The point is it isn't on your wrist, so why put wear on the autowind parts? In the OPs case (and mine for most of my watches, particularly the valuable ones) the watch is worn very little but the wear on these parts will be the same as if it is worn all the time. Even the best autowind parts have a limited life span because of the constant movement and associated wear.

As you say your watches will certainly outlast you (I have cheap Timex autos going strong that are as old as me, and I'm not young) but the autowind parts won't, even less so if used constantly.

I suppose it wouldn't matter if you always pay for an official service as these parts will probably be replaced automatically and are already covered in the cost. However I intend to service my own watches and would rather not have the expense, and even more so these days the trouble/difficulty, of having to replace parts unnecessarily.

These are the reasons why I have gone from using an eight watch winder and rotating all my automatic watches on in the past to not doing so now. Obviously others may choose to do things differently.

 

Stephen

[SSTEEL]

I agree about winders, they are simply marketed towards those with too much more, and no common sense.  Would you leave your car engine running all the time its parked up in the garage? No, rest my case.

[chriz74]

The question is: what happens if you have a watch serviced then put it in a box and never use it for let's say 10 years? Because that is what I did in the past and what happened was that these watches had to be serviced again as they all dried. The Rolex of the subject is 46 years old, I have it since 2004 and used it very little in 12 years. It's been on a winder for 2 years now. In 2004 it was serviced at Rolex and 2 years ago at an indipendent wm.

Edited May 3, 2016 by chriz74

[chadders1966]

Hi,

Sorry to have taken your post off topic. I recently came across an article on this subject that explains it better than I can, and is written by someone who knows a heck of a lot more about watches than me: http://watchguy.co.uk/should-i-leave-my-watch-on-an-autowinder-when-im-not-wearing-it/

With regards to your question you can do as Anil suggests and put the watch away (I don't, I keep mine in a cabinet) and then wind it or wear it occasionally. You could even give it a day on the winder if you prefer - if you did that one day every month or two months you would still be putting a lot less wear than doing it 24 hours a day.

Bear in mind that I am approaching this as someone happy to (try to anyway) service my own watches and if the oil really has dried up I'd much rather clean and oil again than have to replace parts.

 

Stephen

[Ducati2242]

Or theres another opinion.  http://breitlingsource.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=23867

[chriz74]

Today I will get the case wrench and will be able to remove the stem and post detailed pictures of the situation.

[chriz74]

So, here's the thing, ther clutch chamber is coming off with the stem as SSTEEL suggested. I could lock the crown again on the clutch by rotating it a little but it will come off again if it is rotated again so I believe either the clutch part ha worn or the inside part of the crown where the clutch goes is worn and won't hold the clutch. I think I will need a new crown.

As for stopping could it be when the clutch splits from the crown the stem will be pushed inside the watch more and causing this behavior? Now I reassambled the watch, set and wound it. I put it on the winder let's see if it will stop again.

 

[Andyclient]

Yes, you really need a new crown from that pic, thought initially from the first pic that it had come unwound from the stem , not come apart :-)

Edited May 4, 2016 by Andyclient

[chriz74]

New problem: how do I unscrew the piece of the crown that stays on the stem without ruining it (the stem)? Two vices?

[Andyclient]

3 minutes ago, chriz74 said:

New problem: how do I unscrew the piece of the crown that stays on the stem without ruining it (the stem)? Two vices?

ideally hold the stem in a pin vice , you could remove the remains of the crown then with pliers