You must pay attention to the screw-in crown of your watch When playing in the water

I remember when I turned the screw-in crown for the first time, I didn't know how to turn this thing, I just thought it was so tight, it was really not easy to operate. Wouldn't it be nice to just pull it out? It's convenient and you don't have to worry about turning it bad. Of course, later learned that the screw-in crown is so important, it seems that it is not so troublesome to rotate.

Regarding the crown, this part is very important on the watch. It can not only adjust the time, but also manually replenish the mainspring if it is a mechanical watch. A very critical "external control movement system" is the only movement that directly communicates with the outside world. The connected parts are also a "weak point" of the entire watch, because if you forget to return the crown after operating it, it is easy for water or moist air to penetrate into the watch, which will damage the movement! Although the average watch has a waterproof performance of 30 meters, it is only "life waterproof" after all. Strictly speaking, it is not enough to resist liquids, let alone actually wear it to dive to 30 meters underwater. Therefore, someone invented a crown that can block water from entering the case, "screw-in crown"

As the name implies, the way to lock the screw-in crown is to rotate, a bit like the cap of a bottled drink, but before turning it, you need to press the crown against the case with a little force. This design can make the case very good. It is sealed (just like the cap of a beverage bottle, the liquid cannot flow out or seep in), of course, this does not mean that a watch with a screw-in crown can be worn for swimming and diving. We also need to look at its overall waterproof design, including the bottom cover, watch mirror, etc., to refer to the waterproof parameters of this watch.

In fact, the biggest advantage is that it is waterproof. In that very humid environment, if the crown does not have a screw-in structure, it is inevitable that humid air will infiltrate in a humid environment for a long time, which will cause certain damage to the movement. With the screw-in crown, even if it is not worn for swimming, at least in the case of normal wearing, the safety of the watch can be improved.

In addition to the screw-in crown, watches that emphasize waterproof performance will also add shoulder guards or bridges around the crown to provide a more solid protection effect. The structure of the screw-in crown.

The crown of the waterproof watch will adopt a screw-in design, which is very important for waterproof protection. Because for a watch, the most likely place for water to enter is the crown gap, and only here will it need to be opened and operated from time to time. The crown is divided into push-type and screw-in type. The push-type is to press and return after the operation. Generally speaking, this kind of crown has no waterproof ability at all, and it cannot form a seal and squeeze on the crown, so the moisture is smooth. It is easy to break into the case with the crown and its opening. The screw-in crown is designed to overcome the congenital defects of the crown. The screw-in type is to rotate and lock the crown after pressing it back. This will squeeze and seal the waterproof rubber ring, which is very waterproof. ability.

When it comes to the waterproof performance of watches, we all know that there are waterproof watches with various performances, such as 50 meters, 100 meters, 300 meters, 600 meters and even thousands of meters, etc., but it is not that the better the waterproof performance of the watch, the better. The Patek Philippe 5270P, which is worth hundreds of thousands, is only 30 meters waterproof.

Although the current watch is designed with a sealing rubber ring in the groove on the bottom cover, it can prevent moisture or dust from entering the inside of the case to a certain extent, but it is only a basic barrier function. If the watch does not indicate waterproof performance or If it is only indicated that the life is waterproof, it is better to touch the water as little as possible. This is because the external structure of this watch is still different in the design of waterproof performance, so we may think that a watch is a watch, why sometimes their waterproof ability There will be so much difference, mainly because of the "structure" that is not necessarily visible on the surface of the watch.

The key component of a waterproof case: the crystal

Let's take a look at the characteristics of waterproof watches. Are the external structure and design elements of a watch related to water resistance? Of course, the overall design of the case will have an impact, but the most important waterproof design is still concentrated on the mirror glass, the bottom cover and the crown we just mentioned above, and of course the shell design of the case. The case of diving watches with deep water resistance is relatively thick, and we generally classify them as sports watches. This is because the parts we mentioned above need to be more "heavy" than ordinary parts in order to have a certain waterproof ability. The mirror surface is mostly made of sapphire crystal, which is very hard and does not have any fine gaps. As the first line of defense when the watch is underwater, its importance is self-evident.

From the picture above, we can see that there is a small black waterproof rubber ring in the middle of the crown stem.

The screw-in bottom cover usually sees corners or concave holes that can be rotated to open and close, which is different from the smooth and flat lines of the press-in bottom cover. Usually, the screw-in bottom cover is equipped with a waterproof performance of 300 meters or more.

As for the screw-in bottom cover, the principle is similar to that of the crown. First, the structure of the case is improved so that the bottom cover can be screwed and locked into the case, and a soft rubber gasket is added around it to flexibly seal the gap under pressure. Generally speaking Compared with the press-fit bottom cover, the screw-in design can provide a longer-lasting and very tight waterproof effect. This waterproof performance allows the watch to not only wash your hands, touch the water when it rains, but also wear it for swimming or snorkeling. It can be easily dealt with. For non-professional divers, this waterproof effect is sufficient in various life situations.

Of course, a diving watch in the true sense will never design the case back to be made of glass. After all, glass is much different than solid metal. Rolex's water ghost series and Omega's deep diving watches rarely have a transparent bottom cover (Omega's new Planet Ocean Ultra Deep watch launched this year provides a new watch with a waterproof performance of up to 6000 meters, but the bottom cover is made of transparent glass, which After all, it is a minority and also increases the thickness of the case). But some brands have compromised in order to allow consumers to appreciate the internal movement structure, and the water resistance has been greatly reduced.