What is the easy way to replace a crown I have a elgin 7 jewel,grade 580,military ORD wrist watch in a snap back nonewaterproof case with wrong crown I have the correct one and would like to replace it.If any one can tell me the best way and the right tools to use it looks like it would not be hard to do.

Here is a photo of watch I got a repair manual on it but you have to take it all apart there must me a better way of doing it with out taking the stem out.
Thanks Mike

Mike...With all due respect, if you really care about this watch I suggest you let someone who has some experience do this for you. There are millions of watch movements out there to practice honing skills on if you are interested in doing this type of work. There are also thousands of specialized tools for the watchmaking trade. I fear this will turn out badly for you if you attempt it yourself with no prior experience or knowledge.

Roger

Mike

I agree with Roger but if your curious the crown maybe attached with a detent-stem system, a junk Elgin military wrist watch I have is made this way. If you search for detent stem on this site you will find advice on how to loosen the screw to remove the crown.

Below is a photo of my Elgin, the screw holds a plate under the dial that keeps the stem in place, but you need to read about the hazards of going to far with this.

Tom

Hi Mike,

I would like to add to Toms & Rogers comments, without sounding like a grumpy old watchmaker, but currently I seem to be spending 50% of my time correcting past errors some irreversible I have had 3 once quality pocket watch arrive beyond repair this week or should I say made ready for a quick profit on ebay. By the time they get to me the period of recourse has long since passed. Recently I have people getting them sent direct to me from ebay now so a inspection can be done immediately, this seem to be working well and the buyer telling the seller it is going to a watchmaker for immediate inspection has flushed out a few rogues so far with all kind of interesting ebay seller/potential buyer discussions. A stumble point is the confirmed address of course but still can be redirected quickly in time.

Well I digress crown replacement is a simple job, You will need a casing cushion, the correct case opener to prevent damaging to the case back, a selection of screwdrivers, pin vice, rodico, correct size crown of course, the correct lubricant for the crown and case back, crown gauge would be nice if you need to make adjustments there is a long list of tools to add and of course in any water resistance is to be verified a long procedure.

We are also assuming that the stem is correct length for the new crown as the person who fitted the oversize crown , may well have hacked a bit off to fit the new one there is a long list of things that I have seen done to make incorrect crowns fit and of course glue!.

You simply slacken the detent screw (while is set position to hold the clutch and bevel pinion together), testing to see if the crown is released, slide out if it doesn’t come out easily don’t keep unscrewing the detent screw it will fall off and you will now need to remove the hands and dial, once crown stem removed, hold stem in your pin vice or lathe (not pliers) and unscrew the crown, assuming a 1 to 1 exchange screw on and reverse the above, don’t forget to lube to seals, gently tighten the detent making sure it catches the detent slot if not you may tear the threads out of the detent as it tightens at a angle. of course one slip with the driver and you could destroy/mark the movement, and dust dirt getting in may result in needing a full service.

Thanks Chris and other member's for the info.

Here is how it look's with the right crown.