I Assume Crowns Are Movement Specific?

[Doofus]

I rather fancy this:

But I don't think I can live with the crown, as I wear my watches fairly loose. I know it should be an easy swap, but I guess I'd need to confirm what movement the watch has before finding a replacement crown.

Where might I find a replacement crown?

[Doofus]

Ok, let me try it another way:

Do any of you have a balloon/onion crown watch, and is it a pain or not?

TIA

[tertius]

A quick Google suggests they have Chinese (DG28) movements. I'd guess that changing the crown would be a trivial job. The problem would be finding one that suited the case. I'd expect a competent watchmaker to be able to do it though.

[Doofus]

Hmm.. Thinks.

Thanks for that. I'll do some searching.

[glazbagun]

Yeah, fitting will depend on the thread diamater and the type of tube the stem sits in. A watch repairer will likely have boxes of generic crowns & is bound to have something that will fit, though the black colour is pretty unusual, most generic sets I've seen only have silver/gold.

[CommanderJameson]

Doofus said:

Ok, let me try it another way:

Do any of you have a balloon/onion crown watch, and is it a pain or not?

TIA

I have a CW C8 Pilot, like this:



and I don't think it's a pain, but then I don't wear my watch over my wristbone, but rather a half-inch or so further up my arm. If you wear it gangsta-style, with lots of slop in the strap, then yes, I can imagine it being annoying.

[Doofus]

CommanderJameson said:

If you wear it gangsta-style

Cheers for that I don't have "lots of slop", but I can get the tip of my right index finger under the strap.

[ShadownINja]

Perhaps a wacky solution but you could always get someone to flip the movement and everything else round so it becomes a left handed watch.

[Doofus]

ShadownINja said:

Perhaps a wacky solution but you could always get someone to flip the movement and everything else round so it becomes a left handed watch.

I like the idea. Now all I need to do is find a lefty date wheel for this movement, rather than a different crown...

Rock and hard place?

[CommanderJameson]

Try a watch like a Monster, with its crown at 4 o'clock?

[Stuart]

I think you'll struggle with any watch which apes the Flieger style like the one you've chosen. They all have large crowns because the original watches were designed to be worn by airmen - thus the bigger face, triangle at 12 o'clock, luminescence and large crown were there so that the watch could be visible inside a dark cockpit and at any orientation, and be wound up whilst wearing thick gloves.

As someone else said, for the effort you'd need to go to, I'd just choose a different watch.

[Doofus]

CommanderJameson said:

Try a watch like a Monster, with its crown at 4 o'clock?

Do you mean a Seiko Monster?

I really don't like them at all

Besides, they don't look anything like the above.

[ShadownINja]

Doofus said:

ShadownINja said:

Perhaps a wacky solution but you could always get someone to flip the movement and everything else round so it becomes a left handed watch.

I like the idea. Now all I need to do is find a lefty date wheel for this movement, rather than a different crown...

Rock and hard place?

Oops. Didn't see the date wheel.

[CommanderJameson]

Doofus said:

CommanderJameson said:

Try a watch like a Monster, with its crown at 4 o'clock?

Do you mean a Seiko Monster?

I really don't like them at all

Besides, they don't look anything like the above.

I'm sure there are flieger-style watches with crowns at 4 o'clock.

[Doofus]

CommanderJameson said:

I'm sure there are flieger-style watches with crowns at 4 o'clock.

And I'm sure you're right. But it's not the flieger bit I like, it's the blue markers.

[tertius]

Doofus said:

CommanderJameson said:

I'm sure there are flieger-style watches with crowns at 4 o'clock.

And I'm sure you're right. But it's not the flieger bit I like, it's the blue markers.

Have you looked at Glycine? Pretty sure they do a similar style with blue markers.

[Doofus]

Yeah, but not for fifty quid. I don't like it that much

Edited by Doofus on Friday 2nd April 12:17