Is this normal after servicing??

[Juvenal]

Hello! Sorry cause my English is not good...

I had my GMT Master 16700 serviced at an AD, that was my first service in 15 years. When I picked it I noticed that the crown, when locked, did not show the Rolex "crown emblem" at the position it has always been. I asked the AD about that and they told that something worn was substitued (service was just simple cleaning, oiling and rubber rings changing) and that is why the locked crown sits in a different position now.

Looking afterwards with more attention I see that the crown, when locked, touches no more the case as it did in the past, but stays 1 mm or more away. I also see that it pops out a little from the tip of the adjoining crown guards. The general feeling is that the crown looks like a little bit "unscrewed" or apparently some two rounds away from where it has always stopped.

Is this all normal after just a simple routine ring change?

[Andad]

Hi J, welcome to the Forum.

Yes all normal IMO.

A new crown and tube has been fitted along with new 'o' ring seals. This will change the position of the crown when you screw it shut. The gap you have between the case and the crown now shows that the internal crown seal is good. When the crown screws right up to the case then the internal crown seal is worn.

[crazyfingers]

I had no idea about that as well. Thanks for the info

[Daytonamania]

Good info fella , thanks .

[padi56]

Originally Posted by directioneng

Hi J, welcome to the Forum.

Yes all normal IMO.

A new crown and tube has been fitted along with new 'o' ring seals. This will change the position of the crown when you screw it shut. The gap you have between the case and the crown now shows that the internal crown seal is good. When the crown screws right up to the case then the internal crown seal is worn.

Have to agree with you 100% the seal is with the crown internal o-ring and not the watch case..

[Juvenal]

Originally Posted by directioneng

Yes all normal IMO.

A new crown and tube has been fitted along with new 'o' ring seals. This will change the position of the crown when you screw it shut. The gap you have between the case and the crown now shows that the internal crown seal is good. When the crown screws right up to the case then the internal crown seal is worn.

Many thanks!
However, they did not mention any change of crown, but just new "o" ring seals. Since I acquired this brand new watch 15 years ago its crown screwed right up to the case with no gap at all - it did not "deep" with the passing time. The emblem always pointed in the same direction and the shut crown fitted fully protected by and between the crown guards - not out/above them. It seems impossible that crown seals came already worn from factory then.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Juvenal

Many thanks!
However, they did not mention any change of crown, but just new "o" ring seals. Since I acquired this brand new watch 15 years ago its crown screwed right up to the case with no gap at all - it did not "deep" with the passing time. The emblem always pointed in the same direction and the shut crown fitted fully protected by and between the crown guards - not out/above them. It seems impossible that crown seals came already worn from factory then.

If they replaced the o-ring seals then they would have replaced the crown tube thats what the winding crown screwes down on. And even on new watches today the Rolex emblem don't always line up its all perfectly normal.

[AWATCH]

Originally Posted by Juvenal

Many thanks!
However, they did not mention any change of crown, but just new "o" ring seals. Since I acquired this brand new watch 15 years ago its crown screwed right up to the case with no gap at all - it did not "deep" with the passing time. The emblem always pointed in the same direction and the shut crown fitted fully protected by and between the crown guards - not out/above them. It seems impossible that crown seals came already worn from factory then.

The seal may have been alright before, but what is being said is that with new parts now it is going to be a bit different...

[acce1999]

Originally Posted by Juvenal

Many thanks!
However, they did not mention any change of crown, but just new "o" ring seals. Since I acquired this brand new watch 15 years ago its crown screwed right up to the case with no gap at all - it did not "deep" with the passing time. The emblem always pointed in the same direction and the shut crown fitted fully protected by and between the crown guards - not out/above them. It seems impossible that crown seals came already worn from factory then.

If I remember correctly the current seals are different from what was used 15 years ago. I have a similar experience with an Explorer, and I asked one of the technical experts here on TRF (one of the watchmakers) about it.

I might remember incorrectly, but I am pretty convinced that your watch was fine 15 years ago, and during all those 15 years, and also now after service.

I am currently looking at my Explorer II, that has the same crown and crown guards like yours, and the crown protrudes slightly outside the crown guards, on mine.

Best,

A

[armoredsaint]

i'm really surprised that Rolex would not have indexed the crown correctly. i know it's no big deal, but it's just the aesthetics of it.

[dmc]

Originally Posted by armoredsaint

i'm really surprised that Rolex would not have indexed the crown correctly. i know it's no big deal, but it's just the aesthetics of it.

I agree, I recently got a new Sub, and the Crown Is indexed upside down. I couldn't sleep for two nights, I was so mad with Rolex for being careless on indexing my tube. They should all be indexed where the dimples are on the bottom and the Crown on top. Just like in the Rolex Videos, and Pics.

Has anyone sent their watch in for this?

[lawdog530]

Originally Posted by dmc

I agree, I recently got a new Sub, and the Crown Is indexed upside down. I couldn't sleep for two nights, I was so mad with Rolex for being careless on indexing my tube. They should all be indexed where the dimples are on the bottom and the Crown on top. Just like in the Rolex Videos, and Pics.

Has anyone sent their watch in for this?

Please, no disrespect meant dmc, but isn't a bit OCD to obsess over whether or not the crown is up or down?? Does it really matter in the grand scheme of things? I think not and I wouldn't worry about it. It can drive you crazy.

[dmc]

Originally Posted by lawdog530

Please, no disrespect meant dmc, but isn't a bit OCD to obsess over whether or not the crown is up or down?? Does it really matter in the grand scheme of things? I think not and I wouldn't worry about it. It can drive you crazy.

I agree.
I'm checking myself in for observation tomorrow. Still trying to iron out the details of being allowed access to the WWW.

Have a great day...

[armoredsaint]

Originally Posted by lawdog530

Please, no disrespect meant dmc, but isn't a bit OCD to obsess over whether or not the crown is up or down?? Does it really matter in the grand scheme of things? I think not and I wouldn't worry about it. It can drive you crazy.

well this is a Rolex forum, not Martha Stewart's baking forum

[bandityo]

if the crown is upside down then the stuff inside will spill out! Has to be straight up!

David

[Tools]

The crown, when screwed down, should never contact the case..

If it does, then the gasket at the top, inside the crown, which seals at the top of the tube cannot make contact and do it's job.....

As for which direction your crown "points"... the watch doesn't care and neither should you.......

[Juvenal]

Thank you everybody here!

I always knew that the Rolex crown may point anywhere: mine points Southwest now!...
But I agree that an watch sold as the quintessence of technology, expertise, precision, blah, blah, blah, an watch so, so... and so on, at such a price, should have enough technology to allow the indexing of the crown at any direction esthetically coherent at least, or have removed the crown emblem instead if lining it up is a challenge beyond Geneva's skills.

The issue for me was the new gap between the screwed crown and the case and its slight protruding outside the crown guards, both "appeared" after the first service ever. But if that is a normal (if regretful) consequence, I remain tranquil.

Thanks once more

[DM101]

Any pictures?

[Safetrends]

Originally Posted by Tools

The crown, when screwed down, should never contact the case..

If it does, then the gasket at the top, inside the crown, which seals at the top of the tube cannot make contact and do it's job.....

As for which direction your crown "points"... the watch doesn't care and neither should you.......

Good info Tools!

[997Opus]

I also agree that the Rolex crown should not be crooked when fully screwed down. I know it does not affect the watches movement but I guess I have a little bit of OCD in me. My crown on my Rolex drives me crazy. To me, paying attention to the little details (even though it does not affect performance) says a lot about a product.

[ParisDakarBmw]

You'd think the service center could line it up a little better if they are reapiring it. Maybe that would be too much trouble, but It is a Rolex...

[mb hawaii]

Originally Posted by lawdog530

Please, no disrespect meant dmc, but isn't a bit OCD to obsess over whether or not the crown is up or down?? Does it really matter in the grand scheme of things? I think not and I wouldn't worry about it. It can drive you crazy.

IMHO, I think it does matter for a $7000 watch. Not so much for a $150 one though.

[rockclimber]

Why not stop there? If aesthetics are not a priority to Rolex why not skimp on the dial paint or print. The crown on my Rolex all face different directions, it is maddening!

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Tools

The crown, when screwed down, should never contact the case..

If it does, then the gasket at the top, inside the crown, which seals at the top of the tube cannot make contact and do it's job.....

As for which direction your crown "points"... the watch doesn't care and neither should you.......

Now that one Larry I 100% agree with you and who looks at the crown while on the wrist anyway.Well Rolex got rid of the holograms perhaps they should get rid of the crown emblem.Then everyones winding crown would line up perfectly but then we would not have the hundreds of crown line up posts on the forums.

[Boadicea]

My brand new explorer tightens all the way to the case, no gap (or if there is one then it is very small). The crown is at an angle but that does not bother me. I would be a little upset if it stuck out a bit when new, perhaps this is a trip lock thing?

[BondandBigM]

One up, one down but for me it's no big deal. The crown on my LV looks to be touching the case but the GMT crown seems not to be but it can only be by thousands of an inch. I suppose I could always back off the crown on the LV slightly so that it was straight up. But who would really notice

[Rikki]

The threads on the crown post aren't always depthed exactly the same so when you screw on the stem it doesn't always go to the same position on the stem and sometimes the stem has to be shortened for it to screw down properly. Rik