Winder crown has come off

[Gkirkby@aol.com]

I have my father’s 1939 ( year) Rolex oyster. I was winding it recently and the crown came out and in fact, right off. There seems to be a short tube attached to it with a tiny spring inside. I’m presuming the tube should be a lot longer to engage with the winding mechanism inside so I guess it ( the tube) has snapped.
Has anyone had a similar experience and if so what was the cure?
Thanks

[Dan S]

Can you please post photos. Or just take it to a watchmaker.

[Tools]

Watch stems are made from hardened steel so are brittle and do break from time-to-time.

The entire stem can also come out because it is only held in place with a single gate-screw. Also, the crown is simply screwed onto the stem, so they can unscrew and come off.

Any of these are pretty easy fixes, but often need some disassembly to access the parts.

[phillip ridley]

Originally Posted by Gkirkby@aol.com

I have my father’s 1939 ( year) Rolex oyster. I was winding it recently and the crown came out and in fact, right off. There seems to be a short tube attached to it with a tiny spring inside. I’m presuming the tube should be a lot longer to engage with the winding mechanism inside so I guess it ( the tube) has snapped.
Has anyone had a similar experience and if so what was the cure?
Thanks

It sounds like the crown itself came apart. The tube that threads onto the stem also threads on the head of the crown. That spring inside is what forces the crown back, so it does not slip when winding or setting the time.

I watchmaker can fix it, but I would recommend replacing it.

[zapokee]

The same happened to me on a 1950s Tudor. It's an easy fix for a watchmaker.

[R.W.T.]

Very uncommon for a 30's 40's style crown to come apart.
Can we see the watch?