Explanation on inability to sent time on 16200 DJ?

[Boopie]

Hello, everyone. I experienced a winding/setting problem with my 16200 DJ (circa 2003, so a late 5-digit) that seems to have resolved itself on its own. I wanted to see if anyone has any thoughts as to the cause of the problem. I know this is lengthy, but I want to clearly describe what happened in sequence.

I bought it used a few years ago from a reputable watch seller (our second purchase from the dealer). It was in excellent condition, and had undergone a service from the seller’s watchmaker, which is what they do for every sale.

I wore the DJ fairly regularly, at least 4-5 days a week, oftentimes every day. It was, essentially, my weekday work regular watch, and I rotated it on some weekends with my other watches.

After about 18 months, at the end of a 30-day month, when I had also traveled out of state and also had to adjust the time, I unscrewed the crown to the first position to wind the watch (25x or so) and then to the second position to advance the date with the Qwickset. When I tried to pull the crown out completely to the third position to set the time, however, the crown wouldn’t come out any further than the second position (date set). That is, I could wind the watch and change the date, but I could not move the hands.

I am very familiar with screwing in and unscrewing a Rolex to wind and set it. I have worn a Rolex daily for over 20 years, I have 3 others plus a vintage Tudor with a Rolex case and winding crown, and my husband has 2. So, no “rookie error” on my end.

This 16200 DJ worked flawlessly for 18 months, with no issues screwing in or unscrewing the crown, winding or setting it, etc. I also never dropped it, submerged it in water, etc. That is, I had no advance warning of any issue, I had treated it well, it had performed well, and it had been serviced relatively recently.

I tried to unscrew the crown fully and set it a few more times, let it sit a few days, and tried it again. No luck. When I reached out to the seller, l was told that that the watch had only a 1-year warranty, so I decided against fixing it.

I then let it sit, untouched, in my safe for more than a year, while I decided what to do with it. I went ahead and wore my other watches.

A few weeks ago, I decided to get the watch serviced, so I pulled out the watch, and decided to try it again. To my total surprise and delight, it worked flawlessly. The crown unscrewed easily, and fully, and I was able to wind it, set the date, and set the time. I’ve been wearing it the last couple of weeks without any problem, was able to change the date at the end of February, and also easily changed the time when I traveled. I’m wearing it now. It’s as if nothing ever happened.

Any thoughts as to why this occurred? I’m totally baffled.

Thanks!