Crown
The crown is the knob on the side of the case used to wind a mechanical watch and set the time and, on many watches, the date.
On a pre-owned watch, the crown tells you a lot: whether it winds smoothly, engages each setting position cleanly, and, on water-resistant watches, whether it screws down and seals properly. Crowns are also commonly replaced during servicing, which matters for collectible pieces.
Check that the crown is correct for the reference, and treat any stiffness, grinding, or failure to screw down as a sign the watch needs work.
Related terms
Where this comes up
Pages on this site that use the term.
- TUDOR Black Bay GMT 41mm, burgundy and blue bezelWatch reference
- Seiko Alpinist Mechanical GMT, 6R54, rotating compass inner ringWatch reference
- TUDOR Pelagos LHD, crown at 9 o'clock, numbered case backWatch reference
- Breitling Superocean Automatic 42, black dial, rubber strapWatch reference
- Cartier Santos de Cartier Skeleton, large model, steelWatch reference
- TUDOR Clair de Rose 34mm, opaline dial, spinel cabochon crownWatch reference
Learn the trade, not just the word
Plain-English guides to buying, pricing and selling watches as a business. Free, and written to be used at the counter.