Who invented the screw down crown?

[schoolboy]

Was it Rolex?

What about the screw down caseback?


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[GradyPhilpott]

The concept of the screw-down crown was not invented by Rolex, but was first used by Rolex in 1926 in an Oyster case. Hans Wilsdorf, the Rolex owner, actually bought the idea from the two inventors Georges Peret and Paul Perregaux. On October 18, 1926, the screw-down crown was legally protected by Rolex. To date, the concept is the most widespread crown protection against water. The principle is simple: the tube of the watch ends in a screw thread, the counterpart of which is locatedon the inside of the crown. Here too, O-rings are used for sealing, with only one difference. In the screwed state, one of the rings is pressed against the tube. With diving watches, this serves an essential function - which hardly anyone is aware of and which has nothing to do with water resistance: a screw-down crown cannot be operated accidentally. Underwater, correct observance of decompression and diving times is essential for survival. A wrong time indication could be fatal. For a watch that is not used for professional diving with an oxygen bottle, however, a screw-down crown could be regarded as overkill. In addition to that, some owners tend to exaggerate a little when screwing down the crown and do so with more torque than is required, which can damage the seals and the thread.

https://usd.formexwatch.com/blogs/fo...-better-for-me

https://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/waterproof.php

[MILGAUSS88]

I have seen a screw down crown on a pocket watch case, I would estimate the age to be 1880. But very unusual.
And screw down case backs and bezels were used on pocket watches for quite sometime before the oyster case, and were quite common.

It was unusual for early wristwatch cases to be screw down however.
There is an early screw down Illinois wristwatch that is hard to find undamaged, because so many watch makers tried to pop the back off.

[Chewbacca]

Royal Houses. Typically Imperialists. Keep the serfs in line.

[schoolboy]

Originally Posted by GradyPhilpott

The concept of the screw-down crown was not invented by Rolex, but was first used by Rolex in 1926 in an Oyster case. Hans Wilsdorf, the Rolex owner, actually bought the idea from the two inventors Georges Peret and Paul Perregaux. On October 18, 1926, the screw-down crown was legally protected by Rolex. To date, the concept is the most widespread crown protection against water. The principle is simple: the tube of the watch ends in a screw thread, the counterpart of which is locatedon the inside of the crown. Here too, O-rings are used for sealing, with only one difference. In the screwed state, one of the rings is pressed against the tube. With diving watches, this serves an essential function - which hardly anyone is aware of and which has nothing to do with water resistance: a screw-down crown cannot be operated accidentally. Underwater, correct observance of decompression and diving times is essential for survival. A wrong time indication could be fatal. For a watch that is not used for professional diving with an oxygen bottle, however, a screw-down crown could be regarded as overkill. In addition to that, some owners tend to exaggerate a little when screwing down the crown and do so with more torque than is required, which can damage the seals and the thread.

https://usd.formexwatch.com/blogs/fo...-better-for-me

https://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/waterproof.php

Awesome

Thanks for the info Grady!


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[schoolboy]

Originally Posted by MILGAUSS88

I have seen a screw down crown on a pocket watch case, I would estimate the age to be 1880. But very unusual.
And screw down case backs and bezels were used on pocket watches for quite sometime before the oyster case, and were quite common.

It was unusual for early wristwatch cases to be screw down however.
There is an early screw down Illinois wristwatch that is hard to find undamaged, because so many watch makers tried to pop the back off.

1880?

Wow.

Haha that’s insane


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[schoolboy]

Originally Posted by Chewbacca

Royal Houses. Typically Imperialists. Keep the serfs in line.

Imagine that!


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[Burlington]

When AP pressure tested my diver it was with both crowns fully open.

So just the O ring alone is sufficient to create an airtight barrier.

They do also imply the inner bezel crown can be used underwater safely but never had full confirmation of this.

[Andad]

On the Rolex website quite a few years ago Rolex stated that the Triplock was rated to >500 Bar with the crown unscrewed.

[padi56]

Have posted that several times on forum and another fact Perrelet invented the first self winding mechanism around 1770.Later Breguet improved it and called his winding system perpetuelles.Now perhaps this is where Rolex got the idea to call there automatics Perpetual.But John Harwood from the Isle of Man UK around 1923 took out a UK patent for the first automatic winding wrist watch.Now he went on with backing to produce many thousands of these watches.But mainly owing to the depression in the mid 1920s to 1930s in the UK he went bust.Now old Hans of Rolex being a very clever but very shrewd man bought and took up this John Harwood auto-wind patent for the Rolex Watch Company. And in the very late 1920s oyster case was born and early 1930s incorporated auto wind into the oyster design case with another one of Hans acquired patents,and also with the newly acquired waterproof screw down crown patent from Paul Perregaux and Georges Peret. They first registered a Swiss patent in 1925 for the twin lock screw stem watertight system .Now with the Oyster case and this acquired patent auto wind mechanism but at this time it only wound around 300 degrees.But Rolex improved the design by the help of Hans brother in-law.Who made it more efficient by winding a full 360 degrees,and a power reserve then of around 36 hours.After the auto watch and the oyster case Rolex really took off the rest is just pure marketing genius by Hans.

screwed stem system.
Perregaux and Peret patent 1925.

[schoolboy]

Originally Posted by padi56

Have posted that several times on forum and another fact Perrelet invented the first self winding mechanism around 1770.Later Breguet improved it and called his winding system perpetuelles.Now perhaps this is where Rolex got the idea to call there automatics Perpetual.But John Harwood from the Isle of Man UK around 1923 took out a UK patent for the first automatic winding wrist watch.Now he went on with backing to produce many thousands of these watches.But mainly owing to the depression in the mid 1920s to 1930s in the UK he went bust.Now old Hans of Rolex being a very clever but very shrewd man bought and took up this John Harwood auto-wind patent for the Rolex Watch Company. And in the very late 1920s oyster case was born and early 1930s incorporated auto wind into the oyster design case with another one of Hans acquired patents,and also with the newly acquired waterproof screw down crown patent from Paul Perregaux and Georges Peret. They first registered a Swiss patent in 1925 for the twin lock screw stem watertight system .Now with the Oyster case and this acquired patent auto wind mechanism but at this time it only wound around 300 degrees.But Rolex improved the design by the help of Hans brother in-law.Who made it more efficient by winding a full 360 degrees,and a power reserve then of around 36 hours.After the auto watch and the oyster case Rolex really took off the rest is just pure marketing genius by Hans.

screwed stem system.
Perregaux and Peret patent 1925.

Yes I had read before that Rolex didn’t I vent the automatic watch either.

Did Rolex invent the first jumping date? Or did they buy that invention from somebody else as well?


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[Boothroyd]

Originally Posted by padi56

Have posted that several times on forum and another fact Perrelet invented the first self winding mechanism around 1770.Later Breguet improved it and called his winding system perpetuelles.Now perhaps this is where Rolex got the idea to call there automatics Perpetual.But John Harwood from the Isle of Man UK around 1923 took out a UK patent for the first automatic winding wrist watch.Now he went on with backing to produce many thousands of these watches.But mainly owing to the depression in the mid 1920s to 1930s in the UK he went bust.Now old Hans of Rolex being a very clever but very shrewd man bought and took up this John Harwood auto-wind patent for the Rolex Watch Company. And in the very late 1920s oyster case was born and early 1930s incorporated auto wind into the oyster design case with another one of Hans acquired patents,and also with the newly acquired waterproof screw down crown patent from Paul Perregaux and Georges Peret. They first registered a Swiss patent in 1925 for the twin lock screw stem watertight system .Now with the Oyster case and this acquired patent auto wind mechanism but at this time it only wound around 300 degrees.But Rolex improved the design by the help of Hans brother in-law.Who made it more efficient by winding a full 360 degrees,and a power reserve then of around 36 hours.After the auto watch and the oyster case Rolex really took off the rest is just pure marketing genius by Hans.

screwed stem system.
Perregaux and Peret patent 1925.

Always appreciate your posts on history of Rolex and watches in general, Peter!

[Langnam]

Originally Posted by Chewbacca

Royal Houses. Typically Imperialists. Keep the serfs in line.

Lol.


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[MILGAUSS88]

I just picked up one of the pocket watches with a screw down crown.
It was dated 1879 and was made by Waltham.

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