Isaac's Watch J288614

Don't think there's anything wrong with the stem or the watch. I believe this watch of Isaac's has a sc*rew down crown mechanism. Most people aren't even aware of this so they just push the stem in far enough to where it keeps the watch ticking but it's actually causing more harm than good because there leaves a huge gap. The stem should be flush against the side of the watch to prevent any water or dust particles getting in between that gap.

I don't own that watch..... but IF the watch has a screw down crown, you should screw it down. Just push the crown in all the way and then turn it clockwise until it is snug. Don't over do it, stop when you feel some resistance. Screw down crowns help with water resistance of watches. But if you leave them open, the watch will have no water resistance and is easily ruined.

Thank you both so much. I was ready to pack it up and return it. It didn't make much sense with that gap because as you said dust and water might get in it.

I pushed it and screwed it in and it worked perfectly.

Great. Enjoy the watch.

I'm guessing your pink ceramic watch had a regular push/pull crown, and not the screw down crown. The screw down crown is a better crown.

Now you just have to remember to unscrew the crown if you ever need to reset the watch. It's easy to forget which watches have which type of crown.

I have two of these in the single tone from last year. One in Taupe, and one in Sunflower. I love them! Just chiming in here to warn you that the stems on mine unscrew themselves and open on occasion, stopping the watch or changing the time. It's only happened a couple of times. Don't be concerned if this happens, just reset the watch. And enjoy it!

On 7/25/2014 lavenderjunkie said:

Great. Enjoy the watch.

I'm guessing your pink ceramic watch had a regular push/pull crown, and not the screw down crown. The screw down crown is a better crown.

Now you just have to remember to unscrew the crown if you ever need to reset the watch. It's easy to forget which watches have which type of crown.

Correct, my pink has the normal push/pull crown. Why is the screw down better?

sparklestar: As I understand it, dust and moisture can easily ruin a watch movement. The crown is an area which opens the watch up to the outside elements. The tighter the fit of the crown, the safer the movement is from these external factors. A screw down crown fits snugly into the watch case and provides a barrier. It therefore protects the movement from outside stuff getting inside.

Even a small amount of water, from a splash while washing your hands or a bad rain storm can affect a watch that doesn't have a proper seal. Different watches have different levels of water resistance as part of their specifications, depending upon how the watch was made and tested. The amount of water as well as the water pressure is a factor in the rating.

A push pull crown doesn't provide as tight a seal. Although some manufacturers are using better rubber gaskets to improve the water resistance level of watches with push pull crowns. Push pull crowns are less expensive for a manufacturer to make.

Higher end automatic watches and better watches of all types generally use screw down crowns. Unfortunately, lots of women's watches are considered "dress" or 'fashion' and the manufacturers assume we either don't know the difference in terms of crowns (and other components, like watch crystal material) or don't do anything that would expose our watches to any elements of stress... like washing our hands, doing the dishes, bathing children, housework.

Hope this info helps. Enjoy your new watch.

Thanks for the explanation lavenderjunkie; that all makes sense. I've never owned a watch with this type of crown. Now I'll know better.