Let's Talk Crowns

Today, we’re going to take a look at some of the most interesting crowns, and no, we don’t just mean Rolex. A crown is pretty essential to a watch. No doubt, one of the most hand on components to a watch. We wind the watch through the crown and we also set the date and time, two of the most functionally important aspects of owning a watch. The crown must be strong enough to handle our clumsy hands but also stand guard against water resistance as the crown is sometimes a weak point in water making its way inside the watch case (something that I’m deathly afraid of). Let’s take a look at just a few watches and brands that have excelled in their crown technology. 

ROLEX TWINLOCK & TRIPLOCK CROWN

If you’re anything like me, a screw down crown makes me very happy. Yes, I know many watches are plenty water resistant without being screwed down, but it does put my mind at ease knowing there’s that “locking” seal of the screw down crown. Perhaps this is why I’m so drawn to Rolex sports watches in their Oyster cases. Rolex utilizes a technology they call Twinlock and Triplock for their crowns. Identifiable by either two or three dots on the crown, you’ll know that this crown is sealed from water or any outside elements. Rolex were the first ones in history to develop a waterproof winding crown. Read more about the Rolex Oyster case here. 

When Rolex created the Submariner, they needed the watch to be as waterproof as possible and able to handle the depths of the sea. For this they invented the Twinlock winding crown that featured two O-ring gaskets made of synthetic material to seal the watch. The Rolex crown, made up of 10 parts, is not messing around when it comes to water resistance. We can appreciate not using just one seal zone to protect the watch but rather two and three to ensure perfection of these tool watches. Want a strap that’s as waterproof as that Rolex crown? Head here to shop all of our Everest Rubber Straps for Rolex. 

PANERAI LUMINOR CROWN

One of the most distinctive and recognizable crowns out on the market today is Panerai’s unique locking crown design. Often tossed around as a brand that all the models look the same, the crown can also help identify which model you may actually have. Panerai created their lever locking crown design in 1950. The design of the crown guard on the Panerai Luminor helps provide extra pressure to the crown as it’s not a screw in crown like the Rolex we talked about above. It also serves as a visual warning that the crown is not secure before diving. Something a diver may miss with screw in type crowns. There’s no mistaking the crown and guard on the Luminor’s with any other watch brand. Make your Panerai Luminor distinctive from all the rest with an Everest Strap in leather or rubber, here!

Source: @a_girl_and_her_watches

APPLE WATCH CROWN

Now we won’t argue today whether or not you consider the Apple Watch a “true” watch or not but since it tells time, we wear it on the wrist, and it features a crown, we’ll call it a watch for the purposes of this article. Back when Apple released their Apple Watch Series 2, they created a new feature to their crown, a water lock. Now while the crown doesn’t screw in, what this feature does when turned on is turn off the touch feature of the display so that when you’re in water, you don’t accidentally change any features. The Apple Watch is relatively waterproof however water still gets inside and can penetrate the speakers but don’t worry, this is where the crown plays its part. After being emerged in water, you can use the water lock feature with the crown by rotating the crown back and forth, all the while the speakers play different tones so that  they vibrate and water ejects from the inside of the watch. So essentially the crown acts like a trigger to expel water from the case. Pretty darn cool. Read more on our thoughts of the Apple Watch and features here!

K.T. Morales

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