TC V5 or V6 Submariner - Crown not winding properly

[airtime]

Hello Gentlemen and Ladies,

I have a TC Submariner I bought through the sales section here 5+ years ago. Can't find the original thread so I am unsure of what version of the TC Sub it is, I believe its either a V5 or V6.

I'm having trouble with the crown and winding the watch. While winding (and even with a unwound main spring) I feel the crown 'clicking' over during the turn, like it is slipping. I've opened the case back and can see the winding mechanism appears to be working correctly; it is not the winding gears slipping or skipping teeth. It is either the how the crown stem engages into the winding mechanism or the screw down crown's attachment to the stem. I believe driver screw down crowns are not directly attached to the stem but through a spring like mechanism (?).

What is the best way to identify the cause of the problem and fix it? I've removed the crown and stem and they look ok. But I'm not a watch smith so that's about the limit of my troubleshooting capability - reinserted stem and crown. It is not slipping all the time, maybe about 20% of turns, so I can still wind the watch and also the automatic winding mechanism is working fine.

PS. Is there a forum topic with guidance on how to identify TC sub versions? i.e. how do I tell if I have a v5, v6, v7?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[derjenigewelcher]

But I'm not a watch smith so that's about the limit of my troubleshooting capability - reinserted stem and crown.

You could bring it to a watchsmith maybe?

 

[Parto]

If its a 5+ year watch I'd suggest its a good time for a service. It's a gen eta or clone 2824 (dependant on TC version) so should be easy to repair its just a case of finding a rep friendly watchsmith close to you (there are some listed on this forum)

 

[airtime]

Yeah - it is due a service. Just wondering if this is a common problem with a common fix.

I will reach out to our friendly local Sydney area (rep friendly) watch smith marrickville .

 

[airtime]

It's a gen eta or clone 2824 (dependant on TC version) so should be easy to repair

Looks to be a clone 2824; no Eta markings near the balance wheel.

 

[tripdog]

Clutch mechanism inside the crown is slipping, pulling outwards (away from the watch) as you wind usually helps to reduce slipping. Replace the crown to solve the problem.

 

[WatchSmith.US]

I recently serviced a TC that exhibited a similar problem to yours. The ratchet wheel had broken teeth as well as the driving wheel in the auto wind module, so I would investigate those.

You should service your movement in addition to installing replacement parts.

 

[airtime]

Thank you to tripdog and Triplock for sharing their expertise.

I didn't see any evidence of broken teeth on the ratchet wheel or other gears - carefully inspected the teeth when winding. If there were teeth missing I'd expect to feel it slip in those spots on each rotation. Whereas it can go many rotations without any slipping and then it will slip once or twice. Sounds like its likely to be what tripdog mentioned.

Hopefully marrickville will have capacity to take it in soon to service and fix.

Is it worthwhile considering replacing the movement with an Eta if that is possible? Not sure how easy that is with this TC Sub.

 

[WatchSmith.US]

Thank you to tripdog and Triplock for sharing their expertise.

I didn't see any evidence of broken teeth on the ratchet wheel or other gears - carefully inspected the teeth when winding. If there were teeth missing I'd expect to feel it slip in those spots on each rotation. Whereas it can go many rotations without any slipping and then it will slip once or twice. Sounds like its likely to be what tripdog mentioned.

Hopefully marrickville will have capacity to take it in soon to service and fix.

Is it worthwhile considering replacing the movement with an Eta if that is possible? Not sure how easy that is with this TC Sub.

Tripdog's diagnosis is probably spot on and will be a much simpler fix.
Of course a genuine ETA is possible and always a good upgrade and would enhance the value and desirability of your TC.

 

[Rx4Time]

See tripdog's explanation. I've had the happen on a sub a few years ago myself. This is the main reason to swap a genuine crown in when doing a build. Swap the crown first unless you want an ETA movement installed.