Unpopular opinion: Screw down crowns are overrated

There are plenty of 100m watches using great seals and don’t require screw down. I don’t pick my watch based on how the company creates water resistance. Just that they do it.

Team screw down 😁😉. I have watches that aren’t, but I prefer the security of it. YMMV

I prefer screw down, not that I’m swimming much. I enjoy it as part of the time setting process.

I didn't even know they were a thing a few years ago, and for good reason. This is another one of those fruitless comparison checkmarks for people to dither about.

Same team here mate.🤌

They provide a safety benefit but they are not always necessary. For divers I expect them, but currently too many non divers have them, even some dress watches which does not make much sense. However a lot of divers also don't make sense, but are still very desirable.. I guess the real function is to give the wearer piece of mind

HVD Spectre Diver (second owner, glorious eBay find)

Non screw down, hand winding only. YMMV. (Yes it's gotten wet, swum with etc.)

Yes, I think screw down crowns are overrated. It's goofy to me that people will pass on a watch just because it's not a screw down crown. Screw down has it's place, but unless I'm regularing submerging the watch, I prefer push/pull.

Yeah, I'm with you on that. One of my favorites Formex essence is a push down and I've had no issues with it. It's just not a factor in my buying decisions

People have never heard of gaskets, get angry about screw-down crowns, and never wash their hands.

Not a big deal either way. If it's a screw down, I screw it down. If not, I don't.

Those screw threads introduce a potential point of failure for no practical benefit for 99.999% of users.

I’m completely with you. This doesn’t have a screw down crown and has 100m water resistance. I was just swimming with it this afternoon at an indoor pool with my kids.

Since I wear my mechanical, automatic watches several days or weeks in a row, the inconvenience of screw down is basically irrelevant. I don't see myself leaving it unscrewed, to be honest. It's no more likely than leaving the crown out on a push pull. Most screw down crowns still have gaskets on the stem that should protect against light water exposure in a similar way to a push pull crown, but screwing it down will give you its proper wr and make the crown rigid, which is useful. A push pull crown can be bumped hard enough to compress one side of the gasket and create an opening on the other side, which can also harm the stem. Threading is an additional failure point, but with how rarely and deliberately I screw it down, I'm not too concerned.

I will still consider watches with push pull crowns, but with the way I use my watches, I think screw downs are more beneficial than not.

I use sports watches and divers for their intended purpose. Screw down crowns are essential for me since I want that extra security. For dress watches and non-sports watches, I'm fine with it not having a screw down crown

A screw down crown is kind of nice. Humid climate here, so anything that keeps that insidious atmospheric moisture from making ingress is welcome. I will say though, that my collection is primarily quartz, so I seldom have to unscrew them. It's not a dealbreaker either way though.

I don't understand people who obess about them,

but they never go in the water and live in Arizona or Colorado or something.

I can't work out how you'd forget to re screw it down, when surely you've only unscrewed it 2 minutes prior!

2 minutes, pshhhh... I've forgotten to screw it down after 20 seconds.

I'm glad we are all different and have our many different little wants and dislikes with buying watches, however irrational they may appear to others, fortunately we are all catered for mostly I reckon and we can pretty much get what we want from one brand or another, I'm with camp Screw-in, as long as you've got a sapphire to go with it, and you don't have Mercedes hands your fine with me, Forget it if your crown is too small you can piss off, I don't really mind where you come from but you have to be well built,

If you turn up with a clip on case back I'm not interested,

I'd prefer it if you could glow really well come night time but it's not a deal breaker,

What matters is what your like inside 😉