# From key to crown: a short history of winding and setting a watch

> How watches went from key winding to the pull-out, stop-seconds and screw-down crown, with what each design gained and gave up. Sourced history guide.

Source page: https://thewatchschool.com/lessons/history-of-the-watch-crown

Before the crown, a watch was wound and set with a key. This guide follows the main steps, card by card as in the school's History activity, and is careful to say which claims are documented and which are a company's own account.

## The timeline

1. **Key winding and setting (Documented):** In 1896 Britten defined 'keyless' simply as able to be wound without a key: the key had been the default.
2. **Early keyless hand-setting (Their account (attributed)):** Patek Philippe's own history says Jean Adrien Philippe's keyless winding and hand-setting won a medal in Paris in 1844 and was patented in 1845.
3. **Keyless winding, push-piece setting (Documented):** In the 1890s many keyless watches set the hands by holding in a push piece while turning the button. Britten called the push piece 'at best an eyesore' that lets in dirt.
4. **Pull-out setting (Their account (attributed)):** Britten describes pulling the button out to engage the hand-setting wheels, 'the invention, I believe, of the Waltham Company'.
5. **Stop-seconds ('hack') setting (Documented):** The 1945 US Army manual warns inspectors not to mistake a 'hack watch', made to stop when set, for a fault. Many modern automatics still stop the seconds hand when you pull the crown to set the time.
6. **Screw-down crown (Documented):** US Patent 1,661,232 (filed 1926, granted 1928, assigned to Hans Wilsdorf) screws the winder onto a threaded tube with an elastic washer, so dust and moisture cannot enter at the crown.

## Crown designs compared

- **Push-piece setting:** Gains: Hands cannot move by accident while winding. Gives up: A second opening that lets in dirt; Needs two hands to set.
- **Pull-out crown:** Gains: Winding and setting in one place; Quick to set. Gives up: Can be pulled out by accident; Not sealed against water.
- **Pull-out crown with stop-seconds:** Gains: Stops the seconds hand so watches can be synchronised; Quick to set. Gives up: More parts in the movement; Still not sealed against water.
- **Screw-down crown:** Gains: Seals the crown joint against dust and water. Gives up: An extra step every time you set it; Threads can be damaged if forced.

Try it: [Play From key to crown](https://thewatchschool.com/school?area=history)

## Sources

- F. J. Britten, The Watch & Clock Makers' Handbook, Dictionary and Guide, 9th edition, London: E. & F. N. Spon, 1896. Printed page (PDF = printed + 7).
- US War Department, TM 9-1575, Ordnance Maintenance: Wrist Watches, Pocket Watches, Stop Watches, and Clocks, 6 April 1945. Pages cited as printed page (PDF page = printed + 5 in chapter 1).
- Seiko Watch Corporation, Instruction manual 4R35 / 4R36 / 4R37 / 4R38 / 4R39 / 4R71 / 4R72 (document JSY4RCC2-A2403), booklet pages EN n.
- G. Perret (assignor to Hans Wilsdorf), Keyless Watch, US Patent 1,661,232, filed 19 Oct 1926, patented 6 Mar 1928.
- Company history as recorded in the London Watchmaker history research stream (timeline id patek). Treated as an attributed claim.

A learning game, not a qualification. Nothing here makes anyone ready to open or repair a real watch.