What is the crown of a watch?

The crown of a watch is the button or small pin on the side of a watch face. It winds watches with a manual wind mechanism and it stops the watch when pulled away from the face which helps the battery last longer. The traditional functions of the crown are to wind the watch, stop the watch, change the date and to set the time.

A watch crown can be simple or plain. It can match the color of the face, or it can be a different color to match the fashion of the piece. The size of each watch crown will vary depending on the style of the watch and whether its function is strictly utility or fashion. Most crowns that are not push buttons have ridges to make it easier to grip.