Let's talk about the "clickiness" of the digital crown button

General_Witt

Hi all,
After taking a few showers with my Race, I noticed that the “click” of the middle button (the one on the digital crown) does not produce a clear, sharp “click” as before.
As if something soft is cushioning the button, giving a completely different tactile feedback from the the top and bottom buttons.
Has this happened to you as well? Is it normal for it to be like this?
I have to say that the feeling is not pleasant, because I can’t clearly tell whether I clicked the wheel or not, so to be sure I sometimes click it twice.

Egika

@General_Witt both button and the wheel are clicking in the same way for me.
Have been showering and kite boarding with the watch so far for some weeks now…

Can you check if there is probably some residue that can be cleaned by washing?

General_Witt

@Egika I don’t see any residue. I know it sounds stupid, but can you check that your middle button sounds exactly like the top or bottom ones? I can hear a very sharp “click” with the top or bottom button, but I can’t hear any click (even if it’s working when pushed) from the middle button on the digital crown.

Egika

@General_Witt actually the Race’s buttons for me don’t produce a sharp click.
S9PP does so - it is clicking very metallic. If I operate it in a quiet room, the click will be noticed by others.
Vertical has rather soft buttons for me than can hardly be heard at all.
Race’s button clicks are all soft and cannot be noticed by others, while the click is there.

Here’s crown and button of Race:click.mp4

General_Witt

@Egika I guess every unit is slightly different. The up and bottom buttons clicks are very loud in my unit, while the middle button is very soft, with an almost inaudible click.

Egika

@General_Witt have uploaded a recording above from very close distance.

trinitao

@General_Witt I have the same issue and feelings on this. In the first days the haptic and audible response of the buttons felt very pleasant to me. Yet the crown button felt softer and more quiet than the others (which I liked for the “main” button), it still felt responsive. After swimming a few times in open (salt) water and pool water the clickiness was gone. Nearly impossible to hear any click without having your ear at the watch, the haptic feedback is significantly reduced. In most situations I couldn’t tell you if I did a click without looking at the watch. It all feels somehow muffled.
I tried several times to rinse it with clear or mild soap water, did some clicks under water, but nothing helped. I wish I could just get used to this, but somehow this behavior drives me crazy, because it felt so much better in the first days.

General_Witt

@trinitao I have exactly the same experience with my middle button, the top and bottom buttons are very clicky and loud when pressed.

trinitao

@General_Witt Out of the box the clicks sounded close to the sound file posted before (thanks @Egika ). In my recording you will barely notice the 3 “clicks” of the crown after the 3 of the upper button. Click.mp4

vjakub

I’m about to buy SR and I would like to belive there are even people whose swimming in the sea didn’t kill the clickiness

Egika

@vjakub I have been using it for kite surfing. Still very clicky - but this is no guarantee.

freeheeler

@Egika
I’m jealous!!!

Dušan Ković

My crown just stopped being clicky as before over the weekend. It became softer, almost non clicky, it is now hard to figure out is it pressed or not. I never shower with watch, go into water or anything similar.

Kristijan Matulić

Hi everyone,

SOLUTION!!!

I had the same problem and I tried all kind of solutions (cleaning, different oils, spraying…)
The solution is specifically “WD40 white lithium grease” spray. Crown is clicking like a first day!
I put WD few days ago and crown is still perfectly clicky.
I hope this will work for you as well.

https://www.wd40.com/products/white-lithium-grease/

sartoric

@Kristijan-Matulić
I’m not really sure that lithium is the best option for a watch crown button, lithium grease is usually used for heavy duty or high speed component.
I’m afraid it will act as a dust trap in long term

Maybe some gentle compressed air shot or just rinse it with luke warm water.

freeheeler

@Kristijan-Matulić
I would be careful with lubrication, cleaning solvents and liquids in general in combination with sealing materials.
we don’t know the material composition of the watch’s sealing and some content might damage seals

OnlyoneKenobi

Hi,

for two days I have noticed the same thing with the crown button but not every time I push it. Due to the fact that it isn’t anytime, it makes me think it might be caused by the larger size of the button. I mean, it might depend on which point you press.

Olaf Gottschalk

@General_Witt so, thanks to some genius who showed me that my words for describing my “crown button feel” actually lead to your post, I am here.

I got exactly the same issue. It started somewhere in December, my Race was about one month old.

Somehow the clickiness comes and goes for me, it’s almost always there but sometimes it feels clicky again.

I personally hate the “squishyness” and the missing tactile feel when it is in “bad” state.

Also, I somehow fear that even replacing the unit will lead to exactly the same situation sooner or later. And I would not like to be without the watch for more than a day.

What have you done since then? Any news?

Egika

@Olaf-Gottschalk I have experienced similarly. The clickyness sometimes is less to be felt. If I go swimming etc, it comes back.
That makes be think that some residue in the mechanism is damping it. And by flushing or cleaning it otherwise, it comes back.

Since I don’t think it is a defect, but dirt, I am fine with this so far.
Using the wheel or the button makes the click come back.

ppresing

@Olaf-Gottschalk Same here. I can report that maybe the issue is warm enviroment, hand etc. In my case it often happens in the morning after the sleep, when watch is somehow warmed from body, etc. Never had this when mounted (on handlebar) on my MTB rides. My solution for the moment is gently push the crown with fingernail out. It seems that it’s somehow stucked in press position. True that I did’t try to put some lubricant as some others did (WD40 silicone). Obviouslly it’s a hardware issue, as reported from many users. Since the crown functionality is not the problem so far (only crisp clickness) I’ll live with that, until Suunto will officialy put solution, or even recall watches to service/replacement???