Omega

Dear friends

  Yesterday, I received this hidden crown.

           

         

  and it had a jerky sweep second hand.,  ..I tried to ignore that but it was so enoying to me that I had to look around for a cure , I found "Jerky Second Sweeps on Constellation" written by Desmond but there is no help there.  Then I called my watchmaker 10,000 miles away and he told me what to do.

  And here's what I did.

        1_ I removed this screw            

                                       

   

            2. Then this screw. 

 

                                       

 

     3 - I lifted the whole thing up (rotor and rotor bridge) then put it aside.

                                    

     

            On  the other side of the unit, you can see the winding mechanism and  ring gears etc... I gave it some oil, of course.

 

                                    

     

 

     4. Looking at the center of the movement,  I saw a small friction spring pushing down on the sweep second pinion.

 

                                    

 

        My watchmaker told me because that spring is not pushing down hard enough, that makes the sweep second hand jerky (it's normal in used movement)

    

        5_ I loosened the screw that hold the spring but did not remove it, just loose enough to slide the spring aside only.

     

                                   

    Then I used a tweezer to push it down a bit then slide it back to it's position again.

 

                       

 

      I tightened the screw then I checked the second hand and saw it moving nicely and no more jerky motion      (happy as a clam)

   Then I put that rotor and rotor bridge back into position, two screws went back to their holes, I turned them in a few turns, then I turned the rotor a few rounds in each direction, making sure the gear teeth engage into their position properly then I tightened the srew securely.

   After 20 minutes of working, I think I solved the problem and so happy. Still not sure how it's gonna be next week but I think I am ok for now.

   Cheers.

 Hoi.

 

  Warning : I am not showing anybody to do anything. Trying to do the same may cause bodily harm   or bring havoc to your movement. Your watchmaker is always the most reliable source of knowledge and service.

   

                                            

                                    

I believe we both know master watchmakers 12 time zones away who I am sure you agree take on jobs that would be totally cost ineffective in the US.

Nice to see your work pay off, too.

This message has been edited by BDLJ on 2011-07-05 18:47:04

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Thanks for the step by step demo.
You are a brave man.

Ed

Hi all.

  Because I live in a remote town and the nearest watchmaker is about 1000 miles away. A small adjustment to the movement will cost me about 200 dollars or more (shipping and service) The only way for me is do it myself to save money and gradually, I become a weekend watchmaker. I learn from my own mistakes and maybe, I miss a lot of things, but I have experienced advisors and teachers (from afar) who always give me a helping hand when I need it.

   If you think topics like this are helpful , I will post some more so that we can share our experience and to me, working on watches always gives me  lots of fun.

 

    Regards.

 

   Hoi

Hi Hoi

I know what you mean about seeing a jerky second hand....   That is the only thing you see...

Great work .

Good Hunting

Bill

Hi Bill.

How do you know that's the only thing I see? I will show you more things that I see in the next few posts. I am sure that you will have to jump in and give me some valuable advice.

Regards.

. . . is that when the seconds hand has a jerky motion, the motion itself captures all your attention, and doesn't allow you to appreciate the watch. 

Internet communication can lack nuance, which can easily distort meaning.  On this occasion, Bill was agreeing with you.

As for myself, I stand in awe of your bravery.  I could never bring myself to work on my own watches without gaining experience on other watches first .

Cordially, Art

Thanks for sharing the pics Hoi.

I have quite a few photos of my own from full overhauls of several 'classic' Omega movements that I really must get around to posting myself one day...

Seems to be some interest in it...

grumio

but I don't think I'd have a go myself - I can just imagine the stress!!!  Just looking at the photos is enough to make me break out in a sweat - glad you fixed it though.

Hoi,

I agree, sometimes this is the only way to cure small issues.

I have a retired watchmaker at hand but he has so little time (far too many repairs!) and he often told me how to do small "repairs"

myself. Being successful makes me braver every time - but I must admit I also have ruined some pivots in the beginnig...

learning by doing sometimes causes pain...

kind regards

Erich

Hi Erich.

  Yes, we make mistakes sometimes and so do the watchmakers. (they make less, of course) But I am very sure that we have much more fun when we work on our own watches, doing small things to make them look, work better.

   To me, it's a big part of the joy in collecting vintage watches.

 

   Best.

I think I'd buy some naff movements to experiment on first.  What do you consider to be the basic tool kit needed for this?

Cheers

Andrew

 If you want to do things that I did in these two topics, you don't need many.

    A set of Bergeon screw drivers,

   Movement holders

   Case back openers

    2 loups (X5 and X10)

   Twizeers (2 or 3)

   Needle nose pliers

 

  But after that If you think you can do more. The list will be much longer and cost you more.

  You can type "watchmaker tools list" and google it. You will see what you need (cost lots of money ,too).

   The first movement that I worked on was an old 30T2, you can try them first and see how you like it.

 

   Best.

 

I might just give it a go - I've always fancied trying my hand but balked when I thought seriously about it.

Cheers

Andrew

Nice documentation Hoi, I really enjoyed this.

i was going to call it a demo in 'how to fix your tension spring', but i have history with movements so for me it would be 'how to destroy your movement'

i have one sm300 with the problem, but i'll live with it until it needs a service. its one of the few weak points on these great movements, but luckily an easy fix as you've demonstrated.

thanks again

Graham

 

  Hi Graham.

  Its not easy to work on a watch, your move needs to be  precise every 1/10 of a milimeter, lots of practice and you should start working on something big first

    but when you can do it, it pays.

 

   Best.