Omega Chronostop Service
awr-adminI recently serviced this 1968 Omega Chronostop cal. 865 with the rarer white dial for one of our customers. It's an interesting watch because it has a single elapsed second chronograph feature operated by just one button.
When it arrived I noticed straight away there was a problem with the mainspring. Although the watch was winding, the end of the spring was never reached and was slipping like an automatic.
The movement is removed from the case and the balance, pallet fork and pallet cock are removed.
Next step is to remove the chronograph mechanism.
The top plate can now be removed revealing the train and mainspring barrel.
The top of the barrel is popped off to reveal the mainspring. It doesn't look broken, most failures occur near to the barrel arbor where the stress on the spring is the highest.
The mainspring is removed and the problem is revealed, the bridle that engages with the outer wall of the barrel has become detached, so the spring is continuously slipping when wound.
A new mainspring is inserted and all the other parts are machine cleaned, then reassembly can then begin.
First the barrel, and center wheel.
The train is reassembled, the top plate refitted and chronograph parts are then reassembled.
The escape and balance are re-fitted and depthing of the chronograph wheels adjusted. This is the inter meshing of the teeth. The precise level of pressure is required to drive the chronograph without overloading the train to the point it stops running.
We can then start setting up for beat and timing. Things are looking good here. After adjustment we are seeing 0.0ms beat error and good amplitude of the balance wheel (244degrees) on the timing machine.
The dial and hands are refitted and the movement is inserted back in the case. The watch is then fully tested before delivery back to the customer who was very pleased with the work which also included fitting a new Omega OE crystal. We also provide photos and serial number details for customer records and insurance requirements.
Please get in touch if you would like your vintage Omega serviced.
Very interesting,it lets customers see what we actually do.I had been a watchmaker for 50 years
I sent my 1969 Chronostop to Robin (not the piece in this article). This is a family piece that was bought for my Dad by my Grandmother (who sadly is no longer with us). Dad is 75 this year and I wanted to get the watch back to full working order as a surprised for him. Robin was clear about what he expected the job to cost, he communicated very rapidly and without ambiguity, and in every regard he was first class. The work that he did on the watch was superb - and this case study specifically reassured me that he was the guy to trust (and he absolutely was). He's my go-to guy now and basically the time and the detail that went into this and the other case studies was invaluable to me because I don't know watches at all.