1952 Omega Seamaster 2577 SC Cal. 354 Service Guide

Hello, I have recently got my hands on my second Omega- a cal. 354, 137xxxxx serial, fitted to a “beefy beveled lugs” C 2577-3 SC case. It seems to be in good original condition, but totally seized up with old oil. (the balance staff was stuck in the bridge when I took it out, and the pallet fork drags with no flick.) Hopefully it will only need cleaning and oiling, but we’ll see.




I plan to do the work myself, which is a nice change of pace since I usually work on ancient obscure watches with rare movements and unobtanium parts. To that end, I have some questions about parts;


- What should I do for a case back gasket? The watch came with an ancient rubber o-ring, but it’s my understanding that these watches used a flat lead washer when new. The ID of the case back groove is 30.8mm, and the outer groove for the caseback is 32mm. Cousins lists the dimensions for the factory part at 32 x 30.8 x 0.5- I assume a flat rubber washer is the correct modern equivalent?


I can’t get a new one from Omega (right?) and the closest one Cousins sells is 32 x 31 x 0.6. I figure this probably isn’t a bad option, as there is some corrosion on the sealing surface and the extra 0.1mm might help take it up a bit, plus it will have an extra 0.2mm of width to fill out anyway. Not perfect of course, but is there any better option?


Next is the crystal/tension ring. This CK2577 has the removable type bezel, but I have read it is highly prone to damage. Is it better to leave the bezel in situ when removing the crystal? There are some scratches on the crystal I can live with, but the tension ring is quite corroded and seems to be pretty well seized, so I’d like to remove and clean it, or replace it if necessary. The crystal looks original and is quite low profile, so I’m afraid the claw tool won’t have the purchase to safely remove it or install a new one.


Finally, are there any good videos on Youtube of people servicing them that actually know what they’re doing? I have the bumper service bulletin from 1954, but I have no experience servicing Omegas and it would be nice to have a vidoe aid. The most thorough looking one I’ve seen is Weekend Watch Repair’s video on a cal. 354 Constellation, but I know he is only an amateur watchmaker himself and Omegas are not his standard fare. I’f there’s a better option, I’d love to know.


Thanks in advance!

First. Don't need to remove the bezel. Crystal remover won't remove the crystal. These types are press fit. Not compressed type. I just push them out with my thumbs and had new ones installed by my somewhat local supplier.

If light scratches. Polywatch to polish them out if light. More than light. Buffing required

Don't think I ever used case back washers or just reused what was in there is any. I told people not waterproof tested and to not get wet.

Last. Crown not original. 4 notch model. Order replacement and new stem

Edit for the mods; I just realized this post is probably more appropriate for the Watchmaking forum, so I request that it be moved there if possible. My mistake, I haven’t used OF much and I forgot there was a sub for that😅

Would that mean either of these would be the correct dimensions? Also, do you have any preference between the ISO or Cousins brand? Obviously Omega brand would be ideal, but I’m just shy of an Omega cert it seems. (Joke)

Much appreciated!

I have one more (probably obvious) question about the mainspring; in watches with a separate bridle for the mainspring, do you use braking grease on the barrel wall?

I would think yes, but Omega’s automatic watches service bulletin from 1954 makes no mention of it and says to fit the mainspring and bridle in the same way as a manual wind movement. They talk in detail about the amount of slip in the barrel wall and about cleaning the mainspring, but nothing about a special grease there.

That’s what I plan to do with this one since new replacements abound, but that’s not always the case unfortunately, so I was wondering what the correct procure would be. I was working on a Felsa 693 recently for which Cousins doesn’t sell any new auto springs that fit, but they do have a manual wind of the correct dimensions which I reused the bridle for. I used braking grease without thinking about it and it seems to work just fine.

Surely it can’t hurt anything, at any rate.