Hello, I own a 1968 omega constellation chronometer caliber 751, self winding here is the issue I am having, for a while the watch was running fine when I wind it and wear it I don't wear it for a full day, and then I noticed after I wind up the watch with the crown usually 3 to 6 turns of the crown and I get resistance meaning the crown won't wind, that being said the watch only runs for approximately 26-28 hours then just stops just sitting on my desk but the problem is it has a power reserve of 50 hours I believe, so my question is, is it simply a issue of the watch not being worn daily or possibly a dying hairspring because I figure that just winding it up with the crown and not wearing it to get the rotor to wind the watch through the day, it seems to me that just by winding it up with the crown it should run from the power reserve of 50 hours or something fairly close to it. Thank you for any advice your help is greatly appreciated. Ruslan.
I just bought it from a reputable jewlers so it was serviced before I bought it roughly a week ago, he told me it was a 50 hour power reserve based on the movement.
Ideally 50 hours, but it is older. Service quality can vary so we can't say here. Is there a warranty? If so you should bring in back and have them check to see what the problem may be.
Yes I brought it back to him and explained the situation and issues as best as I could, I just figured I would post on here as well you guys are very knowledgeable and helpfull i have read your threads before researching watches off of your forum, off the top of your head can you think of anything that would cause the issues I have been having, I realize it is a vintage watch and I want to care for it and preserve it the best I can, if you would like as soon as I get it back I can post pictures.
I think 20-30 turns is more like a full wind - so to get 20+ hours out of 3-6 turns you're doing well if you're not wearing it. If the crown doesn't turn after 6 turns then definitely something up. Remember to ask the watchmaker to take pics of the movement and inner case back when he has it opened.
Ok cool will do thanks for the help. He said it would take a couple of days for him to test it and see exactly what it may be, and that's what I thought initially at first that a watch with 50 hour power reserve only required 6 turns max, it just kind of threw me off.
Ok, the good news is with the watch is, according to the watchmaker it was just a simple thing that I was only getting 5 to 6 turns of the crown was because the watch was at full wind anyway, he said throughout his testing he was able to get up to 20, 25 winds. If anyone can also shed some light on this it would greatly be appreciated and as promised pics of the watch. Apologies after a closer look underneath the rotor I think it's a 751 movement.
Hmm that doesn't sound right. IIRC the automatic movement has a 'slip' mechanism that means you can keep winding even when fully wound. You would likely feel more resistance but the crown should still rotate. Does it still do this? If so I think your watch needs a service. And I think you're missing the case seal Nice looking Connie BTW Good dial Sharp case
Well I just go the watch from the watchmaker yesterday so the game plan for testing the crown is just let the watch run until it stops and then wind it up to see how manny winds of the crown I can get because I assume the watchmaker wound it up as far as it will go, I will let you know, how it goes and if all else fails I can take it to a omega store at the mall and bite the bullet and have them. Check it out, also if there are any guidelines I should follow for winding up the watch please let me know, also thanks for the compliment your help and knowledge is always appreciated. Ruslan.
Hi @ruslan5900 As I mentioned, there should be no 'as far as it will go' on your movement. Folks here aren't keen on taking vintage watches to Omega for service. They will send it to Switzerland and tend to want to do things that affect the originality of the watch. (It's also very expensive) If you tell us where you are (country or state if in the US) someone may have a suggestion for a vintage specialist watchmaker as it sounds you might need one.
You should not have that problem . It indicates to me that perhaps parts of the winding gear are worn or insufficiently lubricated. There are quite a few small gears that move when manually winding an auto and the reverse wheel MUST be correctly lubricated. I had my fathers eta2452 serviced two years ago and found not long after I collected it that if left overnight manually winding was almost impossible after a couple of winds but if I wore it for a few hours everything freed up. I took it back and told him but of course when he tried it it was ok. As an interest when winding manually listen carefully and see if you can hear the rotor spinning. You should not.
Ok thank you for the help I will try as you recommend, I mean I just assumed before I purchased the watch the watchmaker lubricated the winding mechanism enough for it to function correctly and after having the watch i encountered the problem i took it back to him and explained what was going on he tested it for a week says he took it apart to check everything was ok, so I would assume he had the foresight to look at the winding mechanism and the parts associated with it to make sure it was all lubricated correctly. I have the watch back now ever since I got it back it has been running for 23 hours with no additional winds, i will pay special attention when winding. As also previously mentioned before I would like to let the watch wind down or stop so I can get a fresh start so to speak on the winding and see what happens. Thanks for all the help guys I really do appreciate it. Ruslan.
Ok guys back with a update the watch has stopped running this morning it has been running since Tuesday @ 4pm as best as I could figure when picking it up from the watchmaker it stoped this morning @ 8am so I wound it up I got up to 20 25 winds and listening carefully for obvious signs of rotor spinning in which I believe I did not hear. The crown does still wind after 25 turns but as posted by a previous forumer I can still turn it but I do feel some resistance, thank you all for your advice and knowledge, and thanks for being patient and understanding. Best regards, Ruslan.