Attaching an Omega 550 551 552 560 561 562 563 564 565 750 751 752 Balance Incabloc Shock Spring

kaplan · Dec 22, 2023

Many sources online indicate you should push the block out, reseat the shock spring, then push the block in to lock it

However I think these come out easy, and can just be inserted in vertical position, and when it moves horizontally it locks into place - at least I believe if it easily comes out, it easily goes in as well

It's been the second time one of these came out, first time was a bit hellish, but this second time, using this method from the get-go, I was able to get it in the first try. This second time I felt an off angle when the spring was unlocked, so instead of picking the jewel out or pushing the spring out, I shaked the jewel out and the spring came off that easy. But luckily installed easy as well.

Just sharing this with hopes that after a Google search, it could pull someone to the easy option

Wat-1 · Oct 2, 2024

Bumped this as I thought it did
Didn’t need a new thread.. A very quick question my grandfather’s watch is a 552 cal I have a spare 752 cal for parts are they compatible? Any help is much appreciated

kaplan · Oct 2, 2024

Wat-1
Bumped this as I thought it did
Didn’t need a new thread.. A very quick question my grandfather’s watch is a 552 cal I have a spare 752 cal for parts are they compatible? Any help is much appreciated

Most parts are compatible

Wat-1 · Oct 2, 2024

Perfect thank you. I had two fully working 552 cal and my faulty grandfathers I was going to use them to repair but totally forgot I needed to and sold the lol. Lucky I have a torn down 752

sheepdoll · Oct 2, 2024

Depends on the date mechinism. The press in jewel mount is used to clear the date wheel. It has to be aligned so as not to jam the date wheel teeth. One side is lower than the other.

552 does not have a date, so will use the oval lower jewel with screw attachment.
752 has day date so uses the press in.

I have both on my bench. So unless someone swapped the 552 bridge, the two are not the same. The incabloc spring is also a different size and shape.

I also have a 562 which does not have the quickset.

This is a tricky part with online sellers, who do not know these subtle differences.

noless · Oct 3, 2024

it really depends on which parts you need replacing, but a lot are compatible

Wat-1 · Oct 3, 2024

noless
it really depends on which parts you need replacing, but a lot are compatible

Just the rotor weight and assembly for the moment

Wat-1 · Oct 3, 2024

sheepdoll
Depends on the date mechinism. The press in jewel mount is used to clear the date wheel. It has to be aligned so as not to jam the date wheel teeth. One side is lower than the other.

552 does not have a date, so will use the oval lower jewel with screw attachment.
752 has day date so uses the press in.

I have both on my bench. So unless someone swapped the 552 bridge, the two are not the same. The incabloc spring is also a different size and shape.

I also have a 562 which does not have the quickset.

This is a tricky part with online sellers, who do not know these subtle differences.

Thankyou it'll be Mainly just the the rotor weight and maybe a few main gears.

sheepdoll · Oct 3, 2024

Rotors have the widest difference between the calibers. Mostly due to jewel count.

I got some of the little winding gears and they to not fit into the jeweled bridge. I just got a 17J bridge this week which I have not tried to see if they fit.

On the chronometer models, the position adjustments are also marked. I suspect the difference between a 551 and a 552 and a is a bit more than a bridge plate.

One really needs the data sheets, as the compatibility can be subtle. Until one gets an assortment of these, can the differences really be seen.

The wheels are pretty interchangeable. As are the balances. One has to be careful they have the right beat rate. The barrel bridge and spring is the most interchangeable. It is even possible to mix in 601 type bridges, but of course the rotor weight will hit them

Sweep pinions and and the other dial works have different height options depending on the dial/calendar.

Setworks have a few gotchas, Quickset parts are not interchangeable including the stem. Non quickset shares a winding pinion and other parts with the 470 and even the 330. Quickset redesigned all this.

As noted above, there are a lot of differences on the the main plate between calendar and no calendar. Even the dial feet positions are different.

Many of the parts are interchangeable, but they may not have left the factory that way.

noless · Oct 4, 2024

Wat-1
Thankyou it'll be Mainly just the the rotor weight and maybe a few main gears.

Had a look, the rotor itself for the 752 is listed as being the 563.1026, whereas the rotor of the 562 is listed as the 550.1026, but the post that both of these rotors sit on is listed as the 550.1400 as well as the pinion that the rotor actually meshes with is from the 550 base, so I think it should still be ok. Looking at the photos in the newer technical guide i found the center section around the post has changed shape very slightly, with the shape becoming a more simple rounded end from the 563 onwards. as both the 562 and 752 are 24 jewel movements I think you also should be fine.

looking into the geartrain the 2nd wheel and cannon pinion have changed, as has the seconds pinion and hour wheel. I think this is due to the longer length needed to clear the calendar works.

when in doubt looking up the technical guides can be quite illuminating.

Archer · Oct 4, 2024

noless
Had a look, the rotor itself for the 752 is listed as being the 563.1026, whereas the rotor of the 562 is listed as the 550.1026, but the post that both of these rotors sit on is listed as the 550.1400 as well as the pinion that the rotor actually meshes with is from the 550 base, so I think it should still be ok. Looking at the photos in the newer technical guide i found the center section around the post has changed shape very slightly, with the shape becoming a more simple rounded end from the 563 onwards. as both the 562 and 752 are 24 jewel movements I think you also should be fine.

looking into the geartrain the 2nd wheel and cannon pinion have changed, as has the seconds pinion and hour wheel. I think this is due to the longer length needed to clear the calendar works.

when in doubt looking up the technical guides can be quite illuminating.

The rotor on any of these can be used on any other.

Walkerwek1958 · Nov 19, 2024

In my experience the rotor bush can wear quite badly on 550/560 Omegas, the likelihood of a spare one from another movement being any better than the original is slim to say the least. The post doesn`t seem to wear, it's always the bush in the rotor. Replacements are now hard to find (550 1429) and fitting is a tricky job, requiring the replacement to be reamed to size using a 0.70mm reamer. I still have a few 550 1429 bushes but they're reserved for my own watches, I own a few!

Mainspring barrel is another problem, they wear on the inside walls and consequently the spring will slip prematurely thus limiting the amplitude and power reserve. A new barrel (550 1200) and mainspring is the answer. On the subject of mainsprings, I now fit the GR 2535X which is approx 15% stronger than the original. I`ve seen several mainsprings listed, the later genuine Omega packaged items seem to be significantly shorter than the original, which seems strange.

Good luck with the 752, one job I find difficult on these is getting the day and date wheel synchronised to change (almost) at the same time. If there's an easy way I`m keen to learn, trial and error can be laborious.

Archer · Nov 19, 2024

W Walkerwek1958
On the subject of mainsprings, I now fit the GR 2535X which is approx 15% stronger than the original.

Why?

W Walkerwek1958
Good luck with the 752, one job I find difficult on these is getting the day and date wheel synchronised to change (almost) at the same time. If there's an easy way I`m keen to learn, trial and error can be laborious.

Look here...

https://omegaforums.net/posts/1988615/

Archer · May 14, 2022

The dial washer isn't used on these day/date calibers, as the upwards travel of the hour wheel is already constrained by other parts.

In order to sync the day and date change, assemble the calendar to this point:

In the hand setting mode, turn the crown so that the time advances until the tooth on the date indicator driving wheel is just touching the tooth of the date indicator as shown by the arrow on the left. Then adjust the day indicator drive wheel finger...

Aludic · Feb 3, 2026

Thanks @kaplan for this kind suggestion. I've got a case where I'm not sure it will work, but would like to tap into the collective knowledge as to how to solve this... And yes, I did mess this up myself in the first place. 😬

As you can see, the incabloc spring is (almost entirely) gone. I snapped off one part of it and tried to pry out the remains. To no avail. I guess it has to do with how the incabloc block is oriented, in this case, the openings are aligned with the higher parts of the plate, which leaves no room to get the shock spring out or in.

This of course leaves the question on the table; how can I go about fixing this? Pressing the block out a little, or would turning it be an option to be able to proceed according to the suggestion the OP here made? Benefit of the first could be that getting the end shake in order is less of a challenge?

In short; help!

lenndon · Feb 3, 2026

Aludic
This of course leaves the question on the table; how can I go about fixing this? Pressing the block out a little, or would turning it be an option to be able to proceed according to the suggestion the OP here made? Benefit of the first could be that getting the end shake in order is less of a challenge?

In short; help!

Carefully pushing out the Incabloc with a staking tool, inserting the spring, and pushing it back in was definitely the best approach for me. It is pretty straight forward and not a hard job to do.. Trying to fiddle it back in may work, but I would get an extra spring, as even the slightest pressure at an unfavorable angle could send the spring flying off into oblivion.

kaplan · Feb 3, 2026

You are welcome

I would suggest pulling it out at a 135 degrees angle and just wiggling it out, or just yank it out of there and discard it

But so far the angle trick always worked for me

After the original post I had a lot more experience with it, lately I just push the spring in place using a toothpick - I place the spring flat between the block and the jewel, then push it forward with the toothpick, when it comes into contact with the block it naturally lifts up and around the 135 degree angle, it starts becoming "stuck" into place, I just wiggle it in there at 135 degree angle using the toothpick

Without any special tools you can also push the block out, and push it back in (like with a flat plastic hands pusher etc.). The horizontal angle matters most, as you see in your picture currently it's angled so the date disk has full clearance, and the block is flat with the surface. So as long as you make it flat again, I assume the endshake will be the same

So if you end up pushing it out, you can gently push it back in, turn it so the date disk clears, and then gently push it back into flatness 😀

And this one is thanks to @masteroftime ' s knowledge, Inca 175.03 (INCA17503) is a 1:1 fit

Aludic · Feb 3, 2026

Thanks for the swift and helpful responses gents! I'll be sourcing a (few) replacement spring(s) today and will push out the block a little to get it in place.

kaplan
And this one is thanks to @masteroftime ' s knowledge, Inca 175.03 (INCA17503) is a 1:1 fit

If this is the solution for the Cal. 565, that would be great! Couldn't find the right Incabloc reference number anywhere, so this is very helpful too.

Archer · Feb 3, 2026

lenndon
Carefully pushing out the Incabloc with a staking tool, inserting the spring, and pushing it back in was definitely the best approach for me. It is pretty straight forward and not a hard job to do.. Trying to fiddle it back in may work, but I would get an extra spring, as even the slightest pressure at an unfavorable angle could send the spring flying off into oblivion.

Yep - and make sure that if you push it all the way out (you don;t have to - it just needs to be pushed out a bit) that it is pressed back in with the same orientation, so the cut out in the setting clears the calendar disk.

Aludic · Feb 8, 2026

Well, thanks to the good advice here, it wasn’t too hard. I did have to press the block out a little and back in. The patient is running again. 😀

And I can confirm that the 175.03 fits this 565.