I posted this on another forum but thought I would post here and see what input/feedback inc ups get. Cheers!

So just looking around on a website that offers Omega parts and I realized I can get all the parts I need to build a 100% complete Omega great white (unless I'm missing something).

I summed up all that I would need

Case $829
Dial $147
Mov't $480
Hour/min hand $46
sec hand $36
GMT hand $24
Bracelet $648
Sum $2,210

This plus what ever cost I need for a watchmaker to put the watch together (and here in Dubai I gather I could do that for $100 or less) would basically get me a brand new Omega Great White minus the box and papers.
Looking at eBay and the forums I can see that this price is aligned or even cheaper sometimes than preowned versions of the watch

Just curious, anyone think this is feasible? Is it legal? would it be considered a genuine Omega?

 

I'll leave the ethical comments to others, but you need to be aware that not all Cal. 1128 movements are the same. You need a specific movement for the 25382000, so for example and 1128 out of a 22345000 (the black GMT version) will not work. I also question where you can buy an Omega Cal. 1128 for $480...at least one that won't need a service.

This can be quite the can of worms if you don't know what you are doing...

Cheers, Al

 

Thanks archer. All parts are to sourced from Otto Frei who as far as I can tell is a reputable dealer in Omega Spare parts in the US

 

Well the "reputable" part I won't comment on...

I just looked at their site, and some version of the 1128 is shown there for $480. You need to ask them if it is the movement actually shown there, because if it is that is a 60 million serial number, so it's quite old (from around 1999 or 2000). At the very least it would require servicing. You should be aware that Omega does not sell complete movements of this caliber anymore, so even if it's not this specific movement, it will still be old stock that will need servicing.

Note that they also don't tell you what version of the 1128 it is, so you will need to find that out.

Cheers, Al

 

George has one for sale here:

https://omegaforums.net/threads/ome...38-20-great-white-serviced.21416/#post-268415

Much better way to go in my view...

 

Dude. Totally.

 

No particularly interested in actually owning this watch. Was just posing it out there as a hypothetical project to see how feasible it actually is. You guys brought up some valid concerns

 

While, I would always highly recommend kringly; he is far from the only seller. You should be able to buy a Great White in excellent condition for 2,200. I am not sure why you would consider building one, outside of the challenge, when there are plenty available for that price or better?

 

resurrection of this post but a question for Al mostly......how do the 1128 GMT movements differ?

 

The hand heights are different, so the 1128 in the great white has a longer second wheel, cannon pinion, hour wheel, and 24 hour wheel than the one in the black dialed version uses. This also affects the case...if you try to put the movement and dial from the great white into the case for the black version, the stem no longer lines up with the hole in the case...

Cheers, Al

 

Interesting! So I guess that the case/crystal height is bigger in the great white. Is there a functional reason or just an Omega marketing thing?

 

The Great White dial is thicker than the black dial version, hence the different movements and the differences in the cases

 

Bingo! I can't say why this is, but certainly that is correct. Since the stem height references off the dial in this case, a thicker dial means the stem is further back in relation to the crystal.

 

Years a go i got this Great White. When i bought it from the first owner, it got a black dial in place, changed in the local Omega AD. I also got the original white dial, which was changed back immediately.

 

So seems that can retro-Franken the black dial in but not the other way round. Is it harder to make the white wave dial as thin? How about the blue dial from the blue bond GMT? I know it's a different movement but the case size is "similar" and I really am not suggesting doing this.

 

I imagine that you can put a thin spacer between the movement and dial to bring a black dial out to the same position as the white one.

Seems strange that Omega have made the dials different thicknesses and the subsequent changes to movement and case, you would think it would have been easier to have both dials the same thickness?

 

Here's the thing - these modifications may work, but if not done the correct way will cause problems eventually when you use parts that were not designed for the case or specific watch. So say with using a thicker white dial on the black dialed movement, you might be able to get the hands to fit on the posts, but there will be almost no clearance between them. So any knock of the watch that might move the hands slightly will cause them to interfere with each other or scrape the dial. For the stem height, the stem does go through the hole, but it's not centered. So what's the big deal there? Well when the stem is not centered, every time you turn the crown to wind it or adjust the time/date, the stem is flexing - think of taking a piece of wire and bending it back and forth - it eventually work hardens, and snaps.

This same problem can happen if the movement is not aligned in the case properly - I had a rash of watches from a specific brand I won't mention (not Omega but this brand has threatened lawsuits for people just giving their negative opinions on forums before) where they simply didn't turn the movement to line up correctly inside the case - it was off by a few degrees and I had several of these turn up with broken stems in the space of about a year.

 

can't find the beating a dead horse icon so maybe this one necessary
How about switching up bezels? Maybe

 

Spend your time, energy, and money looking for a deal on one instead, mate.

 

just in the spirit of learning. As with many things, would only leave this sort of thing (repairs/mods) to the pros like Al, but this forum is better than most about spreading knowledge around so that the noobs (like me) are not getting burned.....