Hey guys, so I was wondering if anyone here knows why Omega put these circles on some of the rotors on their old movements?

 

O is for Omega

 

Are you sure its meaning is simply just to be an O for Omega?

 

Nope. But it's a pretty good assumption

 

It's a simple answer, but I thought it was too simple. At some point I suspected it could be some kind of symbol for their chronometer movements, but I found that they are on non-chronometer seamasters too, so that theory went out of the window. I guess the simple explaination is the only explaination left. Unless someone else have any other imput.

 

Haven't the foggiest about the O, but it looks like you have some rotor rub.

 

What's rotor rub?
And it's not my movement, it's just a google picture.

 

I doubt it is just a mark for Omega. It was put there for a reason, maybe for trademark purposes, or to signify a particular quality level, or an export mark, or a myriad of other reasons. The reason is probably lost to the mists of history.

 

In the past, this has been called an identification for a replacement rotor. Not sure that I've seen anything official confirming this, but replacement rotors do come with this circle when ordered new from Omega.

 

Worn bushing on the rotor at the axle allows the rotor to rub on the inside of the case back,. and also on the movement plates/bridges. Very common, and easily repaired with the proper parts and tools.

 

That makes sense.

 

Really? Why put a circle on it then?

How does it makes sense?

 

Every 564 I see doing a quick google image search has the O on the rotor.

 

And is there a point you are trying to make?

 

That the O likely doesn't indicate a replacement rotor, unless all of the movements that appear on the google search carry replacements. Did I misunderstand your post?

 

Hmmm, the great Omega crop circle controversy.

 

Okay you specifically said 564's, so I wasn't sure what exactly you were implying there. You will see the O on rotors from all calibers related to this series.

Keep in mind that all these movements are many decades old. Back when these were all current movements, it was common to replace the entire automatic winding system on these, as Omega offered them as complete replacement units ready to drop in. This is why people often see that the rotor an automatic bridges are a different shade of copper colour to the rest of the movement - people often ascribe something nefarious to this, when it's just the way watches were maintained at that time, when they were not collectible items that people obsessed about - it was just a watch.

I can't speak for the representative nature of Google search, but having serviced hundreds of 550, 560, and 750 movements, and bought new rotors directly from Omega that had the O on them, I go by what I see.

If you feel it's not related to be a replacement, that's certainly your choice, but I don't believe your Google search proves anything. Do you have an alternate reasoning?

 

I don't and defer to your expertise.

 

To me, the more interesting question is why Omega thought it was desireable to distinguish between the original rotor and a replacement. Are there other parts that have a distinguishing mark when they are sold as replacements?

 

Certainly not all do, but there are other instances. There was a time when replacement movements would have a serial number starting with the letter "R" for example. Now they just replace the movement with a different serial number, and update the records accordingly. This sort of thing has come and gone over time.