I am in the process of ordering parts from Otto Frei and wanted information on both the enlargement ring and maintaining ring he lists for case ref 145.013. Are these typically replaced at service? Also, for the crowns and pushers.....do all have gaskets and therefore all need replacing at service? And, did these flightmasters have the small Omega sign in the crystal from the factory?
Typically wear parts are replaced at service, so generally if you look at the function of a part, unless it is subject to wear from moving somehow, it won't be a part that gets replaced. So for sure the enlargement ring is not a wear part, and I would not expect the maintaining ring to need replacing, but it is a $1 part, so not a big deal in any case. All crowns and pushers have gaskets yes. It depends on the specifics of these parts if the gasket itself can be replaced, or if it requires changing the whole part or not. In a crown for example, many times the gasket inside the crown can't be removed without damaging it as the gap between the post of the crown and the washer that holds the seal in is smaller than the seal. In these cases the most economical thing to do is to replace the whole crown. The crystals on these are mineral glass, so they did not have the Omega symbol on them. Note that they require a special tool to install properly. If you search the threads here you will see information posted about this. Cheers, Al
Archer, Thanks for the reply and information. I did read through various threads as suggested, and the tool was described "like a piston compressor". Is there a name for such a tool?
Is replacing the mainspring an automatic "yes" even though the run time and accuracy throughout the reserve( about 45-50 hrs) is extremely good? I have no service history.
Well, the Cal. 910 is not an automatic, but yes I replace the mainspring in every watch I service. People underestimate the importance of a good mainspring - it is the engine of the watch and if it's not in good shape and providing an even flow of power, then all the tweaking at the balance area is for nothing. There is no way to "date" a mainspring that is inside a watch (other than knowing it's blued steel or white alloy on some older watches) so you have no idea how long it's been in the watch typically. It could have been used over again already, and is on it's last legs. Even if a visual inspection of the spring looks good, you never know when it will let go. For the money it takes to replace one, and the work involved to get to it if it breaks (because that will be on me), if someone tells me they don't want theirs replaced, they can find another watchmaker... Cheers, Al
Yes, a manual wind...Sorry, I was not clear. "automatic yes" as opposed to deciding case by case. I have always had them changed in any other watch, but I have never had one with no service history run this accurately over their entire reserve.