Help: First Omega - 131.019 - wrong watch or fake?

[mseamaster]

I just received my first Omega and got super excited only to open the box and see the watch... running.

131.019 should be cal. 601, yet I don't see how the watch could have travelled for a week and running out of the box... unless it's automatic... or even worse... a quartz fake.

 

[mseamaster]

But the caseback is flat... it makes no sense... if it's automatic it should be thicker.

 

[Dan S]

It's easy enough to tell if it's hand-winding or automatic. Just wind it and see if it reaches a hard stop. Or shake it and listen for a rotor.

 

[mseamaster]

How do I tell from winding it? Honestly, I only have automatics. This is my first hand wound.

 

[Dan S]

The crown will stop turning after a while if it's hand-winding.

 

[mseamaster]

It's springy and pulls back. When I wind it, it goes a bit back. And the whole watch ticks very noisly compared to my modern autos.

How come it's running after travelling in a box for almost 10 days?

 

[mseamaster]

It felt like I only wound it for a bit and I can't wind it anymore. It moves a bit and springs back. But it's really really noisy, so it can't be quartz, right? I can hear it easily from 10 cm away.

Edited: May 8, 2024

 

[Aroxx]

mseamaster

It's springy and pulls back. When I wind it, it goes a bit back. And the whole watch ticks very noisly compared to my modern autos.

How come it's running after travelling in a box for almost 10 days?

Sounds normal to me. How long did it actually run for out of the box? Sounds like it had some residual power reserve and started for a few minutes when you started handling it.

 

[Dan S]

Sometimes a watch will run a bit when it's run down if you jostle it, that's really not the issue. If you wind it and it reaches a hard stop where the crown can't physically turn any more, then it's hand-winding. You should have had to turn it 30-40 turns. If you only turned the crown a few times, it's probably not fully wound, you just need to try harder.

 

[mseamaster]

I will let it sit to see when it stops by itself. Afterwards I will wind it fully.

Thanks for the help, everyone. Otherwise do you think everything looks alright? As in dial, hands, etc.?

I will take it to a Horologist to verify anyway, but it will take me a few days before I can do that. I still don't have any tools, so I can't open the case back myself.

 

[JimInOz]

mseamaster

.............. I still don't have any tools, so I can't open the case back myself.

Sorry to be blunt, but if you didn't know why your watch started working after a period of unknown use then I suggest you forget the tools and tinkering until you know more about mechanical watches.

 

[mseamaster]

JimInOz

Sorry to be blunt, but if you didn't know why your watch started working after a period of unknown use then I suggest you forget the tools and tinkering until you know more about mechanical watches.

I am not going to fiddle with it or anything yet.
My idea would be just to verify the caliber and that it looks as the seller showed it.

You're not being blunt, I don't know enough to touch the movement itself or anything.

I will get to learning more once I get some junk movements and tools.

 

[JimInOz]

mseamaster

I am not going to fiddle with it or anything yet.
My idea would be just to verify the caliber and that it looks as the seller showed it.

You're not being blunt, I don't know enough to touch the movement itself or anything.

I will get to learning more once I get some junk movements and tools.

Good plan.

I'm 99% confident your watch is OK, so wait until your watchmaker confirms and then just enjoy it.

There's much to learn here, so hang around and soak it all up and before you know it you'll know why your little Omega started ticking again.

 

[mseamaster]

JimInOz

Good plan.

I'm 99% confident your watch is OK, so wait until your watchmaker confirms and then just enjoy it.

There's much to learn here, so hang around and soak it all up and before you know it you'll know why your little Omega started ticking again.

Yes, I will need to read up on it. My basic understanding was that a spring would completely unwind itself on a hand wound and it will not work without winding... This is really interesting.

Btw for anyone interested - the watch stopped by itself after an hour. It seems alright for now, but I won't know until I take it to the horologist to check. The winding is a bit stiff, but I have no comparison since all my other ones are autos.

Edited: May 8, 2024

 

[lejaune]

Looking at the thickness and the lack of "Automatic" writing on the dial, it's most likely not automatic. If the second hand does not jump on every second, then it's not a quartz. The easiest way to make sure is to open the back, take a photo, and post it. Most people here can tell you what you have.

 

[mseamaster]

lejaune

Looking at the thickness and the lack of "Automatic" writing on the dial, it's most likely not automatic. If the second hand does not jump on every second, then it's not a quartz. The easiest way to make sure is to open the back, take a photo, and post it. Most people here can tell you what you have.

It's definitely manual. The seconds are not jumping.(btw aren't there quartz movements with smooth seconds?). I measured the beat rate with my phone, since the ticking is really loud.(compared to modern auto watches), and the measurement was 19800 bph, as it should be.(of course, phone microphones and closed watch case make for innacurate measurement)