Morning All,

Hoping for some advice here regarding a potentially missing Tension ring.

First speedy purchase (bought from the forum here) and what I thought was just yellowing around the dial and old glass seems to actually be coming from a brass or missing tension ring.

Could anybody alude to the problems of not having a tension ring? As I’ve only owned the watch for a week and thought I might have a month or two to service it however this is making me a little nervous. (Sorry for the iPhone photos)

I can see the genuine omega symbol on the glass so I was wondering how this could happen, or why somebody would remove this on a seemingly otherwise genuine watch?



Cheers,

Will

 

As far as I know, not having a tension ring ultimately means the crystal is incorrect, because the correct crystal shouldn't be able to be seated correctly without a tension ring.

The problem with having an incorrect crystal is that the fit will not be as intended. It will sit too high, too low, too tight, or too loose. That makes it easier for water to get inside the watch, and potentially the incorrect crystal could alter where the dial (and therefore movement) sit relative to everything else.

 

Thanks so much for this, I was a little confused about how you can just be ‘missing’ a tension ring and still have glass secure.

Sounds like options are :
1. Incorrect crystal
2. Loose original crystal

Wth the risk of damage to internals from incorrect seating, or ingress of water/moist air etc, that could potentially be why the lume is slightly mouldy which I haven’t seen on many watches?

 

These crystals come with black (correct for your watch) or silver (incorrect) tension rings. I believe your watch has the silver tension ring present. Not a big deal, but if it bugs you, any competent watchmaker can swap it out or paint the tension ring black and reinstall it.

 

Thanks wsfarrell, can the silver tension ring take on a brassy look over time? This definitely has a golden/brassy colour rather than straight silver.

And just to clarify this is a 145.012-67 with a production date of September 1968 delivered to the US. From my research I thought the silver tension ring was only used up until the 105’s but happy to be proven wrong.

 

Sorry, I notice you did mention silver was incorrect. My apologies.

 

The tension rings are typically made of brass, so if the finish has been stripped off yours, that may explain the brassy colour.

It could also be a silver ring that has somehow tarnished or discoloured.

Cheers, Al

 

Thanks so much Al,

I’ll wear it in comfort for a few more weeks before a service.

Cheers,

Will

 

Just to clarify @wsfarrell's point a little further, correct Omega crystals come fitted with the tension ring. It's essentially a complete piece. If it has the Omega symbol on it, I'd be quite surprised to see that there was no tension ring.

 

Thanks mate,

I’m confident the symbol exists, so the silver/black tension ring must have taken on a very brassy appearance.

Cheers,

Will