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mossrockss
·tl;dr I sourced a 321 Professional service dial on eBay. I found a local watchmaker and he installed it in my 1861 (Big Box) Speedmaster. I am extremely happy with the result.
After much research on this forum and other spots I determined I wanted to try this mod, putting a 321 service dial (specifically one for the professional 145.012 models) in my 1861. What I gathered about the mod was this: it will fit, but a watchmaker has to shorten the legs on the 321 dial and shave the legs' diameter a bit as well.
I shot from the hip and bought a dial that I found on eBay in Switzerland. The back of the dial is engraved with the number PP2001002A, like this one that was being sold here for $300 back in 2017 (I paid triple that). I had a local watchmaker in mind to do the work who had done a service on my dad's vintage Rolex, but after I bought the dial and asked him, he is now too busy with his business venture (shout out Cincinnati Watch Co) for outside repair work. So I asked some others and discovered another roadblock I was unaware of: That any Omega-certified watchmaker is forbidden from performing mods like this. So my excellent local AD watchmaker said he couldn't do it.
I despaired a little bit but then reached out to the AWCI (which happens to be HQ'd here in Cincinnati), who referred me to an independent watchmaker about 1 hour drive from me, who they felt was of excellent caliber and could do the work. I called him, he said he'd look at it, I drove out, and dropped it off. He did the work and when I picked it up, I recorded this video of him explaining it a bit:
Very pleased with the result. It's a delight to me every time I wear it and look at the time.
After much research on this forum and other spots I determined I wanted to try this mod, putting a 321 service dial (specifically one for the professional 145.012 models) in my 1861. What I gathered about the mod was this: it will fit, but a watchmaker has to shorten the legs on the 321 dial and shave the legs' diameter a bit as well.
I shot from the hip and bought a dial that I found on eBay in Switzerland. The back of the dial is engraved with the number PP2001002A, like this one that was being sold here for $300 back in 2017 (I paid triple that). I had a local watchmaker in mind to do the work who had done a service on my dad's vintage Rolex, but after I bought the dial and asked him, he is now too busy with his business venture (shout out Cincinnati Watch Co) for outside repair work. So I asked some others and discovered another roadblock I was unaware of: That any Omega-certified watchmaker is forbidden from performing mods like this. So my excellent local AD watchmaker said he couldn't do it.
I despaired a little bit but then reached out to the AWCI (which happens to be HQ'd here in Cincinnati), who referred me to an independent watchmaker about 1 hour drive from me, who they felt was of excellent caliber and could do the work. I called him, he said he'd look at it, I drove out, and dropped it off. He did the work and when I picked it up, I recorded this video of him explaining it a bit:
Very pleased with the result. It's a delight to me every time I wear it and look at the time.
