First off: Hi, I am an watch enthusiast from the Netherlands and new to this forum. Last week I bought a vintage Omega Geneve Automatic that was running (kind off) but look as if it as been buried for at lease twenty years.
The crown is missing and the stem was rusted stuck inside the watch case and even in the main platine.
Since it is a front-loader the stem is a split stem. I managed to remove the movement from the watch case but for this I had to remove the bus (is that a correct naming?) that makes the casing watertight. With a little patience and some drops WD40 I was able to the stem. Although the watch is in a horrible condition ( a lot of gunk inside) I am considering restore it to a good working condition and keep it. It all depends on the cost of some parts.
Now my question:
Should I go for an original stem? Would you choose the split stem? Since I do not ave a crown, has anyone have an idea regarding the type of crown used on an original watch? I would not change any other parts accept for the glass. Wat glass could I use on this watch?
I am not sure if it is wise to restore it but it looks like it has a hard life sofa and it deserves a second chance

 

I think this is one of those cases where the rubber finger condoms are more to protect the fingers from the watch than to protect the watch from the fingers!

 

It's a 166.041 to my eyes, therefore not a front loader and no need for a split stem.
It could be saved, but it will be a draining project (on the wallet) unless that dial is pristine and worth saving the whole watch.

 

It doesn't look like a front-loader. Did you upload photos of the wrong watch?

 

And a regular stem for a cal 565 can easily be found on eBay for a relatively small amount. If you want to fiddle around with it and practice, this might be a good project. I don't think it'll be worth it financially, but that doesn't necessarily have to be the main motivation, of course.

 

Not a split stem, not a front loader either. You may want to leave this one to a competent watch guy...not sure it is really worth it considering the state of the dial though.

 

I say do it. Since it appears you are doing the work yourself I don't see how it's not going to be financially viable. You said it ticks so hopefully a careful cleaning and oiling will get it usable, and parts-wise a stem, compatible crown and acrylic crystal can be had for chump change.

 

WD-40????
Might as well throw sand and other abrasive compounds in the watch. Then duck tape the whole thing back together.

If you need to get rusted part free use Kano Sili-Kroil.

WD-40 is for 'Water Displacement.' Basically was created as an anti freeze.

I do like to encourage watchmaking. Best get an inexpesive watch like a benrus or bulova to practice on first. At least the 56x series is robust enough to work on. I did a few when I started out. Parts are fairly avaliable. Stems, and setting parts can be had. Use the ranfft http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&2&2uswk archives to find the base caliber. Also look for and download the data sheet that gives the part names and numbers.

Edit: ... and invest in some proper tools, like a cannon pinion puller, or hand levers. You do not want to break or bung the center wheel.


-j

 

Other than the rusted out stem and one of the case clamps looking like its the wrong one for the case, this movement just looks dirty to me.

That the seconds hand is floating in the case it a little bit concerning, but especially since it sorta runs this one is likely salvageable.

Like other have said, more as an exercise in learning than as an exercise in money making.

These are wonderful movements to work on, and like janice&fred said, the parts that are immediately obvious as needing replacement shouldn't cost TOO much.

what WILL get expensive would be the tools and materials you would need to do this as a project yourself. Do you have any of the tools?

 

+1 It is the tools ones spends so much on. Or the waiting for one to arrive as the critical ones always seem to be 'Out of stock.' A lot of these were manufactured with automated assembly. So one needs the hand version of the tool to hold or release or press things. Especially when working on something like a 351 where the pressers require micrometer adjustment screws to create the exact tensions and torques.

A watch, however, does have to be fairly far gone to be unsalvageable. I am having good luck with mine. https://omegaforums.net/threads/rust-bucket-special.148468/#post-2047327 Still have a stuck screw. One has to be quite patient to let the Kroil soak in. Or else wait for the proper tool like the Bergeon 30209 to become back in stock.

Patience is the first rule. Even so one can make a mistake. Last night I bunged a Landeron 48 minute recorder jumper, as I followed a guide which said to install before installing the operating lever. The operating lever was not restricted and bent the jumper. All happened faster than the eye can see.

Similar things can happen with the incabloc springs. If one lets one side open more than the other, then snap. Click and yoke springs can vanish into thin air or they can stay in place, only to make the part like the click or set lever dissipate never to be seen again in this lifetime.

Sometimes parts land in your hair or get stuck on clothing. Such can turn up in the strangest of places. Or never be seen again. Swiss watchmakers wear lab coats and work in clean rooms for a reason.

One learns quickly that such springs and things are the ones that are permanently 'out of stock.' or the most expensive when they do show up for sale.
-j

 

Okay, Thanks sofar for all the comments. To be short: There was a split stem. It was rusted. WD40 is NOT as abrasive as some of you guys think and it is quite commonly used, It works like a dream and it is cheap. As you can see, the dial has a lot of patina I like that on an old watch. The watch is a write off to many but not to me. I do this more often but yeah I am not a professional by any means. I just love to get this thing back on a wrist, not for the money but for the love of watches. It does not have to be pristine, I just want to save it as a watch. I already found the split stem and I have ordered a new glass. Total expenses sofar: about $25. Still looking for the tube and the crown though.

 

On the comment of Front loading: there was no way to remove the movement from the back since the stem was stuck as it was. Even with the bare plate (without the keyless works and all) the stem was still stuck. Removing the glass was an easy way to get the movement out and strip it bare. Although I already have a new split stem, I still consider using a normal stem instead if that is more original (I do not know this movement in this case). Most tools I have, but what I lack is a bit of knowledge and a lot of experience.

 

I worked with people who knew the inventor, and may have talked to him myself. It is not a lubricant nor is it a substitute for the correct material or substance. Hammers are also quite commonly used to remove screws. Just because something is commonly misused does not mean the that it is the best way to solve the problem.

It is because people will not follow the so called rules and take short cuts, that the Swiss companies will not sell spare parts to the users.

I or my Dad personally destroyed a cuckoo clock with it. Brass filing all over the bottom of the case. I still have the clock, and it is how I got into repair in the first place, as the clock repairer took pity on me and took me on a a student. (He and his father also taught at the local community center.)

The other personal experience was I used it on a lock. Which worked great. Until the property managers key no longer fit. (Accused me of changing the lock.) Again, the bottom of it was full of brass filings.

Unlike NASA, cheap and watch/clock repair are words that do not work together.

Duck tape, superglue and paperclips also work like a dream. Then there is a section of the Baud Brother's museum in Vaud, Switzerland, Which shows how well solder works in botching clocks and watches. Proof that almost everything is collected.

There is a Canadian Comedy sketch show called 'The Red Green show.' The local PBS station used to show it, when they did not care about ratings. If it moves, duck tape it.

 

What an elaborate story to an insignificant detail of my post. I merely used WD40 to loosen a stem that was rusted stuck in a watch that I bought for scrap. There is no way I would ever use it as lube. Where did I mention that I would do so? Also, who in his right mind would have a watch restored that has a value if a few hundred dollars if it where in a good condition? Maybe if it had belonged to my dear father that recently passed away. Otherwise, nobody would do that. So, there we are: I am trying to get this watch working again. My budget is $50. Not counting my hours and my Bergeon oils (yes, I use the lubes from Bergeon, can you believe that?). Instead of providing any helpfull information there are smart comments that have not been helpful at all. I clearly overestimated the knowledge of the users of this forum where one does not even take the efftime to actually read the post. So thank you again for all your comments and I hope you have had a great time.

 

Wow. What an exit. Stage left.

 

This is a global forum where people look for advice. Yes people tend to skim postings and focus on the details rather than the 'big picture.' Do they even bother to search and read the old posts, or even other posts and replies of the person to whom they are responding?

My comments are not only for the OP, they are also intended for others who may use search to look for advice. The object is to keep others from learning bad habits.

Just because something solves a problem for one person, it does not mean that it is the best solution for others. Or should the use be encouraged in this day and age of understanding the hazards of not considering the effects bad advice has on others.

Eating lead is done because, lead is sweet and tastes good. Used for centuries as a cheap alternative to sugar. Lead piping adds a sweet taste to water. WD-40 is similarly misused. Not only by the OP but by many other members of the public. There are cases were it does work well in large machinery. It works well as a coolant when machining aluminum. People use it in repair of cars. Lead was also added to fuel to make the parts run smoothly together. There may be interaction between brass and steel that does not happen when it is used with steel on steel. There are long term effects down the road that may not appear right away and can affect others.

Obvious the OP is looking for something cheap to get a watch working. This seems to imply the OP wants to do the minimal work to flip a watch, using cheap materials. Then recommend using same cheap materials to others who may not know the difference. Reccomending cheap shortcuts, and dismissing a desirable collecting item, as scrap, that is the focus of the a a group of high end collectors is not going to be a popular topic.

My recommendation is to use the correct material in this case Kano Sili-Kroil rather than something not appropriate.

It is evident from the OPs photographs that a proper case cushion and movement holder is used. The OP also states that after cleaning they do use proper lubricants. So it is a bit confusing as to why the OP does not appreciate the advice freely given with a sense of humor, after all most of this is strictly for entertainment value. Otherwise no one really cares about how the sausage is made, only the end results of what it tastes like.