Next step in my watch-repair journey: Unknown Omega Pocket Watch

Can you measure the diameter of the plate in mm.
In fact, measure the dial side diameter, and also the diameter of the upper section.

Caliber 19''' NN 7-16P.

Yours appears to be missing the swan neck spring for the regulator arm.

The same place you order parts for a 1904 De Dion Bouton 😉.

It will be a matter of scouring eBay and other old watch parts houses for the parts. You may need to get donor movements as some parts may fit, but some may not.

Even though Omega had improved production techniques, many movements from that time were still hand fitted and parts may require some work to fit.

I hate to say it, but I told you so.

😉

Hang in there, it get better with time and experience.

NIce, I have a few Omega pocket watches, and some parts.

Hairsprings are often going to be the problem. The pocket watch ones though are much easier to work with than the wrist ones what were statistically graded and matched to the balance.

I had some plates, I was going to fit a generic sort of balance into. For the most part the watchmaker was expected to turn the staff to fit to size.

Poising tools, which look like a little vice with synthetic ruby or sapphire jaws, used to turn up in tool assortments often. There are also balance truing calipers. The little tiny weight washers were used to poise the balance, which makes it not heavy in any one place. There are also a series of timing screws (I forget if there were two or 4) which were used to do the course regulation.

This was everyday work back in the day. The staff pivots tended to break since there was no shock protection.

Elgin was the company that wrote the book on statistical parts grading. I once took a bunch of random 'parts' and got a ticking watch out of them. Elgin probably was the most influential of the watch companies. Waltham, might be popular with collectors and such, but they retain a more 19th century feel to them.

I have an A11, which I want to see if I can get going again. The Sportsman, and Lord Elgin movements are what evolved into the modern swiss watch. Even the parts packaging and numbering feel somewhat modern. They did move production overseas. I think they were having the machine tools made first. Since that is where the precision starts.

Surprisingly I have recently been able to do this with A. Schild, landeron, and most recently Omega 5XX parts. Not cost effective but fun.

In all these cases I have dozens of movements to work with.

Once you have worked a bit with pocket watches, Landeron 48 movements are cheap and plentiful. While these have chronographs, The basic watch is solid, and at 12 or 13 lignes large and easy to work on.

I still find it amusing that one of the first Puzzle watches I worked with was the Tissot equivalent of an 861. I also under supervision, worked on a memomatic, and the chronostop.

As for parts Bestfit catalogs and the cross ref sheets are a must. For the most part by the 1950s, one could order a staff, mainspring to order. Even hairsprings. Not sure when they went to Nirvalox (I think a nicchrome alloy) So a blue steel hairspring could be good enough.

My guess is that most makers probably outsourced the balance/hairspring anyway. I have a tray full of them, and they all look pretty much the same.

And we have cell phones with clock apps, so one could easly let the staff tap against the glass spring of the phone, while one counted the beats ... (this was done against the crystal of a known good pocket watch.)

Before you spend money on a hairspring, you need to check your balance to ensure that the staff pivots are not worn or broken. Check your balance jewels to ensure they are OK.
Then fit the balance without the hairspring and fit it to the plate with the balance cock. Check for absolute trouble free rotation, end shake and side shake.
Only then would I proceed to get another hairspring, and I would leave that until every other part of the watch was functional.

Have a look at your original to see if it's just a flat spring, or is there evidence of a Breguet overcoil.
Then measure the diameter of your balance staff and check with the supplier as to the staff size of the collet.

This tends to be an issue with the hole end mainsprings. Adding a small kink to allow the spring to catch is a common technique to assist, as is using a small file to sharpen the edge of the hole so it catches better.