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Omega 200m case advice

David cooke32
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Hi, this is my first post, I am looking for some advice.
I have a Omega Seamaster 200m pre bond case and bezel, I sent this case that has a part number 396.1042 and complete watch with case 396.1052 to my watch maker to swap the movement etc into the 396.1042 case. But he said that the tube for the pin and crown to go though was larger on the 1042 case, so we agreed to swap the bezels over as the 1042 is better than the 1052, but they was also different. Any information I would appreciate, the only thing I thought it be is that the 1042 case was an automatic version and not the quartz version. Please look at pictures and advise. I am not a watch expert. I just enjoy the omega watches I currently have 5, 4 x 200m and 1x 120m
The pictures are of the 396.1042

IMG_6657.png IMG_6658.png IMG_6659.png IMG_6660.png
 
vibe
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Are you meaning to say that the crown tube does not line up with the crown height on the movement? I have no info for you but i must say it’s always better to post the photos and not screenshots.
 
David cooke32
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David cooke32 David cooke32
Hi, this is my first post, I am looking for some advice.
I have a Omega Seamaster 200m pre bond case and bezel, I sent this case that has a part number 396.1042 and complete watch with case 396.1052 to my watch maker to swap the movement etc into the 396.1042 case. But he said that the tube for the pin and crown to go though was larger on the 1042 case, so we agreed to swap the bezels over as the 1042 is better than the 1052, but they was also different. Any information I would appreciate, the only thing I thought it be is that the 1042 case was an automatic version and not the quartz version. Please look at pictures and advise. I am not a watch expert. I just enjoy the omega watches I currently have 5, 4 x 200m and 1x 120m
The pictures are of the 396.1042

IMG_6657.png IMG_6658.png IMG_6659.png IMG_6660.png
Sorry I made a mistake the tube size on the 1042 was smaller not bigger.
vibe vibe
Are you meaning to say that the crown tube does not line up with the crown height on the movement? I have no info for you but i must say it’s always better to post the photos and not screenshots.
no I mean the width of the tube it’s a different size so the crown would not screw down. Sorry about the pictures, but I don’t have the case to hand, as my watch maker has it, these pictures are from the sight I bought it from, so I had to edit them.
 
vibe
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You can probably look for a crown that matches the tube or a crown/tube combo.
 
Dan S
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What is the question exactly? Apparently your watchmaker has already informed you that the cases are incompatible. People always think they can just swap parts between different references or movements but that’s often not true.

Instead of Frankensteining your watch, why don’t you just stop wasting money on parts and buy the watch you want.
 
David cooke32
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Dan S Dan S
What is the question exactly? Apparently your watchmaker has already informed you that the cases are incompatible. People always think they can just swap parts between different references or movements but that’s often not true.

Instead of Frankensteining your watch, why don’t you just stop wasting money on parts and buy the watch you want.
Wow I’m glad I joined this sight, you are so helpful, it’s a simple question, for your information, I wanted to change the case and bezel on my watch as it’s not very good, I have 6 omega watches as I collect them, so what should I do scrap the watch and buy a new one. All I am asking for is advice. I will remove myself from this site, as it’s not for me, I thought this was a site for people to talk and help each other, not for people to have a dig at someone.
 
David cooke32
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Dan S Dan S
What is the question exactly? Apparently your watchmaker has already informed you that the cases are incompatible. People always think they can just swap parts between different references or movements but that’s often not true.

Instead of Frankensteining your watch, why don’t you just stop wasting money on parts and buy the watch you want.
Wow I’m glad I joined this sight, you are so helpful, it’s a simple question, for your information, I wanted to change the case and bezel on my watch as it’s not very good, I have 6 omega watches as I collect them, so what should I do scrap the watch and buy a new one. All I am asking for is advice. I will remove myself from this site, as it’s not for me, I thought this was a site for people to talk and help each other, not for people to have a dig at someone.
 
David cooke32
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David cooke32 David cooke32
Wow I’m glad I joined this sight, you are so helpful, it’s a simple question, for your information, I wanted to change the case and bezel on my watch as it’s not very good, I have 6 omega watches as I collect them, so what should I do scrap the watch and buy a new one. All I am asking for is advice. I will remove myself from this site, as it’s not for me, I thought this was a site for people to talk and help each other, not for people to have a dig at someone.
Also before I go, all I was asking is what is if the case could be from an automatic Omega Seamaster 200m so your advice is if you have a watch that is worth a lot of money and it needs fixing, chuck it away and buy a new one !! Great advice.
 
padders
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I agree you should probably try somewhere else with that attitude. You’d know if you had an auto case as the case number would start 368 rather than 396. The auto and quartz cases are not interchangeable and differ in detail.
 
David cooke32
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David cooke32 David cooke32
Also before I go, all I was asking is what is if the case could be from an automatic Omega Seamaster 200m so your advice is if you have a watch that is worth a lot of money and it needs fixing, chuck it away and buy a new one !! Great advice.
David cooke32 David cooke32
Wow I’m glad I joined this sight, you are so helpful, it’s a simple question, for your information, I wanted to change the case and bezel on my watch as it’s not very good, I have 6 omega watches as I collect them, so what should I do scrap the watch and buy a new one. All I am asking for is advice. I will remove myself from this site, as it’s not for me, I thought this was a site for people to talk and help each other, not for people to have a dig at someone.
To Vibe thank you for your comment, my watch maker did offer this, but I didn’t want to take the chance and damage the case, the reason for the swap of cases was one was new old stock and my watch case and bezel was looking a little bit aged. The other reason for my question was I never knew that they was different as I researched it and as far as I know they only changed the hands, crown, movement and case back, but I thought the case was the same. So I thought it may have been an early automatic case. I joined this site for advice as I have a keen interest in the omega watch I own 6 of them 5x 200m and 1x 120 and all I am trying to do is make them the best I can and learn about how they work etc and the different variations. It’s just a hobby.
 
David cooke32
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padders padders
I agree you should probably try somewhere else with that attitude. You’d know if you had an auto case as the case number would start 368 rather than 396. The auto and quartz cases are not interchangeable and differ in detail.
But it may not be the correct serial number, as I thought that the automatic back cover was one piece and the serial number was on on the lug on the case. Yes I am sorry I do get a bit of an attitude when, I have just joined and as I was wanting advice, I don’t understand why he is taking about buying a watch I want when I have 6 watches and they are all over 30 years old and some need work, so he is saying I should not maintain them, I thought the 2 cases was the same, once I knew they wasn’t I told my watch maker to put it back how it was. Yes I could have changed the tube, but I decided not to. I don’t see how getting my watch repaired, I’m not Frankensteining my watch just getting it repaired.
 
David cooke32
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I try and keep all watches as original as possible. The watch I was hoping to have the case changed and i didn’t, i could put an aftermarket dial on from a well known site, as you can’t buy them anymore, but that is not what i do, i bought the case in question thinking it was the same, when i found out the tube was different, we thought we could swap the bezel but that also would not fit, so the watch went back as it was, i will wait for an original bezel to turn up and fit that. I have researched on google and it said the 2 cases are identical. So I assumed they was and I didn’t think this was Frankensteining. All am asking is if anyone else knows why they are different. I apologise if I upset anyone this was not my intention !!
 
sheepdoll
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Interesting.
I wonder if not creating and avatar and engaging has a lot to do with the feel of the conversation.

I wound up getting a lot of 55x/56x as job lots recently mostly sans case or really trashed cases. I have also been getting 134x quartz as in the long run these will be IMO the most servicable in the future. (Coils and rotors in later movements are integrated and riveted to the main plate.)

Case tube position is the main issue in swapping cases. I run on this with chronograph cases. I tried modifying a cheap goodwill faux chrono case, but the metal warps under the laser heat.

The cheap cases and dials used by people into modding frankens, reproductions and homages are also not real suitable for going the watchco route. Finding the so called cheap faked cases is also problematic as these are closer to fraud than fun. Where people are asking 100s of dollars for cases with the intent to deceive. That is the real feeling I read here. I'd sure like to know where to find a fake Connie case milled for one of my 561 or 564 movements for 35 bucks. All I ever see is NH35 crap.

The question is, are we stewards or just simply users of fine things? A bottle of fine wine or scotch is no value once passed through the kidneys. I think replicating or mixing dial or bridge markings is like changing the labels on wine bottles. One would not put scotch into a wine bottle or vice versa. Nowadays such things have anti counterfeiting even electronic tags. Really surprised no one put NFTs on watch dials.

Stems were something any competent watchmaker was expected to make. So swapping a crown is just a matter of making a new one with the right tap. Case tubes are a bit of a mystery to me. It has only been the last year I realized these are a consumable part and what they were in my spare parts job lots.

It does seem tempting to put a mechanical movement into quartz case. On the other hand there are more movements than cases so it really is just time to wait for one or the other to show up on the auction sites.
 
David cooke32
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Hi Sheepdoll, thank you for an interesting read.
The case in question, I don’t have have any intention of altering it, I would just like to know why it’s different and if it possible it is for an automatic movement, once I can establish what it is, I will decide what is the best thing for it. I keep all my watches stock, I don’t like fake watches or Frankenstein watches, I do think if someone wants to make a watch for their own pleasure that is fine. I have seen the omega swatch watches being but into a stainless case too look like the seamaster and then sold, I don’t agree with this, but if someone decides to make it for their own collection then that’s a little different. I love the omega watches and I think they should be left as is. I don’t really agree with these fake bezels people are putting on these watches, but if you can’t purchase a new bezel, what do these people do, I try and find good condition genuine ones for my watches. Yes it’s more expensive, but it’s what the watches deserve. This was why I bought the case in question. But as I found out it’s not always that simple. I paid £150 for the case, I could of bought a cheap fake bezel for £37 and the average person would not know, but like I said I don’t agree with that. It’s a fake. The watch no longer has original parts.
 
padders
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David cooke32 David cooke32
But it may not be the correct serial number, as I thought that the automatic back cover was one piece and the serial number was on on the lug on the case. Yes I am sorry I do get a bit of an attitude when, I have just joined and as I was wanting advice, I don’t understand why he is taking about buying a watch I want when I have 6 watches and they are all over 30 years old and some need work, so he is saying I should not maintain them, I thought the 2 cases was the same, once I knew they wasn’t I told my watch maker to put it back how it was. Yes I could have changed the tube, but I decided not to. I don’t see how getting my watch repaired, I’m not Frankensteining my watch just getting it repaired.
Are you perhaps confusing serial number and case number? The serial on Prebonds is only printed on the inner caseback, not usually engraved on the case and can rub off with cleaning. There were several caseback designs used, the quartz are usually concave, the auto usually flat. As I say, if a case number starts 396, it is deffo for a quartz, but who is to say whether your caseback and mid case actually belong together since they were purchased second hand. I can't explain why a 1052 quartz guts wont work with 1042 case but one further wrinkle is that there was a different quartz movement used early on, I wonder if your new case is for an earlier movement than you are trying to transplant.

Look here for further info:

https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/...e-omega-seamaster-200-pre-bond-series.316149/
 
David cooke32
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padders padders
Are you perhaps confusing serial number and case number? The serial on Prebonds is only printed on the inner caseback, not usually engraved on the case and can rub off with cleaning. There were several caseback designs used, the quartz are usually concave, the auto usually flat. As I say, if a case number starts 396, it is deffo for a quartz, but who is to say whether your caseback and mid case actually belong together since they were purchased second hand. I can't explain why a 1052 quartz guts wont work with 1042 case but one further wrinkle is that there was a different quartz movement used early on, I wonder if your new case is for an earlier movement than you are trying to transplant.

Look here for further info:

https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/...e-omega-seamaster-200-pre-bond-series.316149/
Yes I understand the serial number, like I you said it may not be for this case, I don’t understand why the tube size would be different and also the bezel is different, it won’t fit. I know they had the 1441 and the 1438 movement and I have had watches in the past where these had been changed by previous owners. My watch maker fitted the movement no problem, it wasn’t until he fitted the crown and pin, he fitted it and it was not until he went to screw it down, it would no screw down, he then looked at the tubes and they was different. So I suggested that we change the bezels as this would make the watch look better, but that was also different, as I have said I thought all the quartz version cases was the same, as i have in the past had no issues with changing the bezels. I was just hoping someone could shed some light on it. As the new case and bezel, I don’t know what to do with it, if I sell it, it may cause a headache for the next person, if I keep it what should I do with it.
 
David cooke32
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David cooke32 David cooke32
Yes I understand the serial number, like I you said it may not be for this case, I don’t understand why the tube size would be different and also the bezel is different, it won’t fit. I know they had the 1441 and the 1438 movement and I have had watches in the past where these had been changed by previous owners. My watch maker fitted the movement no problem, it wasn’t until he fitted the crown and pin, he fitted it and it was not until he went to screw it down, it would no screw down, he then looked at the tubes and they was different. So I suggested that we change the bezels as this would make the watch look better, but that was also different, as I have said I thought all the quartz version cases was the same, as i have in the past had no issues with changing the bezels. I was just hoping someone could shed some light on it. As the new case and bezel, I don’t know what to do with it, if I sell it, it may cause a headache for the next person, if I keep it what should I do with it.
I noticed that the serial number on most automatic watches are on the case lug, I have one with the serial number on the lug, that also has a different tube size, so my thinking was as this the new case was supposed to be new old stock, the serial number would not of been stamped on it, as it would of been a spare part not a watch.
 
David cooke32
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I guess I should wait until I receive it back from the watch maker and then compare it with my watches and take some measurements.
 
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