I'm looking to slowly piece together a Speedmaster but have a quick question about compatibility of parts. The case I'll be starting with is likely going to be a Mark II Case 145.014 and building up from there. From what I've managed to research this case can use anyone of the 861,1861 or 1863 series of movements. I'm curious about dial compatibility, am I able to use any dial that is for anyone of those movements. If you could let me know that would be greatly appreciated.

Also if there is a comprehensive guide that has been assembled please direct me to that as I wasn't able to find it.

Thanks for your help.

 

Good luck on that

 

You should be able to use any of the 861 series movements in a 145.014 case. As for the dial, they are practically all the same size but I have found some 145.014 dials to be a little smaller but the normal 1861/1863 dials should fit the 145.014 case. I'm not that keen on the 145.014 case as the dial sits much deeper into the case than a normal Speedmaster.

My latest mod was to use a Lemania 873 movement (same as Omega 861), the case from Bucherer, dial from Sinn, hands from Omega - all the parts were originally designed for the Lemania 873 movement - so anything is possible

 

I used a 1861 movement in my project . I got a NOS 1861 cheaper than a 861 movement on Ebay or similar

 

Pictures . I am curious .

 

Yes, most definitely. Thank you for the advice. I would love to see how that watch turned out.

 

Have to start somewhere. I wish my budget would allow me to buy a proper one but i'm going to take a shot at assembling my own.

 

This project came about mainly because of the dial. I bought it a while back from ebay because I just really liked the dial, but when I came to inspect the dial again a few months later I found some slight damage to one of the markers at the very outside of the dial, and for me then the original idea was finished because I didnt want a dial where I could see any damage. That got me thinking......never a good thing

I already had the NOS Bucherer case (designed for Lemania 873 movement) but the diameter of the Sinn dial was too big for the case, so I decided since the dial had some damage anyway I would trim the dial down to the correct size for the case. The case had been destined for an Omega dial but now the Sinn dial was going to take its place.

So I stripped, cleaned and oiled the Lemania 873 movement, which I had had for a few years, it was working well so just needed cleaned and oiled. I fitted the reduced size dial and Speedmaster hands. The case came with the movement ring so the whole thing basically fits together without issue with everything lining up correctly.

It might not appeal to the majority of people due to the mixture of components but its something different and I like the look, I imagine Sinn owners would be horrified

Timing in the movement yesterday I think its about +4 seconds / day, so not too bad for an old movement

All the components together add up to about $800 with the movement making up just over half of that.

 

I would suggest getting a Mk. II dial, not a stepped Speedmaster Pro style dial. The geometry is different enough that the stepped dial that would sit further into the case may cause you problems with hand interference on the underside of the crystal. The Mk. II dials are flat and don't have this issue.

 

Its fun to experiment ............MKII fitted with standard Speedmaster dial. I dont remember encountering issues with the hands but I can imagine its possible if the movement does sit closer to the crystal

 

The movement locates in the case with the dial out at the edge. If the dial is stepped, this stepped area is what the whole movement will locate on. The portion of the dial that is not stepped will then be closer to the underside of the crystal. The movement may also be further into the case, which can cause misalignment of the hole where the stem enters the movement with the case tube, which long term is not a good thing (more wear on the movement, flexing of the stem can cause work hardening over time and breakage, etc.).

It's possible that since this uses case clamps (unlike a Speedmaster Pro model) that the whole movement may be pulled back up as the screws are tightened, so it might not be a big problem, which is why I said it may cause you problems. Many times because something can physically fit and go together, doesn't mean it works properly or the way it should.

Personally I think the stepped dial in a Mk. II case looks terrible - too much going on for my tastes with the tachy ring on the crystal and then the step in the dial...

Cheers, Al

 

I agree, I dont think many people do fit a Speedmaster Pro dial to a MKII case, these were just for fun and they are back in normal Speedmaster cases now. There are also quite regularly nice aged MKII dials for sale at a reasonable price, or at least there used to be.

One thing I found, replacing the MKII crystal is really awkward

 

They can be, but I don't have big problems with them. Of course you have to start with the movement in the case to line up the crystal exactly:



New crystal and gasket:



Gasket is mounted on crystal:



I lubricate the inside of the crystal fitting ring with Fomblin grease, and get the crystal started:



Press it with your fingers to the point where the seal is in the small groove in the fitting ring, and the bottom of the crystal is poking out to act as a pilot:



Line it up on the case, then press it a bit with your fingers to make sure it's lined up and stays that way:



Finish in the press with an appropriate die:



Now that it's installed, you can remove the movement and clean up any dust that might be on the dial or underside of the crystal, then put it all back in place for final tests:



Not too bad - about a 10 minute job maybe.

Cheers, Al

 

Thanks Al for the detailed instruction. I spent a lot more than 10 minutes when I did my first one

I have one to do in the near future but had been putting it off

 

Thanks, just ordered my case and an 1861 movement. Hoping an 861 dial fits and then i'll be good to go. If anyone is selling any omega parts let me know.