Omega Caliber 561 Date Change Help

gur8sing · Aug 23, 2022

So I have a 1960s C-shape Connie with a caliber 561 that I had serviced a few months ago. I just recently noticed that the date doesn't fully change until about 12:30am. I took it to the watchmaker who serviced it (a reputable watchmaker in my city) and he suggested I just leave it and that it wasn't really an issue.

So I'm wondering, is a 12:30am date change on a vintage serviced watch acceptable and I am just being unnecessarily picky or should the date be changing closer to midnight?

JimInOz · Aug 24, 2022

The 561 doesn't have an instantaneous date change (i.e. clicks over at midnight).
The date driving wheel has to turn one complete revolution in 24 hours, so that small portion used to push the date indicator wheel through its movement is necessarily slow.

Depending on where the watchmaker set the hands, the date will start changing "around" midnight.
It takes about two hours for the date to completely change from one date to the next.
So if you want the date to be completed at midnight, the commencement of the date change should begin at approx 22:00.
The procedure for setting it up is to rotate the date driving wheel (via the crown) until the date change is complete, then set the hour hand to 12, then set the minute hand as required.

Omega Caliber 561 Date Change Help

gur8sing

JimInOz

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