Hey guys, I spent a lot of time looking for one of these crowns when I had my 2500 Centenary. Never did find one. Here is someone selling a number of them if you are looking for one! http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-194...364?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20dd8ffbfcPurchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network
I do think they are genuine old stock, just not correct for the Centenary, based on the supplied illustration the serrations are not fine enough.
Per Ofrei this is the correct crown: Genuine Omega Crown Yellow Bestfit 8100/1005 Per Jules Borel, the part number is LA42100. Al Archer can look on the Omega site and see which of these number is still good. gatorcpa
These Bestfit crowns really don't look right on the Centenary's. The side on the crown with the logo should be fairly flat while these aren't. I know that the crown that was on mine was too wide. It really didn't look right to me. You might be right about this, aargh. One of the ways to double check it is if somebody that has an original crown counted how many serrations there are around the crown. Might give a good indication as to how close these are.
Looks like 22 at 5.87 mm. BTW, do you know how much of a p.i.t.a. it is to count serrations with a 5x loupe?
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/370675618500?clk_rvr_id=571484971672Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network Here is one from an old ebay auction. It also has 22 serrations. The Omega symbol is a lot larger than these new one on Ebay. These new ones though also have 22 serrations. The key is the width of the crown then. If they are also 5.87mm then I would say these are as close as you can get. If you are interested in one of these the seller should be able to properly measure the width of them.
It's a more modern replacement for sure, but not a bad idea to keep an original crown from excess wear. Speaking of which, my crown is worn just a bit which would account for the small difference.
Information: The article069LA42100 is not available, it was replaced by 069SX42527 Remplacé par: 069SX42527 - CROWN PLATED PVD YELLOW 2N Cheers, Al
They may have them yes. But often when JB has something listed, they don't actually have it in hand - trust me I know. Listed as available may mean they can get it, but it's not necessarily in their stock currently. Also, a place like this manages millions of different parts, so my gut tells me that they won't update their system with the newer part number, and will simply ship the replacement that Omega specifies if they have run out of the originals. I doubt they have someone who takes the time to update every Omega (and all other brands they carry) part numbers in their system as the parts are replaced with new parts - they would only know of the change when they order part A from the manufacturer, and get replacement part B instead. Keep in mind that all the material suppliers (and Omega) could not give two craps about what the correct number of serrations are, the shape of the logo, and all these other small details. If anyone is thinking of buying something and is set on a specific item, I suggest calling first to make sure what they have is what you want. To them the new replacement part would be "correct" and if you end up with that they may refuse a refund if you want to send it back. Cheers, Al
You are absolutely correct. I just thought it would be worth a phone call if someone was interested. I've found the people at JB to be very nice and they would probably let you know if it was the original part number before it shipped. I've gotten stuff in 50 year old sealed envelopes from them sometimes. Take care gatorcpa
They are very nice - I didn't say that they weren't. Compared to other suppliers they are in fact quite good to work with. I have personally spent probably $40K plus there, so I am very familiar with how good they are (even though I don't order a lot of watch materials there anymore, as I buy local when I can). They have gone above and beyond for me with equipment issues I've had with a bunch of Witschi equipment I bought through them, so I would never say a bad word against them. I am simply pointing out that because their web site says they have "X" you might not get "X". It's not because they are bad people at all, it's just that these companies generally do not have the same mind set that you collectors do, so what would be perfectly acceptable for them to ship to 99.999% of their customers, may not be to you. This is one reason why they now have a policy of only selling to the trade - collectors who spend a very small amount each year and are crazy about details are not customers they make money on to be sure. Omega is the same way...a recent example of 2 parts I bought for a bracelet recently. I bought part "XXX" and got part "YYY". I emailed them asking if this was a mistake, or was one replaced by the other...they said all the XXX parts in their drawer were marked YYY. Then she asked "So do they not fit on the watch?" This illustrates the thinking here - I had to explain yet again that I deal with collectors who are super picky about details, and didn't want someone to suffer a psychotic break when they see that they ordered one part number, and even though it works fine has another part number stamped on it.... I know watchmakers who will avoid collectors like the plague for this sort of thing - most simply cannot be bothered. So just trying to help people understand the situation is all mate - not taking a swipe at JB in the slightest. Regards, Al
No problems. The other guys in California can be a bit prickly at times, so I just wanted to make the distinction. Thanks for the insight Al. It's quite valuable. gatorcpa
My JB experiences: I've often ordered something like an XXYX and gotten an XXYX with a -z1 circle disc. All very old packages from the same bin. They would then send someone to go through the bin and seek out an XXYX without the -z1 circle disc. Very obliging, very over extending. Always trying to help. "We'll get Paul to check that for you"
The "prick" - liness of that other place is pretty well known....and I have said they are my absolute dead last resort many times here and elsewhere. JB is in another league completely IMO - they are "good people." Another supplier that I put in the same level for cooperation with JB is Casker in Cinci - http://www.casker.com/ They have always treated me well whether ordering by email, on line, by phone, or in person - been there many times. They may not be big on Omega stuff, so not of great use for many here, but they are good for tools and other parts for sure. Cheers, Al