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Omega Connie 168.025 tool 105

MSNWatch
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gatorcpa gatorcpa
That is a great example. You did very well for $550. Dial is 100% original and the case has not be overpolished. The engraving is in good shape. For some reason, the gold cladding on these is not as thick as on some other Omegas. The crown needs to be replaced, but I think that Ofrei.com has these. You do need to be careful as the crown for this watch is not interchangeable with other models.

The inserts on this dial are painted, not onyx. There is a deluxe two-tone dial which has large onyx inserts. I suspect that was an extra-cost option on this watch. Here's my all steel version:

DSCN1940.jpg~original

You can see that both dials have the vertical brushing which is only found on this reference.
gatorcpa

The vertical brushing is found in other connie dials in other case references as well - both piepan and non piepan dials.
 
gatorcpa
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Skv Jelle86
Could you please inform me what is wrong with the crown? Should it be the hexagonal one? It seems to be the same that your watch has (beautiful piece BTW).

I have found a selection of crowns on Ofrei.com but find myself having difficulty with determining which one is the 'right' one.. http://www.ofrei.com/page_147.html

The crown on your watch is correct and original, but the gold plating is very worn. This is common with vintage watches. One of the main reasons why most collectors accept watches with replaced crowns, so long as the replacement is correct for the reference.

It's a lot like replacing tires on a vintage car. Some collectors will insist on the original, no matter what the condition. Others will want to drive the car occasionally, so modern replacement tires need to be fitted.

To satisfy both kinds of collectors, be sure to save the original crown with the watch.

Do a search on Ofrei's site for "168.025". You'll find it.

"Omega Crown 43068 Yellow, Fits Case 167.015 and 168.025 New
Fits Case numbers 167.015, 168.015 and 168.025
Crown 8100/1194Y Omega 43048 fits the old version of case and 8100/1220Y Omega 43068 fits the new version of the cases listed. Today Omega list old 43048 and new 43068 as being replaced by the crown 42524. The terms old and new are used in the 1972 B. Jadow listing of Omega crowns.
For 18kt gold case and gpld cap and plated cases 166.0105, 167.015, 167.0015, 168.025, 168.002"

Hope this helps,
gatorcpa
 
hoipolloi
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Skv Jelle86
Can I just remove this female stem from the old crown and screw it into the new one?

Sure you can, but thing is not simple like that, the new crown can be "too yellow" (18k gold color) and you will prefer the old and worn one because it has the right matching color with the case.
Let's wait and see.
 
Skv
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Just bought this crown for an incredible EUR 8,80 including shipping. The seller failed to provide sufficient information in his ad, so I assume that not many buyers found the ad. I think that it is the 4204. He claims that it is an unused original Omega crown, goldfill, tap90. If I don't like it or if it doesn't fit, I'll sell it on the Bay. http://www.mediafire.com/file/mm3gmu3zyy2/Omega_Constellation_Crowns.pdf

$_57.JPG
 
woodwkr2
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If you do this operation yourself, you'll want to be careful about a few things:
1)Take care not to scratch up the sides of the case in removing the crown
2) use it as an opportunity to clean up the parts--you don't want to introduce dirt into the case and movement by replacing the crown
3) once you've tested and friction fit all the parts, you'll want to loctite the female stem into the crown (and a proper pin vise is invaluable here).

This is all, of course, assuming that when you remove the original crown, you find both halves of the split stem in good condition and do not need to replace anything there.
 
woodwkr2
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Skv Jelle86
Crown removal is discussed in this thread: http://mb.nawcc.org/showthread.php?24205-Omega-Seamaster-crown-and-stem-removal

and over here: http://watchguy.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Omega-The-monocoque-case-for-the-new-Seamaster.pdf / http://www.old-omegas.com/tool107.html

I think I'll ship it together with the watch when I get it serviced. They need to remove the crown to get to the movement, so they can replace it at the same time.


Enjoyed that top link. Especially these wise words when it comes to anything related to watches:

"There is No need to "put your shoulder" into anything connected with fine watchmaking...[ NEVER force anything, sit back and think, if you are forcing or using "your shoulder" you are quite simply doing it WRONG... Watches are designed to be taken apart easily, do not make your job any more difficult than it is by not thinking your job through before you start. The time spent thinking before you attempt to take apart your watch is more than the time and money required to "fix" damgage that occured because you the "watchmaker" did not take the few minutes thinking before you start.

A question to all....
Why do "watchmakers" make things so difficult on themselves?? Quit prying, gouging and otherwise brutalizing fine timepieces. Basically quit trying to re invent sealing wax. A little thought and life is simple. The watch tools are there for a reason, some have more than one use."
 
Archer
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woodwkr2 woodwkr2
If you do this operation yourself, you'll want to be careful about a few things:
1)Take care not to scratch up the sides of the case in removing the crown
2) use it as an opportunity to clean up the parts--you don't want to introduce dirt into the case and movement by replacing the crown
3) once you've tested and friction fit all the parts, you'll want to loctite the female stem into the crown (and a proper pin vise is invaluable here).

This is all, of course, assuming that when you remove the original crown, you find both halves of the split stem in good condition and do not need to replace anything there.

If the cut end of the stem is prepared properly, a pin vise is all that is needed to secure the crown to the stem. I rarely use Loctite on stems, and if I do it's usually on a quartz watch where the stem is fragile enough that you can't apply sufficient torque to tighten it without snapping the stem. Most of the time, Loctite is not needed.

Cheers, Al
 
Skv
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20140408_172756.jpg
20140408_172719.jpg

One small downside I noticed is that the material underneath the bezel on the bottom of the face is damaged. Does this compromise ability to keep dust from coming in?
 
Privateday7
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Very nice watch !!!........ I couldn't see what you mean by material underneath bezel. Tension ring? (It is the ring that hold the crystal in the place)
 
Skv
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No, check the edge of the case underneath the bezel. The part in between the lugs where the strap is placed. Is this repairable?

20140408_182734.jpg
 
Skv
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Privateday7 Privateday7
Very nice watch !!!........ I couldn't see what you mean by material underneath bezel. Tension ring? (It is the ring that hold the crystal in the place)
it is like the tension ring is lifted up a bit, now thay I assess it more closely.
 
Privateday7
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Skv Jelle86
No, check the edge of the case underneath the bezel. The part in between the lugs where the strap is placed. Is this repairable?

20140408_182734.jpg

Now I see it. Never seen like this before, probably place where the tool place the tip to open the top.
Others experienced with open top watch probably could shed more light
 
gatorcpa
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I don't see anything wrong with it. My watch is like that also. The bezel hangs over the edge of the case a little bit and there is supposed to be a gap there.

It's possible that's it's a little scratched up from a watchmaker lifting up the bezel to clean or repair the movement.

Hope this helps,
gatorcpa
 
Privateday7
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gatorcpa gatorcpa
I don't see anything wrong with it. My watch is like that also. The bezel hangs over the edge of the case a little bit and there is supposed to be a gap there.

It's possible that's it's a little scratched up from a watchmaker lifting up the bezel to clean or repair the movement.

Hope this helps,
gatorcpa

Jelle86, now the experts has chime in, stop worrying....and start enjoying 👍
 
Skv
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gatorcpa gatorcpa
I don't see anything wrong with it. My watch is like that also. The bezel hangs over the edge of the case a little bit and there is supposed to be a gap there.

It's possible that's it's a little scratched up from a watchmaker lifting up the bezel to clean or repair the movement.

Hope this helps,
gatorcpa
You just made my day..! Now I can enjoy it fully!

To celebrate it, I just ordered a dark brown unpadded genuine lizard strap by Hirsch. Updates will follow.

I cannot remember being as pleased with a watch as I am with this one. It just breathes quality and luxury. I can really recommend you guys to get one. Just wow. 😁
 
Privateday7
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Skv Jelle86
I cannot remember being as pleased with a watch as I am with this one. It just breathes quality and luxury. I can really recommend you guys to get one. Just wow. 😁

You know that the first symptom of addiction, don't you?😉
It's a very slippery slope from there. Especially if you continue to hang around this forum.....::stirthepot::
 
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