Hi guys, I'm new to the forum. I've recently inherited an Omega De Ville from my father which hasnt worked for a couple of years. I've been to two reputable watch dealers AND Omega and the consensus was the movement is too far gone. The watch is from 1984 or '85 and looking on the Omega website the movement was used for a few years. Can I transfer the same movement from a De Ville in working order with the same "1377" serial number on the back of the watch case or is it more complicated than that? Here is the watch i have my eye on for parts. Its more than I want to pay but they are few and far between. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/VINTAGE-...WATCH-CLEAN-/262028728816?hash=item3d022119f0Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network I'll upload more photos this afternoon. Thanks in advance, Rob
Have they told you what needs to be done to repair the movement? Most parts are still available for the Cal. 1377, but one key one that isn't is the circuit, so if it's the circuit that is bad, you would need to find a donor watch with the same movement to use. Cheers, Al
Hi Al, the two independent repairers said the part/s I needed could no longer be sourced . Omega quoted $2300 which is almost as much as a new watch. Presumably they were going to make a new movement. Will any 1377 movement fit?
Actually not necessarily. As I've mentioned previously many movements come in different variations with respect to the hand heights. This means that the posts that all the hands mount to are different lengths to accommodate different features of a particular model, so for example raised applied markers compared to painted markers on the dial. Raised markers often require more clearance so the hour hand will not hit them, so the posts are longer to raise everything off the dial. The second wheel, cannon pinion, and hour wheel all have to be the right length (height) to work. There are 3 different versions of the Cal. 1377, so without knowing which version is in this watch, I would be cautious saying that any 1377 will work. If you need the tallest one and end up buying the shortest one, you will have some difficulty getting clearance for the hands above the dial. In some instances if you need the shortest one and get the longest, the seconds hand will have problems clearing the underside of the crystal. Some movements can have 4 or 5 different hand height versions... These questions don't always have the straightforward answers you might think... Cheers, Al
Looking at the watch I'm looking to purchase in your opinion do you think they look similar regarding clearance of numerals? I'll look up the actual serial numbers through the Omega site. Thanks
I've looked through Omega and the two that look the closest are the links below. Current watch http://www.omegawatches.com/planet-...-details/?no_cache=1&tx_omega_Page[ref]=20784 Parts watch - looking to purchase (Ebay link in first post) http://www.omegawatches.com/planet-...-details/?no_cache=1&tx_omega_Page[ref]=15823 I appreciate everyones input so far. I dont want to spend hundreds of dollars only to find the movement isn't compatible.
When faced with a similar problem regarding cannon pinion and hour wheel heights, I simply swap the existing correct height cannon and hour for the ones on the doner movement, then I know for sure that they fit properly.
Sure, if the parts in the original watch are still good that is an option. However all we know about the existing condition is this comment from the OP: "I've been to two reputable watch dealers AND Omega and the consensus was the movement is too far gone." What that means is anyone's guess, but with no movement shot provided and with the crown missing, we can't rule out water damage and rust that would make some of these parts unsuitable for use. To the OP - my advice is to take this to a proper watchmaker (not a watch dealer, but a watchmaker) who can determine the state of the current movement in more detail than "too far gone" and have them either find a donor movement for you, or give you the information needed to find one yourself. Unless you find an auction for the exact same model, we can't tell you if the movement in some other watch is correct or not. Cheers, Al
Ok thanks for your information. All the watchmakers ever told me was that they don't make the movement anymore so basically bad luck. I'll buy the watch for parts and worse case I'll 're sell it. I'll repost when I get the 2 watches to a watchmaker.