Omega De-Ville with cal651 movement

I have a De-Ville with this movement, that my (now mainly retired) watchmaker told me needs a new balance and added "I can't source them any more".

I know this is basically a Peseux/ETA 7001 movement, but can the real experts on here tell me if the balance is the same ?
I can probably get a 7001 balance even if it means an old donor movement as they aren't so thin on the ground.

Thanks in advance for any expert input.

Do you really need a balance? It's unlikely but, if you do, Cousins have them with/without shock protection.

Cheers, Chris

Second-guessing the watchmaker and one of many years experience? Bold move.

Tom

Me?

Thanks for the inputs.

My watchmaker is fairly "old school" but has a lot of experience I think.

He has done a fair amount of work for me in the past without, I think, ripping me off. I'm not going to question his judgement, but it may be that he still works in a world gone by where replacing parts at moderate cost worked out cheaper for his customers than the cost of his time in repairing them.

Clearly, this principle may not be appropriate to current Omega part prices 😉

It's an attractive formal dress watch, but I have others fairly similar so it gets worn very rarely.

At £129+20%VAT+carriage+cost to fit etc.this is probably gonna remain in its imperfect state which is OK-ish bearing in mind it's probably worn only a few hours at a time, but could be a lot better.

Thanks for the heads up anyway.

After posing the original question, I now know where I can source a new sealed in package 7001 balance at a fraction of that cost, but don't know if it will do the job.

I think Tom's comment was aimed at me and not you. He chose to read my comment as a criticism of the watchmaker rather than a request that you check what you've been asked for before spending all that money. Usually, it's a balance staff but, if he's asked for a balance complete, I can't find anything that says the 7001 balance is the same as the Omega 651.

Good luck, Chris

Yes, but now that you've explained yourself, I understand.

As for the cost, I'd pay it without a second thought. Pay me now or pay me later, but you WILL be paying me, as the saying goes. Don't cheap out on your restoration, you will end up regretting it.

Tom