I think there are 2 ways. First is at an onega boutique. Second is send omega an email with the request. I dont know the email but it is posted somewhere on this forum.

 

No - the 1866 is not gilt. It's rhodium plated...

 

No - it's not the same base plate with just a module added on...the plate has other modification to accommodate the moon phase and correctors.

 

Curiouser and curiouser

 

Most likely answer, despite the elaborate theories in this thread...

 

I said "if"

 

And so the wait begins...some pics of the boutique to pass the time.

 

So they removed the dial and hands, and have confirmed that moonphase parts are under the dial that no one can see?

 

personally, I'd return it for having a mismatched bridge. probably fine for wear, but might be hard to sell later should the need arise.

 

But a Speedy Moonphase has buttons on the left side right? So why does the serial match? It is certainly not a moonphase case? Parts watch?

 

So they did not do anything better than the other salesperson and yourself. IMO, it most likely just had a wrong number 866 engraved instead of 863 during poduction.

Even if it does indeed have the baseplate of the 866, it still cannot be a real 866 since it has all the (much better) surface and edge finish of the 863. It'd just be a married (franken) movement.

An extract may tell what movement was registered in their database.

Why not?

 

Why presumed and not asked them while you were there?

 

Omega would consider this a franken watch. Contrary to what you were told, they would service it, but would insist on putting it back the way it should be in the process, and charging you for the parts to do so. A new 863 main plate would be close to $600, so this would very much increase the price of a service. Any other parts that would not belong would also be replaced at your expense.

 

No, all the parts could not be there as the date and moon phase would interfere with the dial - on a moonphase watch there are posts that come up past the top surface of the dial on that part. I happen to have one in the shop, so this photo illustrates what I am referring to:



I only asked because they told you this:

"So the results are in...the movement is indeed a caliber 866 transplanted into a 5392.50 case."

As others have suggested, they didn't do anything that you and the other watchmaker had already done. We are not really any closer to understanding what's going on here - the only way to know for sure is to remove the hands and dial to see what the main plate really looks like. This will tell us if it's actually an 866 plate, or an 863 plate that is marked incorrectly.

Cheers, Al

 

Assuming worst case scenario I would only pay 1k usd for it. That is what I would pay assuming it's got a hack job movement.

 

find out what Omega would charge to make it right...

 

1K shessh the parts alone are worth much more lol. Worse case is to find a spare 863 movement on ebay and I've seen old suppliers post up old movements for sale.

 

On closer look, it is definitely a yellow 863 main plate with the 866 mistakenly engraved during production. A real 866 main plate would have a copper colour, not yellow.

Replacement cost would be close to $600 for the part, like Al said above, plus labour. The yellow 866 plate would be worth nothing because of the wrong colour and incorrect for everything. What amount to negotiate with the seller depends on whether he knows the fair value of an all correct watch our not.

 

Surely if the 866 movements were only either copper or rhodium, this movement, including the baseplate, cannot be a 866. As the baseplate is obviously the gilded finish, matching the rest of the movement, the 866 stamp must be an error. Or am I missing something??

Edit: Obviously thinking along the same lines as above, but taking too long to type with one finger.

 

Everyone makes mistake all the time. Some mistakes are even worth much more than non-mistakes, whether with Omega or Rolex or someone else.

Consider yourself having the one and only yellow cal. 866 in the world.