Swapping Omegamatic with Quartz

Since Omega's caliber 1400 (ETA 205.111) seems to have most of the disadvantages of a quartz movement with few of the advantages, my (dangerously) idle mind has begun to wonder about swapping that movement with a traditional quartz movement. For purposes of discussion, the ETA F06.115 seems like a good candidate. In addition to the items listed below, does anyone see other potential issues am I missing?

1. Movement Size

Both movements are 11.5 lignes with a case fitting diameter of 25.60 mm. The F06.115, at ≤ 3.22mm thick, is thinner than the 3.95mm 205.111 and thus should fit in the case.

2. Hand Size

The 205.111 takes 1.5/0.9/0.25 hands while the F06.115 uses the more common 1.2/0.7/0.2 hands. So swapping the movements will also require a new handset. Not ideal, but potentially acceptable.

3. Dial Feet

I assume the dial feet position are not compatible, so it would be time to break out the Dial Dots.

4. Date Position

The technical guides that I've found for the 205.111 don't specify the date indicator position, so I can't confirm that it's compatible with the F06.115. But overlaying photographs of the two movements—F06.115 at reduced opacity on top—suggests that they're really quite close. The F06.115 has slightly larger numerals, so if the dial cutout for the 205.111 is really tight, it might not work. But I think it looks good enough to try.



5. Stem Position

I can't find a specification for the distance from the stem to the dial on the 205.111, so I can't assess whether or not the stem position of the F06.115 will align with the case tube.

6. Crown Compatibility

The stem for the 205.111 looks like it's a Tap 9 stem. I can't find the specifications for the F06.115 stem, but I assume it's a Tap 10. So a replacement crown might be required as well.

Summary

I think item's 5 and 6 are the only problems that might not be easily resolvable. But I've probably missed something obvious, and I'm happy to be enlightened. Thanks.

Sorry if my post was confusing, but (a) I don't own an Omegamatic, (b) I don't necessarily want a quartz watch though I do think a quartz movement would be an improvement over the caliber 1400, and (c) I'm not especially interested in value.

Can you elaborate on why you think the swap might not be simple? Is there something missing in my post, or is there a specific issue or issues mentioned for which the difficulty would be greater than described? Or is your comment based on the general idea that things are never as simple as they seem? 😀

I agree that replacing a true automatic movement with a quartz movement is likely to be difficult and isn't something I'd consider. The Omegatic, however, is (more-or-less) a quartz movement. It just uses an automatic winding mechanism to charge a capacitor which, in turn, powers the actual quartz movement. So this query is more along the lines of replacing one quartz movement with a different one.

The problem with the 1400 is that the capacitor (aka the accumulator) wears out and needs replacement every couple of years. Even the later versions (based on the ETA 205.911), which have a battery instead of a capacitor, require servicing every few years. Replacing the battery requires disassembly of the automatic winding works to gain access, so it's not a task for the casual enthusiast.

So a stock 1400:

• is a quartz movement
• with an advertised power reserve of 100 hours
• that requires a new capacitor (or battery) as part of a professional service every 2-3 years

Replacing it with a F06.115 results in

• a quartz movement
• with an advertised power reserve of several years
• and a battery that can easily be changed at home
• and that is unlikely to require a professional service in decades, if at all

The upside seems pretty clear to me.