WTB: Hairspring for an Omega 30T2-SC movement

You probably would be better off looking for a balance complete. Balances and hairsprings were matched by the factory. Not so easy to do later on. Is the hairspring missing, or is it damaged beyond repair?

A special hairspring vibrating tool is usually used to set a new hairspring on the staff. Also two special tweezers (I think Dumont #5) are used. one is oiled to slip along the hairspring. There are also special expensive tweezers used to set the ludicrously small pins that hold the hairspring in place.

Typically Omega uses 1320 for the hairspring and 1327 for the balance complete. 1325 and 1326 are just the balance, staffs are 1321.
I have a 351 which is missing the balance. May have jumped out of the tin the watch was in. So I have been looking for something similar myself. Note that a the base caliber is often used for common items like balances. So the 351 would be a 330.1327

Omega also renumbered the calibers so that a 30T2 SC can also be a 260 base caliber. This would be a 260 1327. According to my data sheets, this takes a hairspring with a Breguet overcoil, which adds even more complications.

Sometimes it is cheaper to purchase a sacrificial watch (but then one longs for the part to make the parts movement complete.)

Edit you can use the ranfft archives to find the base caliber. Also some of the materials houses have copies of the data sheets and the bestfit catalog. Ebay sellers use this when they part out a watch so one can often find a copy of the data sheet on eBay.

here is information on one of my late friend Henry B Fried's books. Bench Practices for the watch and clockmaker. ISBN 0-9656219-0-1.
Henry taught watchmaking in the New York school system. A lot of watchmakers learned from him. His textbooks are used worldwide. While I did not take any classes from him, I did get to travel with him and visit museums and even attended a seminar at WOSTEP.
Forgot I had this book, until I was figuring out If I could salvage a hairspring I have. More on that in my 'Rusty Heuer' thread.

Price seems to be a bit on the high side. Twice as much as what I have been seeing for other calibers. The other thing to watch for is if the staff is good. The seller does not note this. The photographs look like a pull from a watch that was parted out.
I'd take a pass on it and look for something better.

-j

Be careful buying things such as these because they are often not straightforward. The 30T2 came in plain and Incabloc designs - often the staffs are different but I haven't checked this calibre. If the staff is different, it's a different balance complete.

Complete balances are expensive - I have a used 266 (Incabloc) one here that also suits the 30T2 and I wouldn't sell that for less than £150-200. I have a new 330 balance complete here and that would be twice as much. You can pay £1000 for some calibres as this is a complicated assembly with delicate parts and is the regulator for the watch so must be set up well.

It's very unlikely that the hairspring is beyond redemption - can you post a picture? Much easier to keep the existing part and fix that.

Good luck, Chris

Hi McK

Of course I remember our chats.👍. I'm sure the knowledge is coming but it takes an age, as I know!

I'd be interested to see the pictures. Fingers crossed that he looks again and thinks that might be the easiest route.

Cheers, Chris

Something else to consider when searching is to used the 'advanced' tab on eBay to search for sold and completed listings. That way one can find out what things are really selling for and how common or not they are.