Omega 26.5 SOB T1 - 1935 Production Year
This Omega arrived with me with a complaint of grinding whenever the watch was wound, with a good idea of potential causes i set about finding the issue. The movement was a little dirty and lacked lubrication so timekeeping was not even registering on the timing machine, a service was definitely the order of the day. Below is the log of events >
Just a scan of the movement before removal reveals the crown wheel screw is not quite right, when turned the screw keeps turning and is loose. It appears at some point the original screw was lost and was replaced rather poorly with the wrong screw type and has stripped the original thread, oh dear :(
Movement uncased ready for hands and dial to be removed.
Movement striped down and ready for a thorough clean, the troublesome barrel bridge is gonna require some tlc to get her right.
After a good clean the parts are organized and ready for assembly. The Barrel bridge repaired and new Omega crown screw was replaced ( luckily i had spares ) . The barrel was also given a good clean up by hand. Time for reassembly and lubrication >
The movement reassembled and back running. Not without a few minor issues, the previous person to attend to this Omega had crimped the regulator pins so tight that removing the balance for truing was simply not possible without damaging the movement further. The regulator now has to sit at the outer most position to keep within any reasonable time. Normally the balance would be removed and kinks repaired but with scarce parts i wasn't going to risk the hairsprings integrity.
With the movement clean and fully lubricated the watch was reassembled and ready for testing. Considering the wear & tear plus the state of the balance the watch actually keeps good time, after 3 days solid running the watch lost only 5 minutes ( compared to 30 minutes approx ). Overall a nice and rare little Omega worth keeping in good condition. Now ready to be returned for re use.