Omega De Ville (Classic) Dress Watch Battery Replacement

[Jiggz]

Hello all,

 

With my success (through this forum's help)  on my classic Rado, I've decided to try another battery replacement on what I believe is a more complicated watch. I've not worn this watch for decades due to outrageous price for battery replacement. However, with this forum I hope I can get some help on how to do this properly. There are four screws on each corner of the backing. I believe the screws are holding the top case with the glass or crystal thus access is through the crystal. However, if this is the case how do you remove the winder's crown to access the back of the movement? I do not believe the four screws are holding the stainless steel backing for the stainless steel backing also holds the wrist band unit. Any help is greatly appreciated. Here's a couple of pics.

[anilv]

Where these small screws are used to hold the caseback in, I have found that they sometimes give a lot of problems as they tend to get stuck.

 

It is very important to realise this from the start. Clean all the crap around the screw. Use a good quality screwdriver and makes sure that it is the correct size. If it seems tight, stop and consider using oil/heat. Do not use more force as you will end up messing the screw head and having to drill out the screw.

 

 

Anil

[Jiggz]

Anil,

 

Thanks for the response. So if I unscrew the 4 screws, am I correct in assuming the access will be at the crystal or will it still be at the backing? And if access is at the back does that means the wrist band goes out with it? On a safety note, where can I get replacement screws just in case the existing one are stripped? Thanks again.

[Jiggz]

Anil,

 

I tried and was able to unscrew all four screws with very little fuzz. One screw was a little tight but after soaking it with a bit drop of oil, it finally unscrewed. So now I've got the crystal/bezel off but still unable to access the battery. I guess I have to remove the winders' crown to fully dismount the internal and get access to the battery. How do I go by doing this? Do I need a special tool to do this? Thanks again. Here's a pic with the crystal/bezel off the watch.

 

Edited December 15, 2014 by Jiggz

[anilv]

Great that it went without too much hassle.

 

Check if this is a sandwich construction.. ie a bezel, a middle case and a case back. Look at it from the side and see.

 

Anil

[Jiggz]

Anil,

 

I checked it all around and it's confirmed the stainless case is solid all around with no backing. I've attached pics showing the solid construction of the case with the back as shown in the previous attachment.

 

 

[anilv]

ok we've established that it comes out the front.

 

Option 1

Look at the gap between dial and case near the stem ... pull the crown in and out... do you see anything moving in the gap? some watches have the stem release visible in the gap. You will need to use a small needle to press on it and pull the stem out if so.

 

option 2

1. pull the crown out to the time setting position.

2. flip the watch over, the side away from the crown will fall out a bit. Jiggle it about while turning the crown and lightly pulling on it.

Some two piece stems can be released this way but you seldom see two piece stems on quartz watches.

 

Option 3

If this fails to do the trick, the next thing I would do is pull the hands and see if the dial lifts off. The dials looks to be held securely by the bezel so it could be a friction fit into the movement. This is a bit involved and if you're not careful you may end up destroying the watch.

 

hope this helps.

 

Anil

[Jiggz]

Wow!, Option 2 did it. Thank you very much for all the help. I would have not in my wildest imagination figured it out how to access the battery on this watch.  Now I fully understand why watch repair people are charging such outrageous price to replace the battery. Thanks again. 

[anilv]

Glad I was able to help!

 

would it be too much trouble to get a few pictures of the stem components? Most of the ones I've seen are for mechanical watches, quartz stems are usually thinner so it would be nice to see how Omega did it.

 

 

Anil

[Jiggz]

Here are pics of the empty case with the winder stem and crown still in place and also removed. I can actually remove the winder unit and re-insert it. The stem has some kind of flat o-ring to keep moisture and dirt out. The stem connection to the movement looks like an "open clevis". I wonder if reinstalling is just a matter of pushing in the stem into the movement. Or do I have to align the clevis with the stem? 

 

 

[Geo]

Great pictures for future reference Jiggz, and a big thanks to Anil for excellent guidance.

I'm sure that once you reassemble the watch, you will only have to align the watch stem with the slot and push it back into place. Hopefully Anil will confirm this.

[Jiggz]

Thanks Geo. With forums like this, I've learned through times that the old saying, "A picture paints a thousand words" is actually the other way around, i.e. "A word paints a thousand pictures while a picture paints only a word" In short, with pics you actually say what you mean and mean what you say. Great forum.

[anilv]

yeah.. you'd need to get the angle right. But in this case its much simpler as you can play with the move and crown/stem wthout the case to see which is the best angle.

 

 

Main thing is not to use too much force..I would think sourcing the stem components would be a challenge.

 

Oh and lube the screw threads when you close it up..

 

Anil

[Jiggz]

Thanks for the advice. As for the screws, I might even apply anti-seize paste just to make sure.

[Geo]

Is it too late to ask for a picture of the movement?

[canthus]

Great info for an unusual watch and movement casing. One more for the knowledge bank!

Regards greasing the case screws, I would use anti-seize paste or silicone grease. 

Most normal greases have a fair amount of water content through the manufacturing process and once the corrosion inhibitors have been used up over time, will allow the steel to corrode, especially in the more exposed parts outside the case.

Some of us will remember the exposed brake cables on old cars which rusted underneath the grease!!!

[bobm12]

Good point, that's why I find the area where the black grease is used in the Seiko movements is often rusty!

[Jiggz]

Geo,

This is about the best pic of the movement focused mainly on the 2nd part of the winder's stem.

 

[Geo]

Thanks Jiggz I appreciate it.