Omega Constellation 1001 project

[ManSkirtBrew]

Instead of creating a million threads, I figured I'd keep my notes and questions bundled up here.

I'm working on the barrel at the moment, and it appears to have a detached bridle like my 1954 Bulova 10BPAC, but also has an attached bridle.

The detached bridle is also extremely thin, and in fact doesn't even show up on the photo I took. According to the tech sheet:

Quote

The barrel-cover is snapped on over the outside of the barrel-drum. A slip-ring of similar alloy as the mainspring is placed inside the barrel-drum. This allows the use of a dry lubricant which does not deteriorate and remains stable even if the watch is not in use. In case the barrel needs to be cleaned, also replace the slip-ring no. 1000.7221 and slightly relubricate the mainspring with selflubricant 3.03.

So my questions three:

1. Should the slip ring always be replaced as suggested, or can it be cleaned and reused?

2. Is braking grease still used, and if so would it be on the inside or outside of the slip ring?

3. Do I need to go out and buy dry lubricant? I have Lubeta v105 and v106 which are supposed to dry to lubricating films. Might one of those be appropriate?

[JohnR725]

15 hours ago, ManSkirtBrew said:

Instead of creating a million threads,

You realize this goes against the theme of the message board where it likes everything in separate boxes not consolidated.

Then to add to your fragmented discussion I already answered one of the questions elsewhere.

Then the classic problem of when was this watch made and what is the date of your technical documentation?

15 hours ago, ManSkirtBrew said:

So my questions three:

1. Should the slip ring always be replaced as suggested, or can it be cleaned and reused?

2. Is braking grease still used, and if so would it be on the inside or outside of the slip ring?

3. Do I need to go out and buy dry lubricant? I have Lubeta v105 and v106 which are supposed to dry to lubricating films. Might one of those be appropriate?

Then should I answer your questions? Or?

Conveniently I'm not finding it lurking in the computer as I usually try to convert everything to PDFs and I know I've seen this somewhere and that is the Omega documentation of where they no longer use this mainspring of separate components. It's why if you look in the new list parts list that you don't have it's just one part of mainspring as opposed to two separate components.

Then yes I would've posted images somewhere else on the group of how to lubricate a mainspring barrel with automatic. The two lubricants you mention are not suitable for breaking grease so if you don't have breaking grease ill have to go and purchase that.

[ManSkirtBrew]

10 hours ago, JohnR725 said:

You realize this goes against the theme of the message board where it likes everything in separate boxes not consolidated.

I can't tell if this is sarcasm, or if I should be making a separate thread for every question. I am open to following the preferred practices if I know what they are

10 hours ago, JohnR725 said:

Omega documentation of where they no longer use this mainspring of separate components. It's why if you look in the new list parts list that you don't have it's just one part of mainspring as opposed to two separate components.

Then yes I would've posted images somewhere else on the group of how to lubricate a mainspring barrel with automatic. The two lubricants you mention are not suitable for breaking grease so if you don't have breaking grease ill have to go and purchase that.

Yes, I do have braking grease, which is why I was asking whether it should be used on the inside or outside of the slip ring.

If I'm reading your response correctly, you're suggesting I not use the slip ring at all and treat it like any other automatic barrel. That was my first instinct, but before changing the manufacturer's intention I wanted to verify.

 

[JohnR725]

5 minutes ago, ManSkirtBrew said:

I can't tell if this is sarcasm, or if I should be making a separate thread for every question. I am open to following the preferred practices if I know what they are

It's more of a observation of? Or perhaps it's one of my amusements with the message board for instance in the past you might post a lubrication question something specific. Then it would disappear a particular moderator would move it to lubrication discussion of  lubrication multiple pages where it basically disappeared never be seen again. Even right now if you look at the way the board is set up things are supposed to be a specific folders. So if you rigidly followed the way the message board is set up one watch would get scattered across many folders as it would fall into a whole bunch a categories of each of the folders. But maybe we can slip by with one watch discussion that just happens to have a whole bunch of stuff that should be another folders if the moderator so obsessed.

7 minutes ago, ManSkirtBrew said:

If I'm reading your response correctly, you're suggesting I not use the slip ring at all and treat it like any other automatic barrel. That was my first instinct, but before changing the manufacturer's intention I wanted to verify.

As I'm currently looking for something else I've snipped out an image for you. Parts list dated 1969. You'll note mainspring barrel components like the barrel and the arbor and there is the mainspring and part 7221 the slip part of the mainspring.

Then I found you a newer parts list 2013 and you will note the slip ring is now gone. Although one of the disturbing things from Omega is when parts are upgraded part numbers do not necessarily reflect the upgrade. So for instance if you go back in time and purchase the exact mainspring in the image up above you would need the slip ring also in the parts list. But if you purchased the exact mainspring in the PDF I'm attaching it's one spring unfortunately same part number.

Then we have the problem of silly material houses like cousins obsessed with parts and not servicing. So when there are busy downloading that 2013 parts list a could've been downloading something titled General information for Calibre 1000, 1001 and 1002. Did you notice how all the pages of the 2013 parts list every single corner has somebody's name and contact information? This means if for instance somebody did have that general instruction And it came from someplace else they would have to carefully remove wherever it came from just because.

 

 

416_Omega 1001 NewLR parts list 2013 from cousins.pdf

[ManSkirtBrew]

Thank you for the once again very thorough and informative reply. I'm sure at this point it's academic, but I'm always curious to know best practices.

2 hours ago, JohnR725 said:

So for instance if you go back in time and purchase the exact mainspring in the image up above you would need the slip ring also in the parts list. But if you purchased the exact mainspring in the PDF I'm attaching it's one spring unfortunately same part number.

This then implies that If I'm planning to reuse the old mainspring (which I am), I should also reinstall the slip ring. I will do that and apply braking grease to the inside of the slip ring as if it were the barrel. This makes the most sense to me.

Also, that bit about the center cannon pinion is very helpful. That wasn't in the tech sheet I have (attached) dated 1970.

Omega 1001(1).pdf

Edited May 22 by ManSkirtBrew

[JohnR725]

5 hours ago, ManSkirtBrew said:

apply braking grease to the inside of the slip ring as if it were the barrel. This makes the most sense to

I think I'm having a confusion here? You would apply the breaking grease to the inside of the barrel then the slip ring would go inside. Then the mainspring goes in and it catches on the hook on the slip ring.

[ManSkirtBrew]

1 hour ago, JohnR725 said:

Then the mainspring goes in and it catches on the hook on the slip ring.

I did not see a hook on the slip ring. I will check again tomorrow.

[JohnR725]

It might not be a hook it might be something like this. But still the mainspring is catching on something on the slip ring because it doesn't have its own outer slipping part like the modern ones. The image below came from some vintage Omega thing I'll have to see if I can find where that has gone to.documentation

A different book has this

 

 

 

 

 

[ManSkirtBrew]

7 hours ago, JohnR725 said:

it doesn't have its own outer slipping part like the modern ones

That's the thing--mine does have an attached bridle like a modern one. I wonder if someone has replaced it in the past.

I'm at work at the moment, but I'll take some photos when I get home.

[JohnR725]

3 hours ago, ManSkirtBrew said:

That's the thing--mine does have an attached bridle like a modern one. I wonder if someone has replaced it in the past.

That's the problem of not revising part numbers. So yes it's extremely concealable if someone put the slip ring back in and then shove their shiny new mainspring which now has its Attached bridal like it's supposed to have.

[ManSkirtBrew]

Okay, it used to have an attached bridle. When I took the spring out of the basket, I was baffled by the plain end on it. Could I have been wrong this whole time? No; the weld at the bridle failed. At least a new mainspring will have me worrying less about all my questions.

 

Incidentally, I took a good look at the original slip ring under the microscope, and there are no hooks, bumps, or protrusions. It's just a very thin piece of steel.

In one of Stian's videos, he talks about how it was a plastic slip ring, so it seems this was one of the manufacturing changes John was talking about.