Omega ladymatic rotor issue

[Tina]

Hi, I bought a ladymatic on auction and after receiving it I noticed it was making a weird scramble noice. So I opened it up and discover the rotor seems to be wobbling. The watch is not keeping the time. It runs but stops. Should I try to repair it, is it hard? I never repaired a watch and to be honest have very little knowledge about repairs. I would be very happy if someone would like to give me som advice 

[Mercurial]

Hi Tina, and welcome to the forum!

The movement in this watch was built with serviceability in mind, and a watchmaker could fix the wobbly rotor. 

The watch almost certainly needs to be serviced, which entails completely disassembling the movement, cleaning the parts, reassembly, lubrication and then adjustment to get it to keep time.

You could learn how to do all of the above, if you’re willing to invest the time and money to become proficient. 

The movement in this watch is very small, and it is certainly not a watch to start learning on. 

If you’re interested in learning watchmaking, then you should start out by learning on a larger manual wind movement like the Chinese ETA 6497 clones.

Once you are comfortable working on those, you can try some smaller manual wind movements, some automatic movements and then once you’re comfortable doing that, you’ll know whether you’re ready to attempt to repair and service this little Omega. 

Here is a video of a professional watchmaker disassembling one of these small automatic Omega movements, which will give you some idea of how tiny the parts are, and how difficult these can be to get running well : 

If you choose to start learning watch repair, you’ll find heaps of great information here, and many people who will help you on your learning journey.

Best regards,

Mark

Edited December 7, 2024 by Mercurial
Inserted the link to the video.

[watchweasol]

Hello Tina and welcome to the forum,  I think. Mark has covered most bases so no need to add anymore.   Enjoy.

[Neverenoughwatches]

Hi Tina welcome to the forum, as Mark has mentioned this is not a watch to start learning with, the repair itself is also not something a beginner would attempt overlooking the fact that some specialist tools are also needed . So as you can now understand, watch repair is not really a one off thing unless it is something very simple and some level of commitment is required. The hardest thing for folk with no watch knowledge to grasp is the sheer miniscule scale of the parts that have to be handled. Hand and eye co-ordination, finger dexterity and tool manipulation must be good if not perfect to be successful at repairing. Please join us and start your journey. 

[Mercurial]

5 minutes ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Hand and eye co-ordination, finger dexterity and tool manipulation must be good if not perfect to be successful at repairing.

This goes double for the smallest of the Omega automatics.

Kalle Slaap in the video I linked above mentioned that many professional watchmakers refuse to service these, because it requires such meticulous work to ensure they run well. They are not forgiving.

Unlike some tiny movements, they can keep good time, and some were sold as certified chronometers.

I find it very rewarding to return these tiny mechanical marvels to good running order, but if I’d attempted one of these movements as a beginner, it would’ve been a miserable experience. 

Tina, if you don’t know much about watch repair and are unsure whether it’s something you’d enjoy learning, I’d encourage you to check out more of the content on the Chronoglide YouTube channel. 

That channel is run by one of the best watchmakers on YouTube and his enthusiasm for watchmaking is contagious. 

I do hope you stick around and enjoy this fascinating hobby/profession. 

Best Regards,

Mark