Jump to content

Stem trouble in Omega dynamic

rogart63

By rogart63
in Watch Repairs Help & Advice

 Share

Recommended Posts

rogart63 Distinguished Member

rogart63

Posted
Posted

This watch was in for service at a watchmaker not long ago? Got it from it's owner saying it lost about a minute a day? So thought i could adjust it? 

Did as i always do? Pull the crown out with a presto tool. Oooops the stem was a whole 565 stem? It broke right next to the crown 

Now i can't get the movement out because the stem is to long and the movement and dial can't rotate enough to get the unit out . 

Tried a little round carbide drill on the Dremel but the stem material is to hard and i keep slipping and risking destroying the crow tube also? 

Anyone got any tips? Could maybe be set up in a milling machine but that is nothing i have in my machine park? The stem and the crown i can get? The right split stem i mean :) 

Maybe i should leave it for someone that has the machinery? 

DSC07845.thumb.JPG.e63b01bad7b277286ae86ffd3d1fee9d.JPGDSC07844.thumb.JPG.26b01e725698b1a1db7ac7eb8ef10513.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites
david WRT Addict

david

Posted
Posted

One thing you might try is to make a drill guide that can fit into the stem tube and center the stem. You can then run a drill through the hole in the guide. and drill into the center of the broken stem. Once a center is established in the stem you can remove the drill  guide and follow up with a larger diameter drill bit. Hopefully this will remove the top section of the stem or at least weaken it to a point where it will bend as you remove the movement from the case.

david 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
rogart63 Distinguished Member

rogart63

Posted
  • Author
Posted
1 hour ago, david said:

One thing you might try is to make a drill guide that can fit into the stem tube and center the stem. You can then run a drill through the hole in the guide. and drill into the center of the broken stem. Once a center is established in the stem you can remove the drill  guide and follow up with a larger diameter drill bit. Hopefully this will remove the top section of the stem or at least weaken it to a point where it will bend as you remove the movement from the case.

david 

Not a bad idea actually? Have small 0.7 mm drills so at least i can try that? If i do a guide in silver rod steel i can harden it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
rogart63 Distinguished Member

rogart63

Posted
  • Author
Posted
6 minutes ago, Cad101 said:

The Question is what idiot replaces a split stem with a full one on a front loader. I would take it back to the original repairer it his/her mistake after all.

Think so to. But the owner would not confront the watchmaker or previous owner? i am thinking someone else should do this job as it is to complex for me? At least without the proper tools? 

Even if the movement comes out in one way or the other it has to be serviced? As i drilled and there has probably got  small debris inside? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Marc Distinguished Member

Marc

Posted
Posted

Is it possible that it is a split stem but the original was already damaged/weakened and broke before the coupling gave way?

If so you could always screw a stem extender onto the stem in the watch and pull the coupling apart that way.

I don't see how you could install a one piece stem in a Dynamic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
rogart63 Distinguished Member

rogart63

Posted
  • Author
Posted
2 hours ago, Marc said:

Is it possible that it is a split stem but the original was already damaged/weakened and broke before the coupling gave way?

If so you could always screw a stem extender onto the stem in the watch and pull the coupling apart that way.

I don't see how you could install a one piece stem in a Dynamic.

Can't be that difficult to put a one piece stem in? Just press it in and snap? No way to remove so it's a one time change? 

There is no couplings in there as i have already tried to put a extender and that didn't work either? Just pulled the threads in the extender? As they are not that long threaded? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
StuartBaker104 Distinguished Member

StuartBaker104

Posted
Posted

Machining the stem out will be awkward as it is hardened. It will also fill the movement with hard material that will mean a complete teardown and thorough clean.

Have you tried to remove the crown tube with a pin vice? That would allow you to cut the stem shorter or try again to pull it if it is possibly a split stem.

Even if you damage the tube, if you think it would give you enough reduction in stem length then I would think it would be easier to turn a new case tube than do a complete movement service

Link to comment
Share on other sites
rogart63 Distinguished Member

rogart63

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
21 minutes ago, StuartBaker104 said:

Machining the stem out will be awkward as it is hardened. It will also fill the movement with hard material that will mean a complete teardown and thorough clean.

Have you tried to remove the crown tube with a pin vice? That would allow you to cut the stem shorter or try again to pull it if it is possibly a split stem.

Even if you damage the tube, if you think it would give you enough reduction in stem length then I would think it would be easier to turn a new case tube than do a complete movement service

To late as i have already tried grinding out the stem with a small round ball carbide drill ? The owner wants it back so i leave the job for someone else to finish? 

But was thinking i could take the crown tube of? With risk of destroying more i never did. Thank God for that? 

The stem is quite short and there are no way i could cut it shorter even if i remove the crown tube? 

 

Can't win them all? 

Edited by rogart63
Link to comment
Share on other sites
rodabod Distinguished Member

rodabod

Posted
Posted

That's a really horrible situation to be put in.

I think that placing a tube inside the pendant tube with a hole large enough for the stem to fit into (to use as a drill guide) is a good idea, if I've understood the suggestions above correctly.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
sstakoff WRT Addict

sstakoff

Posted
Posted
On 2/9/2017 at 0:40 PM, Marc said:

Is it possible that it is a split stem but the original was already damaged/weakened and broke before the coupling gave way?

If so you could always screw a stem extender onto the stem in the watch and pull the coupling apart that way.

I don't see how you could install a one piece stem in a Dynamic.

I agree with Marc - I don't think just pushing a one-piece stem in would work - at least not without seriously damaging the setting lever or worse. Something just seems very odd about this. Unfortunately I don't have any better ideas than already presented....

Link to comment
Share on other sites
rodabod Distinguished Member

rodabod

Posted
Posted
15 minutes ago, sstakoff said:

I agree with Marc - I don't think just pushing a one-piece stem in would work - at least not without seriously damaging the setting lever or worse. Something just seems very odd about this. Unfortunately I don't have any better ideas than already presented....

I can't remember which variety of movements fit these cases (there are more than one), but some 1960's onwards Omegas have a sprung bolt-piece (setting lever) which permits simply pushing the stem in as the stem ridge has a chamfered edge so that the stud on the bolt-piece just rides up into position.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Andyclient Super WRT Addict

Andyclient

Posted
Posted
11 minutes ago, rodabod said:

I can't remember which variety of movements fit these cases (there are more than one), but some 1960's onwards Omegas have a sprung bolt-piece (setting lever) which permits simply pushing the stem in as the stem ridge has a chamfered edge so that the stud on the bolt-piece just rides up into position.

The 565 calibre does indeed have a sprung setting lever and not a screw looking at the ranfft pic, as i must admit i thought how was it possible to get a one piece stem in and secured so checked the cal picOmega_565-1.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
rogart63 Distinguished Member

rogart63

Posted
  • Author
Posted

If there is a sprung setting lever? That should be easy just to push the stem in? On some movements that won't work? As most ETA. But on Seiko that is no problem? What i don't understand is how could the "watchmaker" get the right length of the stem? Did he do it before he put everything on? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
rodabod Distinguished Member

rodabod

Posted
Posted
13 hours ago, rogart63 said:

If there is a sprung setting lever? That should be easy just to push the stem in? On some movements that won't work? As most ETA. But on Seiko that is no problem? What i don't understand is how could the "watchmaker" get the right length of the stem? Did he do it before he put everything on? 

Yes, it's a sprung setting lever; you just depress a button to release, instead of turning a screw to release.

The stem could be shortened as far as the end of the pendant tube when fitted. For some crowns, that would be acceptable. For some, not.

Or, perhaps they still had the original male/female stem parts and could measure or compare the length.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Paul78 WRT Addict

Paul78

Posted
Posted

Can i ask does this movement have a ring to secure it once its fitted into the case? i've got one of these in for repair now, it was dropped and fell to pieces, the female end of the stem just keeps coming off! not because its loose but because there is a little bit of play with the movement, when it turns slightly the stem just slides right off. Just wondering if there is a ring missing or something.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • Geotex
      Any tips to correct a sloppy error?

      By Geotex · Posted

      It's probably a cardinal rule for watch repair to never get distracted while at the bench. Yesterday, after finishing a tricky mainspring winding/barrel insertion (I didn't have a winder and arbor that fit very well) I mentally shifted down a gear once that hurdle was passed. There were other things going on in the room as I put the barrel and cover into the barrel closer and pressed to get that satisfying snap. But when I took it out I realized I never placed the arbor.  When opening a barrel, we are relying on the arbor to transfer a concentrically-distributed force right where it is needed at the internal center of the lid. However, when that isn't present it's difficult to apply pressure or get leverage considering the recessed position of the lid, the small holes in the barrel and the presence of the mainspring coils. It was a beat-up practice movement so I didn't take a lot of time to think it over and I pushed it out using a short right-angle dental probe placed in from the bottom, but that did leave a bit of a scratch and crease in the thin lid. I had also thought about pulling it using a course-threaded screw with a minor thread diameter smaller than the lid hole and a major diameter larger, but that may have done some damage as well.  Thinking about how this might have been handled had it been a more valuable movement, is there a method using watchmaking or other tools that should extract the lid with the least damage? 
    • Neverenoughwatches
      Epilame / Fixodrop

      By Neverenoughwatches · Posted

      🤔 what happens if lubrication is placed directly on top of epilame ? Making a small groove so the lubrication doesn't spread across the component but what if when lubing a little overspills and sits on the epilame .
    • Neverenoughwatches
      Setting lever spring

      By Neverenoughwatches · Posted

      Why just the bottom mike ? Is it worth polishing the whole arm ?
    • mikepilk
      Setting lever spring

      By mikepilk · Posted

      The one thing I took time over was to round and polish the curves at the bottom of the jumper arm. The slightest mark (left over from cutting of filing) acts as a stress raiser, just where you don't need it. 
    • GuyMontag
      Movement holder made with 3D printer

      By GuyMontag · Posted

      I printed the base and it is a bit too large to fit on the base of the hand setter. The ring bumps into the column so it is unable to full seat on the central ring. I'm going to try removing some of the materal and see if I can't get it to go down.
×
×
  • Create New...