Taking a 3mm O1 (cool hardening) steel rod and making a very tiny screw from it. Here is what will be the threaded portion still on the lathe next to the screw die plate I threaded it with.
The plate can thread screws down to 0.7mm up to 2.0mm.
Here is the screw (red arrow) held in a pin vise; the pin vise is in a larger vise.
The thin "string" is actually a jeweler's saw that I used to cut the slot on the screw's head for use with a flat bladed screwdriver.
A container of brass shavings used to even out the heat treatment. I heat blued this screw to give it a dark blue layer that protects and looks nice.
Here is the screw on a tiny USA 10 cent dime coin.
This is for the tuning fork movement, referred to as a 1250 by Omega and as 9162 by ESA. It was used in a variety of watches by different manufacturers. The Omega version is identical, except that it was always a copper plated color instead of nickel (chrome looking).
I've been inside a few f300Hz movements and the first thing the repair manual (above) tells you as that you MUST NEVER INSTALL OR REMOVE the 1250/1255/1260 movements from the case with the oscillation mechanisms installed. Before you case or uncase the movement the oscillator module MUST be removed!!!!! Of course, they tell you that on page 16 of a 66 page technical manual, lol!
I've found this movement (working and clean) in a cheap, used Titus wristwatch.
It is used in the Electronic Omega Seamaster f300Hz shown above and the Omega Constellation below.
There are variations:
Omega Calibre 1250 = ESA 9162 (date only)
Omega Calibre 1255 = ESA 9210 (chronograph day and date)
Omega Calibre 1260 = ESA 9164 (day and date)
Common problems: The watch doesn't hum! Put a new battery in it.
I use Reneta batteries, but for no other reason in that I had some already.
ESA 9162 / 9164
Old: Mercury Battery (not made anymore) 343
New: 344, 350, SR1136SW
The old mercury batteries were only about 1.3v and the new silver oxide ones are 1.55v, but the f300Hz movements can handle it just fine.
Some other battery movements had "issues" and would run double-speed with a new battery, then you'd have to either: install a new coil (hundreds of dollars) or use Accucell Batteries that are made for this issue--but they only last about 9 months in a watch.
You could also adjust the watch, since it was excess power that would cause these watches to double click. Sometimes they would keep great time sitting on a table but would go too fast when warn: arm movements plus the extra power would make them double click every few seconds.
The watch doesn't hum! PART 2
Coil or resonator.
Maybe the coil needs to be replaced because it's shorted? Bummer. Find a list of other (cheaper) manufacturers that used the 1250 and buy a donor watch). My Titus was like $40 with a WORKING and clean 1250 in it!!! A NOS (new old stock) 1250 is like $400 on eBay.
I've had a 1250 stop humming because a screw was too tight. Loosening: plate screws, battery holder screws has made a "dead" watch hum back to life for me.
Adjust the resonator. The double + or - adjustment thingies. I've had them be too asymmetrical and I've had them cranked all the way one way or another and fiddling with them brought a hummer back to life for me. The manual states that you can adjust one or both, but try to keep them reasonably symmetrical.
Take off the two coil units and measure their ohms. No ohms at all means open circuit which means you need a new coil (or two). Here is a scribble drawing i made showing the measurements you should get when testing:
The coils go bad because the varnish swells or lets rust in over the decades or the transistor capicitor units go bad, even if their not being used.
My current repair is a beautiful Omega constellation that gives me 1489 ohms (for the 1.5k ohms reading) which is great! Unfortunately, all the other 3 tests show no ohms and no continuity: so both units are bad.
I've got an entire new old stock (NOS) top plate with coils and gears on its way, but am going to also test some old spare parts from previous repairs I've got laying around. This fix might be free since I know I took off an entire plate from a broken Omega that still hummed but that had other problems. Fingers crossed (will update 11-27-2020) that it works. Update 11-28-2020: fixed the Omega Constellation!
Left is an old messed up gear train movement, on the right is my Constellation. There are 4 screws to remove this electronic module plate and 3 screws to remove both coils. That was it!
Here is video of it running:
The calendar date doesn't advance? Put a new calendar wheel in!
The wheel with the date on it is HUGE, but has tiny little gear teeth. It's very easy to remove and replace...except if you replace it with a New Old Stock (NOS) part it'll still be a super-fragile, 50 year old piece of plastic. Look on eBay: there is a company in Germany that will ship you out a brand new METAL one. This metal wheel will only work on the 1250 movement (the one that is date ONLY, it doesn't have a day of week on the watch).
There are some Longines brand ones that are for the same movements and they're gold colored! But they may be (50 year old) brittle gold colored plastic, and they're the same price as the new metal ones.
Another issue on some watches is that if a certain area isn't oiled and you pull out the stem a couple gears won't disengage completely; then if you move the hands COUNTER-clockwise it breaks the teeth off and then either the hands won't work or the date wheel won't work or nothing will work. Destruction!
Luckily, the 1255 and 1260 versions that do have the day (and date) have a more robust plastic wheel that is harder to break. Sadly, nobody is manufacturing metal (or plastic) replacements for them at this time.
How to you damage a calendar wheel? You use the quick set feature between around 9pm and 2am. That destroys so many watches from all sorts of manufactures. I've seen (and done it) to Seikos, Omegas, automatics, quartz and tuning fork watches.
NEVER change date, day or time on ANY BRAND wristwatch between 8pm and 4am!!!! The gears can slowly engage at that time to slowly flip the date/day over at around midnight. Fiddling with the watch can strip these gears.
So, what did I do with (to) a certain Omega Constellation? At around 8:30pm I went to adjust the minute hand slightly, but I accidentally had the 3rd detent (all the way out) instead of just a little on the crown and changed the date instead of minute. The next morning the date had failed to flip over...and this was on a NICE watch that instantly flipped the date # at 11:59 promptly and quickly!
So, did I wreck the date wheel? Well, if it was cracked then I probably couldn't advance it (which I can). If I wore the little tooth down/broke it then it will always fail to advance on that date (from the 23rd to the 24th). So: I ordered a little metal calendar wheel which should arrive from Germany.
I have other spare parts for the 1250 movement, but they're old. Old parts are fine, but old calendar wheels are all brittle.
That's the thing about these movements too: how many of the 31 days' teeth are worn, cracked, broken, bent, etc.? You'd need to disassemble the watch and look with a loupe/microscope to tell on many of the gears, however this one's calander wheel teeth are fairly large (but delicate).
Maybe I just goosed the gears at a bad time and it will sort itself out (I've had watches sort of heal themselves on occasion). The gear that flips the date wheel has a large paddle shark fin type thing on it which looks like it couldn't hurt the gears, but that's the fast set "calander driving wheel", the normal movement is from a hooked lever thing that can destroy the teeth.
They can work fine but repeatedly stick on certain days/dates.
Here goes with disassembly: battery out, 4 top plate screws out, pull off top plate, push down on pin to release stem and gear, remove 3 screws and tabs, remove entire movement (what was left of it), flip out two little hinge hooks and pull up on the face/dial to easily pry off hands (photo time on watch before), 3 screws and plate holding wheel comes off, change wheels, put plate back on, RESET THE LITTLE WIRE to the top of the date lever, carefully put all else back.
Note battery corrosion: shame!
With the plate screws off and ready to remove plate that holds in the date wheel:
This is a picture of the back of mine. That is a tiny golf pencil next to it! I put 3 pencil marks on bad teeth. They were worn down from original pyramid (triangle) shape to mesa (trapezoid) shape. What was worse is that they had grooves scartched into their side surfaces from the lever riding over or under them. This thinned them out.
The new metal wheel with strong teeth:
Once reassembled the watch hummed but second hand didn't go. I loosened the 4 screws holding the top plate oscillating module and tightened them slightly under everything meshed and the second started gloriously spinning.
Here it is pinging like an M1 Garand at the date change. It changes when both hands point at the date window, pretty fancy! You'll need the volume up all the way.
Lube/Clean!
Like any watch a TINY dab of Moebius Oil may be needed. Luckily, there aren't too many actual moving parts in a 1250 (compared to some other watches). Also, in some spots grease is called for, usually Molybdene.
Moebius 8000 is old fashioned and $8 a bottle. It lasts 1 year open and 2 sealed. Forget that and get 9xxx oil that is synthetic (but it's like $34 a bottle).
Better yet, try some other brand. I've heard bad things about Anchor oil like 10 years ago but they're still around. Oddly enough it was when people were complaining about a bad batch of Moebius oil gumming things up! Also, pay attention because oil and grease are different in the repair manuals: if you swap them in certain areas you just killed your watch. Most watches need 3 types of lubrication in different places: thin oil, medium oil, and thick grease.
The second hand goes nuts? Possible fixes:
There is a "friction" part that sometimes has too much friction and needs grease (not oil). Or there is a messed up index gear (or poorly adjusted pawls), which will cause the second hand to spin when setting the time.
In fact, issues with the indexing mechanisms can make the entire watch run backwards!
Another Omega fixed with new coils and then new metal date wheel from ebay (German seller that makes them):
Not bad, although while I was working Detroit Energy started to replace a woodpecker destroyed utility pole and remove wires from old pole to monstrously huge new pole. Lots of yelling and machinery noises. A very exciting time!
