The second watch of the duo sent in by Andy is another Omega, this one a vintage with the Omega calibre 552 inside. Its a bullet proof movement and certainly built a little differently to the more modern calibres, this one happens to be in very nice condition, just in need of a service.

The Omega 552 movement, the rotor is engraved ‘Omega Watch Co Swiss’

Movement removed from the case prior to hand removal.

Dial and hands removed, the 552 being a simple no date automatic, there isn’t an awful lot to disassemble here, just the keyless and motion works.

The automatic device is stripped down first and checked for wear. The watch feels very gritty to wind, and I suspect that is being caused by the reversing wheel. There is no sign of damage to it, cleaning and oiling should resolve this.

The movement with the automatic device removed.

The train bridge and train has been removed, I have also removed the crown wheel and ratchet wheel from the barrel bridge. I check each part carefully for any signs of wear or damage that could affect the running of the watch.

The barrel, its quite dirty and will greatly benefit from its time in the cleaning machine!

Bottom side completely dismantled, I leave the balance in place on the movement as its the safest way of cleaning it.

I finish removing the keyless works on the dial side.

All the parts are loaded into their trays ready for cleaning. The cleaning machine will remove all the old oils, dirt and any debris thats worked its way into the movement over time.

Once the cleaning cycle has finished, the first parts I refit are the shock settings for the balance and the keyless works.

Next I refit the barrel and barrel bridge.

Pallets and pallet bridge fitted.

The movement part of the watch is rebuilt and running again. At this point I will oil the jewels in the movement and the escapement.

Automatic device rebuilt and oiled. I then refit it to the movement and check the winding, no more grittiness!

I refit the movement into the case and test it on the timing machine, all looks good.

As always the watch will then be tested over a period of 5 days to ensure it is functioning as it should before being returned to its owner.

Thanks for reading,

The Watch Professional