Look what the mailman brought today: A lovely golden Omega Constellation Chronometer!

This one was sent in by Stefan from Karlsruhe in Germany. He bought it on eBay. I’m winding the watch, and I get a very very feeble balance swing – the movement just about manages. Time for a service…

This is a great looking watch – with a price tag to match! These don’t come cheap, and there is a good reason for it. This is a proper chronometer, and the case is massive gold.

Someone polished the living daylight out of the watch back. Some people don’t realize that polishing actually takes off quite a bit of material.

The watch back with the case number, and of course the 18k gold stamp.

This is a great movement.  Beautifully detailed, and a proper chronometer.

Looking at the balance, I’d say it hardly has a 100 degree amplitude – it barely swings. The timegrapher confirms this – not looking too good!

I remove the rotor and the case clamps, and take the movement out.

After removing the hands, I take the dial off, wrap it on watch paper and put it to the side. The first look under the dial is an oily one. Looks like sardines have been nesting here.

Having taken the cover plate off, there is more oil.

If you ever wondered what happened to all the oil the Amoco Cadiz spilled – this is where it ended up.

Now it’s time for the top plate, and I start off with the balance assembly.

Then I take out the auto-winder gears.

The wheel bridge comes off, and I can take out the wheel train bar the centre wheel.

After taking the arbor for the central second out, I remove the barrel bridge, and I can now take out the barrel and the centre wheel.

Mainspring and barrel – already ordered a new one and the back gasket.

The pallet fork.

The impulse pin on the balance wheel.

The escapement wheel.

The arbor that drives the central second.

That’s the watch taken apart. Now for some cleaning …

Everything nicely lined up for a final dry.

And back into the box for reassembly when the parts have arrived.

Now a little word about Juwelier Linkersdorff in Berlin (linkersdorff_gmbh on eBay).  You sold this watch as if it were in working condition. It’s not. And you should have said so on your auction. You naughty naughty boy! And, maybe you want to take it easier on the oil in the future – there are limited supplies out there and the way you are going at it, you will use up all the Canadian tar sand on your own!

The story continues here …