Restoration of Slimey Omega - Abandoned vintage De Ville │ Nicholas Hacko Master Watchmaker

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In 1961 Omega released a new watch mechanism: Calibre 661. By the number of components per volume, it was the smallest ever industrial manufactured automatic movement in the world. To this day, this record is still unbeaten!

The watch arrived in rather poor condition suffering both water damage,
broken escape wheel and worn out auto rotor post. Most annoyingly, it also
suffered from 'jellified' rubber casing gasket. While most vintage Omega
watches manufactured in 60s and 70s do suffer from this issue, this DeVille
was definitely the worst one I've worked on in years.

The restoration project commenced in December 2020 and was completed 3 months later, on February 26, 2021. Sourcing the original parts was a
challenge. The main goal of this restoration was to preserve as many
original parts as possible, especially the original dial and hands.
The escape wheel was re-fitted (riveted) on new a pinion. The timekeeping
result was rather pleasing with a healthy amplitude. Final touch: a
new-old-stock leather strap by Hirsch found in the junk box.

To viewers interested in total restoration cost: $460 was spent on
replacement parts and the labour cost was $1,100 (Australian dollars).
Was it worth it? This is always a question only the watch owner can answer
for him/herself. Turing a broken and discarded watch into a family heirloom
which once again keeps time is always money well spent.

My special thanks goes to Michael who spent countless hours recording and editing this video.

Nicholas Hacko,
Master Watchmaker
Sydney

https://www.nicholashacko.com.au/​
http://clockmaker.com.au/​
  / nicholashac.  .

Music:
0:02 Lights Ahead - Hara Noda
4:02 Not That Serious - Nocturnal spirits
8:11 Greene street - Nocturnal spirits
12:55 Let's Make It Easy - Nocturnal spirits
16:34 A Figure Of Speech - Nocturnal spirits
19:55 In All Honesty I Do - Nocturnal spirits
25:25 The Thin Line - Hampus Naeselius