# Alternative Movements



## PC-Magician (Apr 29, 2013)

I am looking ahead into the future a little bit hear to see if anyone has suggestions on replacement movements for the Omega 1310 quartz movement, as Silverhawk no longer services or repairs these.

I personally don't need one at the moment, but I am not expecting mine to last forever.


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## PC-Magician (Apr 29, 2013)

Forgot to mention this movement is used in Megaquartz Watches.


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## rdwiow (Aug 15, 2008)

A common problem seems to be the motor coils going open circuit, I assume someone, somewhere must be able to rewind these at a reasonable price?


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

rdwiow said:


> A common problem seems to be the motor coils going open circuit, I assume someone, somewhere must be able to rewind these at a reasonable price?


Two main problems with this movement:

1) Coils going open circuit due to physical damage....when changing the battery. The coil is very close to battery clamp screw

2) The circuits degrade and start to loose. I have two working circuit here but both are running at -45 sec / day

I sent a broken coil to someone of the forum because they were going to attempt a re-wind....can't remember who it was. It wasn't very long ago....so own up!


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

I don't know much about coils, is the wire a very specific length and different from movement to movement caliber?


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## Littlelegs (Dec 4, 2011)

Coils are a nightmare to source. In the last 4yrs I've only managed to source one for my late father in laws megaquartz. That was new old stock but turned out to be faulty. My jeweller mate has been trying to get one or a working movement for 6yrs for me. STS reckon they have them but cost is prohibitive at the moment for me. I'd love to find a replacement coil or movement or someone who can do a rewind as I'd love to get the watch going again.

A mate who used to repair circuit boards reckons a rewind would be possible if you could find out the gauge and length of the wire. I don't understand the mechanics but he says these 2 parameters make a big difference to how the coil would function. As such I think it'd affect its accuracy.

I stand to be corrected by those in the know...)

Regards

Jamie


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

So, coils, I get that the gauge and length will change and be matched to the circuit , will a coil give a measurable 'value' when multimetered? I find it hard to believe that if you have a spec for a coil that it hasn't been replicated somewhere?


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

jasonm said:


> So, coils, I get that the gauge and length will change and be matched to the circuit , will a coil give a measurable 'value' when multimetered? I find it hard to believe that if you have a spec for a coil that it hasn't been replicated somewhere?


There speaks an armchair engineer! :lol:

There are lots of issues with creating or rewinding "coils". "Coil" is a bit of a generic term to describe a....coil of copper wire but sometimes the wire is wound onto a long bobbin like the LIP 148 and Omega 1310 movements, while other times it is not supported by anything and is wound like a cumberland sausage into a disc shaped coil held together by resin / shellac such as on the ESA Dynatrons, Omega Megasonic, Hamilton Electrics. Then there are other systems like Accutron where the wire is wound onto more complex stubby tuning fork cups.

So the winding of the coil is one problem. You need to somehow hold the bobbin in a watchmakers lathe....if the movement has a bobbin. Each movement will require specialized tooling. Those coils that are unsupported are a bigger challenge.

The other problem is wire cost. This October, someone on the Accutron Yahoo Group explored the cost of suitable wire for rewinding 214 Accutron coils. Here is what he found:

Wire is #58, enameled, .0004" diameter. Smallest quantity I could find was five grams, which is 22,700 feet. Better sit down . . . $1,200, we pay freight, duty, etc. from Switzerland. For $1,500, they'll deliver all five grams of it to the door. Yeehah!

Jase, let me know when you want to have a go!


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## handlehall (Aug 7, 2009)

So are we in worse than Hamilton 500 "tripwire" country here? i.e. if you buy a Megaquartz you have to be prepared for it to be rendered useless either by clumsiness or the simple passage of time?

I only ask as I have considered some of the offerings in SC before now but if they are inevitably going to be rendered useless I would rather not bother as unlike the OP I don't think I'd be happy with an alternative movement.


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Lol.... I'm perhaps a misunderstood armchair engineer here...I'm not looking to make new ones, but find existing plentiful alternatives that fit in the space vacated by the broken one....


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

jasonm said:


> Lol.... I'm perhaps a misunderstood armchair engineer here...I'm not looking to make new ones, but find existing plentiful alternatives that fit in the space vacated by the broken one....


Thought about it many times....but have only bothered to do it once. It was taking a Hamilton 505 balance coil and using it in an Epperlein 100....but these were very closely related movements...and it was still a lot of work.....

Remember this topic Jase? (went on for years! )

http://www.thewatchf...showtopic=30703


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## PC-Magician (Apr 29, 2013)

handlehall said:


> So are we in worse than Hamilton 500 "tripwire" country here? i.e. if you buy a Megaquartz you have to be prepared for it to be rendered useless either by clumsiness or the simple passage of time?
> 
> I only ask as I have considered some of the offerings in SC before now but if they are inevitably going to be rendered useless I would rather not bother as unlike the OP I don't think I'd be happy with an alternative movement.


I would be ok with an alternative, if it was an Omega quartz movement or a good quality Swiss alternative movement..


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## Thomasr (Oct 11, 2011)

omega used eta from the 80s onwards i think


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## Who. Me? (Jan 12, 2007)

Group buy? 

http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/880387060/custom_coil_winding_for_watch_factory.html

Who wants to try and write the spec? :nerd:


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

Who. Me? said:


> Group buy?
> 
> http://www.alibaba.c...ch_factory.html
> 
> Who wants to try and write the spec? :nerd:


  100,000 per day should keep us well supplied.


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