# My First Hummer - Omega Constellation F300 Incoming



## Will Fly (Apr 10, 2012)

I've been looking out for an Omega cal. 1250 f300Hz "hummer" for some time, and I've just acquired one with a nice, dress-style dial, fully stripped-down and serviced from 1970. Looking forward to getting this one...


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## Barreti (Apr 18, 2008)

That looks really nice. I love my f300 hummer, though Mrs Barreti doesn't appreciate me leaving it on the bedside table. Noisy little bugger!


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## blackwatch (Dec 29, 2014)

Lovely clean looking f300 Constellation there Will.

I remember them back in the day.í ½í±


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## mrbarry (Dec 20, 2014)

Very nice! I'm a big fan of tuning fork watches and that is an extremely nice looker.

I have coveted a Titus equivalent for sentimental reasons for many years, but that looks so classy I must say.


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## Will Fly (Apr 10, 2012)

I've heard that you have to be careful when changing the date as the plastic calendar wheel teeth are prone to breaking. Any advice there?


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## handlehall (Aug 7, 2009)

Will Fly said:


> I've heard that you have to be careful when changing the date as the plastic calendar wheel teeth are prone to breaking. Any advice there?


Don't change the date when the time is indicating between 9 and 3.

Having said that I kept to that rule and still damaged the teeth on mine.


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## PC-Magician (Apr 29, 2013)

There is a nice example in the sales corner. :lol:


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

handlehall said:


> Will Fly said:
> 
> 
> > I've heard that you have to be careful when changing the date as the plastic calendar wheel teeth are prone to breaking. Any advice there?
> ...


That's bad luck; if you avoid changing the date between 21:00 and 03:00 that usually is good enough. But these 45 year old plastic date wheels are brittle and its possible some of the teeth may already have had tiny cracks before you took ownership of the watch..

I now fit newly made stainless steel date wheels in these watches so the problem never reoccurs.


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## Will Fly (Apr 10, 2012)

I gathered that metal calendar wheels were available for these watches. Is there a particular supplier I can go to should the need arise? I might get one anyway - just in case!

I'd spotted the f300 for sale in the Sales section of the forum - it looks very nice and is a good price - but the case design was not quite to my taste, unfortunately. But I WAS tempted...


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## PC-Magician (Apr 29, 2013)

Will Fly said:


> I gathered that metal calendar wheels were available for these watches. Is there a particular supplier I can go to should the need arise? I might get one anyway - just in case!
> 
> I'd spotted the f300 for sale in the Sales section of the forum - it looks very nice and is a good price - but the case design was not quite to my taste, unfortunately. But I WAS tempted...


Silverhawk


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## Will Fly (Apr 10, 2012)

Of course! (Brain fade...) :wallbash:


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## handlehall (Aug 7, 2009)

Silver Hawk said:


> handlehall said:
> 
> 
> > Will Fly said:
> ...


I am not blaming you in any way but it was actually one that you installed for me and my experience with the watch leads me to think that it is time that leads to the problem as much as any design flaw.

I owned the watch from nearly new as I Inherited it within 8 months of it being purchased in 1973 on the death of my father. For years I changed the date without consideration of where the hands were placed and never had a problem until around 2008 so I reckon the plastic does become more brittle with age.

The watch is getting to the point where I may have to consider what can be done to refurbish it cosmetically as recently the crown seemed to fall apart, surprisingly it appeared to comprise of several small components!


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

handlehall said:


> Silver Hawk said:
> 
> 
> > handlehall said:
> ...


No, I didn't think you were. It really is the Achilles Heal of this movement and I think it is a combination of age and poor design. At midnight, the action is like a hammer hitting the date wheel tooth and if there is any rotational resistance on the date wheel, the tooth being hit will chip and / or break. Accutron 218 etc have a similar hammer type action, but their date wheels are metal, so no issues with them.

This problem with the ESA 9162 date wheels has definitely been known about for sometime because I've seen at least 10 Omega f300s that have had metal date wheels...and on quizzing the owners, they are usually sold gold f300 watches that got sent back to Omega in Bienne in the late 1980s / early 1990s for full services. At the time, Omega had metal date wheels made to replace the broken plastic ones --- but Omega's supply has long since run out.


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## Davey P (Sep 9, 2010)

I'm not usually a fan of the "oldies", but I must say that is a beauty, well done mate :notworthy:

How on earth Omega manage to make such a simple shape and design look so classy is beyond me. Less is more I guess...


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## Nigelp (Jan 28, 2015)

Very classy a vintage watch with a contemporary look it must have looked futuristic in the 1970's :yes:


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## Badcrumble (Nov 2, 2007)

Lovely looking Hummer. I like them chunky but that is really nice.


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## ketiljo (Apr 22, 2009)

Congratulations! I used to have one of those, sold it a few years back. A cracking watch. I have a soft spot for hummers and I still have a few of them.


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## Toddy- (Feb 13, 2015)

Lovely looking watch, clean and elegant.


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