Can I fix the RAREST OMEGA WATCH ? - 50 Year old OMEGA BETA 21
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ต.ค. 2022
- I have been after this watch for years and now I FINALLY have one...problem is, it is faulty! It only works when warm. Can I fix this 50+ year old important piece of horological history. It really is very unusual and rare. The very first production Quartz watch made by CEH Centre Electronique Horloger, this movement has been placed in an Omega case, but the same movement was fitted to Rolex and many other top Swiss brands. This watch is an Omega Constellation Electroquartz f8192Hz. Can a person NOT skilled in watch making or repair fix it...let's find out.
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Remember that this is just for entertainment and I am not an expert in these repairs. The processes in the video may not be the best way, the correct way or the safest way to fix these things. I do love fault finding and trying to fix broken things, so I hope that comes across in this 'Trying to FIX' series. Many thanks, Vince. - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
Well I’ve been watching your videos for over 5 years and I have to say that was your best yet. Not just the fact that I’m stuck in bed with Covid but it had everything, High value, rare item, very complex and high risk repair and fantastic outcome. I hope it gets loads of views. You’re definitely not a “slave to the algorithm” Vince. No click bait titles. No gurning thumbnails. Just top quality content and what’s definitely needed to inspire other TH-camrs to say no to the race to the bottom!
Thank you so much V.Vantics👍👌 Hope you're on the mend very soon 👍👍👍
BEST VIDEO OF THE YEAR. Maybe one of the best ever. Incredible work Vince, can’t believe you’ve made the plunge over the years from item level, then board level, component level and now microchip level. Amazing, love love love it!
Haha, thank you so much Felipe!!!!! I got lucky with how the legs broke on this one. The break actually did me a favour. Glad you liked it, it was one of my favorites to date ❤️👍👍👍
It's not microchip level, it's package level.
It's really amazing what you can get working. I would've done what you did up until the legs breaking off. After that I would've put it aside and started looking for a replacement chip. You really go above and beyond on these repairs!
Thanks Roger. Long term I want to replace that board, or better still change the chip if anyone in the comments knows what it is. They are just do hard to source at the moment. If an alternative chip could be found it would save so many of these. Thanks for watching 👍👌
@@Mymatevince this chip is a simple counter that divide the crystal frq. to a lower one. can be easy done/replaced with a simple controller if you find one that is that small. can help you find one and program it.
Thanks Itai 👌👍👍👍
WOW VINCE! JUST WOW! Excellent repair! I thought it was game over when the legs came off that chip. Very creative use of conductive paint! I was thinking of epoxy before you used the hot glue, but the solder mask will work just as effective. Well done, and an amazing job!
Thanks for the shout out too! Really appreciated!
Thank you Mick 👍👍👍👍👍
@@Mymatevince No problem. Well deserved! 👍👍👍
Wooo! I've done reimplantating pawl and return fingers from Bulova Accutron into my Constellation B-21 literally yesterday! It was unforgettable 5 hours in my workshop.
This things are on another level of complexity in comparison with common mechanical movements.
What a monumental achievement, Vince! If I could I'd give you a pat on the back and I'd think I wouldn't be the only one. The fact that you turned it around from the point of no return from what seemed to be the end of your attempt completely had me surprised. That, with a bit of out of the box thinking you were able to get an IC to return to the world of the living!
That is an absolute feat and a testament to your skillset and determination.
You have come far, that is something you should be very proud of.
Congratulations, Vince. You thoroughly deserve the win! 🏆✌️
Nice one, thanks you M1👍👍👍👍
O-ME-GAD! Unbelievable video, Vince. A great watch, in more ways than one. 👍
Haha, nice one Steve and treated to a double pun Sunday Special 👍👍👍👍
Ha! Nice one Steve!
VINCE FIXED A WATCH!!! Oh mate that was exciting. That feeling you get when it runs is what I am addicted to!
The brown thing is a trimmer to fine tune the quartz . I did a video recently where I my my mate Andy at the vintage Japanese watch company. He has seiko quartz testers . Amazing bits of kit.
I tell you now mate not many watchmakers would have found and been able to fix that one. I am genuinely so happy for you . Incredible watch and now can be enjoyed again.
Oh and you had me going with that crown at the end!
Some accutron 218s have a particular way to remove and install the crown. Get it wrong it’s a complete dial strip down to realign. I only know this by virtue of having made the mistake more than once!
Haha, Ive done it at long last!!!!! Cheers Mike, how lucky was I. One of my fave videos to date.
I hate putting in crowns, you're on the home straight and then that sinking feeling when you know it just didn't click in right 😂👍👍👍👍
Fantastic achievement, Vince. Unbelievably skilful and brave. Well done, Sir.
Vince, your channel is the best because I never know what you will be working on. It could be an electronics repair, work on the Rolls, fixing a boat or some other household item. Keep making these great videos!
Thanks SP👍👍👍
Congratulations Vince, unbelievable how you could rescue the power supply faulty bond wire, it look pretty messy but worked 😀 However, it looks like you murdered the trimming capacitor by trying to solder the sliding contacts on the ceramic silver metallisation... The motor, although tuned to the 256 Hz frequency by a moving mass, cannot be labelled tuning fork, because there is only one arm. That is why the whole watch body is humming! Making a tuning fork motor with opposite phase from one arm to the other would have cancelled this humming and maybe improved the efficiency (battery life) but not sure, because the microcircuit was made from bipolar technology, draining a lot of current. The ODC 5 is an evolution of the initial ODC 4 circuit used for the zero-th series (6'000 movements) sold initially. That first version is recognisable by the hex brass nut working as a trimming capacitor. I was born in Neuchatel and was 8 yrs old when the Beta21 was first released in 1967 but completely unaware of the unique and seminal work done by the CEH, 500 m from my home, whose engineers team built every component of that watch, including the integrated circuit, by hiring Swiss expats who had worked in the first semiconductor companies in the US after the 1950's. The CEH silicon microcircuit director, Kurt Hübner, had actually worked with William Shockley in his laboratory in Palo Alto.
The board you fixed contains on 8MHz cristal and capacitor. The chip has 3 functions. It keeps the cristal oscillating, it divides the frequency down with a 5 stage binary divider to 256Hz and it drives the vibrating motor (at 256Hz). The motor is just a see-saw with a permanent magnet on one side and a weight on the other side. The permanent magnet is placed between 2 electromagnets. You see the weight but the electro magnets are hidden under a plate. The oscillator drives the electro magnets in an alternating way making the see-saw swing back and forward. You called it tuning fork, but is actually not a tuning fork. The 2 fingers you see are actually just mounting points for the see-saw, not fingers of a tuning fork.. A gearwheel is driven by an index finger mounted on the rocking see-saw. The adjustment you made is an adjustment of the phase or neutral point of the see-saw. It is not used for speed adjustment. You can also adjust the position of the weight (by rotating it - it is mounted eccentric) on the see-saw. This adjustment is just intended to make the watch work, it is not to adjust the speed either. It allows you to balance out the see-saw. That way your watch uses the least energy. Speed has the be adjusted by an adjustable capacitor in the oscillator circuit (the capacitor looks broken on your board). Later quartz watches used stepper motors, no see-saw. Google "The Omega cal 1300 (Beta 21)" for a detailed explanation.
Wow, really interesting Kris. So when it was running fast at the beginning do you think the index fingers were just skipping teeth on the gearwheel because the see saw was misaligned? As I slowed it down without touching the capacitor. Thanks for the super helpful comment 👌👍👍👍👍
Just came here to suggest the same, the oscillator is determining the actual speed, initially it just hit every second tooth only...
@@georgkohlhas8131 Thanks Georg, so that is why it was running at twice the speed. It is all starting to make sense 👌👍👍👍
@@Mymatevince yes Vince, I think you can expect any whole multiple of the quartz clock speed when the mechanical part is not adjusted well - also the battery will drain more quickly. Borderline bad adjustment can also make the mechanism skip teeth sometimes - but this is really not the way you should be adjusting the watch.
@@georgkohlhas8131 Right. That's correct.
More thrilling, suspenseful, entertaining, educational, gory and rewarding than anything that I've watched on Netflix for the past few months! The time just flew by watching this.
Not strictly a tuning fork but a a see saw micromotor vibrating at 256Hz indexing a 256 toothed wheel via a little ratchet pawl. The caliber 1300 beta21 movement was only made for one year. Most modern Quartz watch crystals vibrate at 32768Hz
I do admire your perseverance, it's such a pleasure to watch your fault-finding logic. I used to repair mainly Hi-Fi for clients and time is money and pressure now I'm retired and have all the time to work on my own projects and it's such a joy to find workarounds at my leisure. Great video!
Glad you got it working and the solder mask was the best idea either way you fixed the chip you needed that solder mask over it to protect it
What a rollercoaster. Fantastic result, Vince. Thanks for the entertainment and congrats on another great fix!
Thanks Hamish 👍👍👍👍
I have to say I am truly impressed, amazed, entertained and humbled to see such masterly but also human workmanship and craftsmanship. You are one of the most persistent men and one of the most patient I have seen or heard of. Plus you hands are incredibly steady. A rock would not compete! Truly brilliant work. Keep it up and. Love your videos generally but this was truly outstanding and the best yet!
Haha, cheers Duncanny. The secret to the steady hands is resting the wrists on the desk. Lucky the grinding tool is so light there is no strain on any muscles. Otherwise my hands shake with the best of them😂👍👍👍
Such perseverance! Congratulations👍. As others have commented, the vibrating 256 Hz "motor" is just the final stage of the dividing down network. By using only 5 stages of binary division from 8192 Hz (to get down to 256 Hz) - and then employing that resonant motor for the final stage - CEH avoided the large amount of additional power consumption that would have been needed if a chip was used for final binary division. These early binary divider chips were quite heavy power consumers compared to later CMOS ones!
Interestingly, when these movements went back to Omega for repair later on in the 1970s, they seemed to routinely replace the 8192 Hz oscillator with a modern "32 kHz" version. Presumably because technology had moved on and the old chips may not have been available anymore. The customer would have been unaware of this of course; after all, it didn't change the functionality of the watch. I can vouch for this to be the case because I've examined such watches & personally measured the oscillator frequency: 32.768 kHz not 8192 Hz!!
I have to say, I love how you persisted even when you applied too much pressure on the chip. Very excellent work! I love it.
Lol things got a little chaotic there but man that’s such a clever fix!! I’ll definitely store that info away
Truly outstanding patience and dedication to that watch. I really did not expect that to be successful, but it just shows when you've nothing to lose. The grinding tool is amazing, definitely need one of those in my toolbox! Of course having a microscope and the patience of a saint helps! As you said, trying to find a replacement chip would be like looking for a needle in a haystack - top man, top fix, top video! Well done Vince, so happy you've got the timepiece of your dreams 😊
Thanks Midinotes👍
One of your best, truly magic amount of effort. One thing though, never never never use a magnetic screwdriver near ANY watch, especially one as finely balanced as a tuning fork watch.
Great job! The pure excitement in your voice was amazing.
I wonder how many watch makers jump behind the sofa in horror. 🤣You'll 10/10 for the result, though. Thanks for sharing.
😂👌
That joy you expressed when you realised that you fixed it, priceless!
Keep up the good work, love it!
Wow, just wow lol! I honestly didn't think you could pull that off - consider me AMAZED lol BTW - if that little round component with 4 points is a trim cap, that probably helps adjust the timing.
Hahaha, I think the break of the 3 legs on the IC actually did me a favour as it was such a clean break. How lucky was I with that 😂😎 Do you know I didn't think to adjust the timing with the cap, maybe that is how you adjust it when you need a few seconds a day difference (which I do). Cheers Chris.
Well done!!! Held my breath while you were doing the microchip repair! By far the most Exciting and reverting watch repair video I've seen to date👍🙌
Wow, thank you!
My heart sank when it pushed through, but that is one impressive fix!
This was fascinating. We sometimes forget just how much genius engineering goes into the "simple" things in our lives. The grinding away part was very satisfying and I applaud your steady hand. kept forgetting just how tiny that chip was. haha.
Well done vince 😊 watching your videos for years
Just shows what can happen when you keep moving forward...GREAT FIX VINCE
Your video has frightened the life out of me. Ive been putting off fitting a new battery for months, as scared to see if mine works or not. Bought it at auction, probably a deceased persons item.
So satisfying to get something so tiny to yield to such a macroscopic fix.
Well done🥰
Been watching for years...this was one of the greats! Well done!
Woah dude that’s a very impressive video! I never expected you to work on something even more precise than the watch itself. The fact that you managed to fix a chip shows you that you can fix literally anything! I love this video! Great job! Congratulations on your beautiful new/old watch. The watch and the video are masterpieces! I really enjoyed it.
Thanks Jason👍👍
@@Mymatevince You're welcome! Keep it up, you're doing an amazing job.
Glad I sold it to you. It was in great hands. Cheers vince
Thank you, I love it! Thanks for watching the video👍👍👍
This was really enjoyable. As you say, troubleshooting the chip connection was excellent work!
Great job bringing an historical watch back to life . I have a bulova seamast which has the tuning fork movement I used the atomic clock app to check the time it gains 8 seconds a year
Man oh man! What an odyssey! I was spellbound the whole time and couldn't look away. Congratulations, you have more guts than me I have to admit, grinding the chip is beyond me. Now you've got me thinking of buying one of those marvels!🤔 I already have a near mint 80 Micron gold f300 Constellation Chronometer (it does need work though). Is there no end to the madness that is watch collecting?😱🤪
Wow Vince that deserved a double thumbs up
I loved this one! Your persistent and refusal to give - in inspires me to look further into the problem.
Edisons quote:
I haven't failed, I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
👍👍👍👍👍
As a watch hound myself this is really fantastic - it would be great if you could find another for parts and swap over the board with the chip and crystal but even if you can't you've brought this time piece back to life and seem to be enjoying it.
You lucky ..........
To be fair, perseverance and persistence helped.
Well done, I would never even considered repairing the chip.
nice work vince
Vince,
I was on the edge of my seat with this one. Great vudeo!
This one was a rollercoaster! You never cease to be amazing, turning your hand to quite literally anything. I love the perseverance. This one was a real cracker and really shows all your skills to the fore, the culmination of years of doing this sort of thing. Brilliant Vince, keep it going!!
Thank you so much Dazzy!!!
Fantastic video you got it working. Congratulations Vince you are the Man.
congratulations Vince well done
I’m impressed , I thought you were beat. 👍🏼
Nice ending and very good problem finding.
Hola I have been collecying watches since the 50's. I saw the transistor watch the Bulova turning fork and quartz. I know this movement very well. Congrats. Cheers Patagonia Argentina
This is a very good video, it feels like watching an adventure.
Amazing, like most comments I would have given up long before I got close to what you did.
Way to go Vince, another great video and fix.
@35:40 - Our 3 girls have a movie that really resonates with them called "The Sandlot". A line they use on me all the time is "You're killing me Smalls!" I've never seen the movie, but I love when they say it. I yelled this at the screen just now.
Not the nicest? IT’S A GORGEOUS VINTAGE TIME PIECE.. GREAT JOB. I THINK this is the first video I think I was more excited than you when it started keeping time again… 😂CONGRATULATIONS!
Thank you 👍👍👍👍
Great video there vince that repair was the best one that I’ve seen so far
Thank you Max! 👍👍👍
you persevered and got it working, amazing!
vince your channel is awesome!
this is NOT a quartz watch this is a tunning fork movement that predates quartz
I didn't even know that there was a thing as conductive silver paint. Kudos to you Obe-Wan!
Very Well Done Vince, I definitely thought it was game over whenever that chip collapsed. A big Kudos to you for saving the day. Mick. 👍👏🍻
Thank you Mick, the broken chip ended up saving the day as it exposed the bond wires. Unbelievable lucky on this one 😂👌👍🍻
For the few seconds i thought you've manage to keep the leg atached and then .... eeehhh surpriiiiiseee :D Super glue would be waaaaay beter and stronger. A 1.2V programable micro controller would be an easy substitude here, you need to measure output frequency on the legs of the coil, multiply it by 2 because it change coil polarity on every tick then find someone to write simple code and flash it into the MCU. An MCU of that size will cost you less than 20 cents ;) The ouput frequency looks like 50Hz or 60Hz (maybe 32 or 64) because the movement of weight is visible and working frequency is dividable by 2 so 2^13 = 8192Hz 🤓
Cheers technixbul, most of that has gone over my head, but the more I research it the more it will make sense. Thank you 👍👍👍 If a chip could be found and easily programmed, it would save loads of these watches worldwide!
Certainly one of your best videos - the chip repair is great and so interesting. And watches like that deseve to be used
Thanks Dave👍
What an amazing fix! I really like this watch. I think it looks really good.
WOW awsome fix
Wow this was absolutely amazing. Great job and a beautiful watch.
I enjoyed this video. Thanks
Best fix ever. Well done Vince :-) like a watch brain surgeon there.
Your learned more from the first video-you've got gloves & you know what that little black box is---AND YOUVE GOT GUTS SOLDERING!
What a nice save! Well done Vince!
Good job mate 👍
excellent job dude!!!!! BRAVO!!!!!
That's a beautiful watch! And as a thin-wrist guy, I totally appreciate the fight to secure a heavy watch.
Good work
So happy for you this one was a good one to see you triumph thank you for sharing this with us
This was awesome vince, you should do a series of Watch repairs and builds, would love to see you buy a cheap nh35 movement strip down completely and rebuild and I’m sure you could do it 👍 great video my heart sank when I heard the crack 😫 but cracking repair 👍
You are a step above in repair. Insane.
Cool watch, scary repair. Gutsy. Congratulations on your success and bringing back a piece of watch history
Really enjoyed that great work
Glad ive found this. Have bought same megaquartz watch, but with the leather strap with a clasp. No idea at moment if its just a battery. Fingers crossed.
47:15 When you mentioned black nail varnish my first thought was, great iddea, it'll look like a blob chip. I think the solder mask does the trick though. Brilliant and epic FIX!
This is one of the Best so far. On the other hand early Omega Electronic watches were not long lasting. My Seamaster quartz bought in 1982 didn't last 10 years. My Wife's Roamer Quartz 35 Years & still ticking. BTW thanks 4 the Video. Greeting from Down Under.
absolutely awesome , lovely watch and you fixed it , welldone to you sir
WOW vince that has to be the best watch repair video ever well done👏👏👏
Thanks Stephen👍👍👍
I used to own a bulova accutron with the tuning fork I think they were the first ones that made the tuning fork it was so accurate and the hum was so unique with the smoothest hands sweep , wish I had kept it now instead of swapping it for another watch. Just to let you know a seller from eBay from Bulgaria deals with tuning fork watches may have a part his eBay name is anticvarius
Thanks Joseph 👍👍👍
My heart skipped 2 beats when you poke the IC through the hole and broke the legs. That is some ironclad fortitude you have to even continue after that. If it was me, I would have just taken a break from it and come back a week later.
When you brought out the grinder I thought, "Oh, he's bunged it up!" and then....!!!! Amazing video!
😂👍
Fantastic job, and you got yourself a piece of history!
Very nice looking watch. I like all the watches you wear Vince.
These types of fixes are my fave cos they're the same I would do, sure it's not pretty but it works!
Aw well done I really thought it won't work after the chip had broken but well done you got it working once again amazing
I'm @3:08 and I venture that Vince didn't even gush over his first child like he has this watch. :D
🤣🤣🤣
Great video yet again Vince, maybe you could look into getting some UV cure nail varnish, my wife uses it on her nails and it cures pretty well, just a suggestion, keep up the good work 👍🏻
Epic video! From MASSIVE DISASTER to VICTORY!
Great fix mate, enjoyed the microchip diagnosis and repair
Nice fix and an amazing video 👌
Amazing Vince
Well done, thought you might be beaten this time, well done for persevering!
For the first I was at the edge of my seat and curious, in the middle terrified and by the end I was EXAUSTED! Lol. Incredible. Great vid Mr. Vince.
Hahaha, thanks AJ!
What a rollercoaster!! Here's a little something for a stiff drink after that one!
Hahaha a well needed drink. Nice one Dazzy, thank you very much 👍👍👍🍻