1960 Omega Seamaster - Changing the date

[Lorenzo]

Hello,

I have 1960 Seamaster with date - No 166.002, Caliber 562. (In fact it is
described as "562(1)" whatever that means?)

My question is about how to change the date. I know that some of these
watches allow you to turn the hands back and forth from 9 to 12 to move the
date forward. Presumably others you simply wind forward to the right date!

Is it safe for me to experiment by turning the hands back and forwards to
see if the date changes? Or is there any way of knowing if the watch has
this facility before I try it?

Many thanks as always.

[Frank Adam]

Post by Lorenzo
Hello,
I have 1960 Seamaster with date - No 166.002, Caliber 562. (In fact it is
described as "562(1)" whatever that means?)
My question is about how to change the date. I know that some of these
watches allow you to turn the hands back and forth from 9 to 12 to move the
date forward. Presumably others you simply wind forward to the right date!
Is it safe for me to experiment by turning the hands back and forwards to
see if the date changes? Or is there any way of knowing if the watch has
this facility before I try it?

The 562 can change by going back and forth between 9 and 12. The 563
has a quick change, where you could pull the stem out into a second
position then push it back(and repeat ad nauseum) to advance the date.

You missed out by 1 on the caliber, so just have to go and play
between 9-12. ;-p

Btw, generally it's ok to try this on just about any watch.

[Lorenzo]

Thanks Frank,

I still have a mental block about moving hands backwards. I have already
been told this is fine. However when I move them backwards the second hand
also moves back and that makes it feel as though the whole mechanism is
being forced into reverse causing irreparable damage!

Perhaps someone could put my mind at ease by explaining why this is not
really the case? Is it because pulling out the crown separates the moving
mechanism from the hands? In which case, why does the second hand keep
moving forwards when the crown is out? If it is moving forward it can only
be because the mechanism is forcing it in that direction. If the mechanism
is still doing that, then how can it be ok to move the second hand backwards
against that force?

Post by Frank Adam

Post by Lorenzo
Hello,
I have 1960 Seamaster with date - No 166.002, Caliber 562. (In fact it is
described as "562(1)" whatever that means?)
My question is about how to change the date. I know that some of these
watches allow you to turn the hands back and forth from 9 to 12 to move the
date forward. Presumably others you simply wind forward to the right date!
Is it safe for me to experiment by turning the hands back and forwards to
see if the date changes? Or is there any way of knowing if the watch has
this facility before I try it?

The 562 can change by going back and forth between 9 and 12. The 563
has a quick change, where you could pull the stem out into a second
position then push it back(and repeat ad nauseum) to advance the date.
You missed out by 1 on the caliber, so just have to go and play
between 9-12. ;-p
Btw, generally it's ok to try this on just about any watch.
--
Regards, Frank

[Frank Adam]

Post by Lorenzo
Thanks Frank,
I still have a mental block about moving hands backwards. I have already
been told this is fine. However when I move them backwards the second hand
also moves back and that makes it feel as though the whole mechanism is
being forced into reverse causing irreparable damage!
Perhaps someone could put my mind at ease by explaining why this is not
really the case? Is it because pulling out the crown separates the moving
mechanism from the hands? In which case, why does the second hand keep
moving forwards when the crown is out? If it is moving forward it can only
be because the mechanism is forcing it in that direction. If the mechanism
is still doing that, then how can it be ok to move the second hand backwards
against that force?

When you move the hands backwards the power is removed from the train
and this can move the second hand backwards if the friction of the
canon pinion is enough to drive the train backwards.

It *can* cause repairable damage, not unrepairable, but it's very rare
and unlikely. It can only occure if yoru watch's escapement is not set
up properly and the safety mechanism is out of whack and even then you
still need a dose of bad luck for it to actually hurt anything.
None the less i still don't recommend moving the hands backwards for
no reason on any time piece, so if just putting the thing on time, i
suggest moving the hands forward.
However, in this case you have no option but to go back and forth to
adjust the date, so just do it and don't worry about it.

A much more common problem with these is, if you turn the hands back
and forth for a longer period of time and don't let the thing "rest".
The oil gets hot and squeezed out from between the canon pinion and
center wheel. That's bad because all of a sudden you will feel the
winder becoming harder and harder to turn, until it jams. If at that
point you keep trying to turn the hands, you could shear all kinds of
wonderful bits off 3 or 4 parts in the winding system, which is going
to cost you an arm and a leg..
So easy does it, don't hurry. :)