How it's made

Every answer comes out of one of these.

Omega's own spare-parts catalogues, the factory technical guides, and — arriving in October — the AWI microfiche set. Real paper, not somebody else's website. I bought them, I photograph them a folio at a time, and I transcribe them myself.

The Omega GF 620 spare-parts catalogue series — The GF 620 series. On the shelf: 620-1, 620-3 and 620-5, with the 620-4 sections as loose folios. 620-6 arrives in October. Still hunting: 620-2 and 620-7.

The library

Volume	What it is	Year	Status
GF 620-1	Spare-parts catalogue, thumb-tabbed by calibre, 278 pages	1954	Complete, in the database
GF 620-3	Spare-parts catalogue with the loose 1966 supplement folios	1955–66	Complete
GF 620-4	Chronograph block — 320, 321, 865, 910, 911, 920, 930, 980	1969	Sections held as loose folios; hunting the bound volume (860 section still missing)
GF 620-5	Ring binder — the 1967 generation	1967	Complete
GF 620-6	Ring binder — 1010, 1045 and later, first with quartz	1972–75	Bought, arriving October
Technical Guides	Nos. 25–31 and 34 — calibres 620–690 and the Unishell case	1961–66	Held
AWI microfiche	Set of nine — parts ID (R11.5–1655), technical bulletins (269–4315), supplemental letters (4–127)	—	Bought, arriving October

Still hunting: GF 494, GF 548, GF 620-2 and GF 620-7. If you hold one and would let me photograph it, write to me.

The nine AWI Omega microfiche sheets laid out with their index card — The nine AWI fiches with their index card: about 1,200 frames. Arriving October.

How a report is made

You photograph. Six shots and the weight on a kitchen scale. The watch stays where it is.
I identify from the photographs. Movement under the loupe, marking on the bridge, hallmarks inside the back, dial under raking light.
Every claim is checked against the database I built from these books. The calibre against its printed specification. The case reference against Omega's own case sheets — was this movement what the case was built for? The serial against the published tables, disagreements included.
You get it in writing. Every line graded by how it is known — factory sheet, stamping, community or unverified — and cited to the volume and folio.

The honest bit. I use software I built to search that database — it reads thousands of part numbers faster than I can, and never misremembers a folio. The judgement on your photographs is mine. If the software and I disagree, the report says so and cites both.

Where it comes from, in numbers

177calibres

4,047part numbers

11,675fitment records

208recorded corrections

The corrections are the part I'm proudest of — places where the catalogues contradict each other, or the received wisdom is wrong and the printed page says otherwise. They only exist if you actually read the books.

See what that looks like for one family, free. The 27.90 mm calendar calibres — 560 through 565 — six movements with identical dimensions, told apart only by the bridge marking. The data sheet is in the same format as a paid report.

Read the free data sheet See a real report (PDF) Request one for your watch

Watch Breaker is an independent identification specialist and parts dealer and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Omega SA or the Swatch Group. Omega is a trademark of Omega SA. Reports are identifications from photographs, graded by confidence; not an authentication of record and not an appraisal. Terms.