Modding UPO

[tick123]

So as I wait for my UPO to arrive from King, I have several questions about modding my new baby

1) I read somewhere on the forums about a member who tried to change the dial of his UPO to a GEN dial, and it turned out that there was an issue with the date wheel and it not being compatible with the GEN dial...is this the case with all UPO's? or just earlier models?

2) I know where to get the parts from (ofrei), however, I was wondering how much (on average) does it cost to have all these parts installed (GEN dial, crown, and hands) by a watch repairman...$50? $100? Is it hard to do these mods bymyself?

3) I know there is an issue with the pearl placement on the UPO's bezel, however I was wondering if instead of buying a gen bezel just for the insert, why not buy one off of ebay for like 10 bucks? do the ones off of the bay have the same pearl placement problem?

4) Also, I have heard only good things about cheif's double AR...however I have a few questions about that as well. I pm'ed him to ask him these questions, and he referred me to his FAQ...but I still did not find the answers to my questions. I want a straightforward answer: How much does it cost and how long does it take for chief to apply the double AR?

5) Also, what are the chances of my UPO having an asian clone eta movement? King swears that it is a genuine ETA...but from what I've read around the forums it seems like with the eta shortage, the dealers are basically lying to the customers about the movements and charging the same amount for a genuine swiss movement

6) How hard is to regulate my movement? If I can open the caseback and have access to the movement, is it as simple as adjusting the + and - signs on my movement to suit my tastes? or do I have that totally wrong?

sorry for all the specific, semi-complicated n00b questions, but please, help me out

my money is on lord rasta to be the first to answer this thread, as he seems to have much in common with Dr.Frankenstein when it comes to Omegas

[pollux1]

If your chosen collector guarantees, and is happy that you have it verified that the movement is Swiss ETA (2824-2) Then the only visual mods are Chief's/K2222's A/R coating, a lume job and the symbol replaced with the correct one ( which silix carries). This of course still leaves you having to have your uPO serviced ( absolutely necessary in my humble opinion)

Hope this has been of some help

[LordRasta]

Man you lost all your modding money! Let's go through each one of your questions:

1. To my knowledge there is no issue with a gen dial on any UPO. Remember some dealers have differences, ex. Silix vs. Josh/Andrew.

2. It depends on your watchsmith. I only use The Zigmeister and his prices are more than fair but he has a huge backlog and has started working only with people he knows.

3. The bezels on the bay "seem" ok, but I have never held one to get a detailed view. You are correct that from Ofrei you have to buy the bezel/insert together. That however is because Omega packages them together.

4. Chieftang AR will run about $45, a little more if you need him to strip existing AR however. He does not apply the AR himself, he uses a lab and the total run usually takes 3 - 4 weeks. He is working on speeding that up.

5. This lately has been a crapshoot. Some users have movements that appear to be ETA but are actually clones. Some users just have asian movements they think are ETA.

6. Not sure on this one, I never open my watches as I am not that smart. It costs me less money in the end.

The one mod you should seriously consider is a gen crown/tube. The UPO's used to be notorious for the crown stripping. Thanks for the compliment but I really only know the UPO when it comes to modding. Other members are way more knowledegable than me regarding other Omega watches.

[makubex05]

Congrats on your new purchase.

I have just recently mod my UPO, so I know some of the answers.

2. I swap the dial myself. I got the dial from Silix with the correct logo. It is pretty easy for novice like me. But if you don't want to get your hand dirty, send it to Vac or Rex.

3. Don't buy the cheap bezel insert in ebay. You can get a decent on that close to the gen for $35 in ebay. Please note that you will need to flatten the pearl in you UPO. The pearl in UPO is mounted to the bezel while the gen bezel insert has the pearl build it. The better rep bezel insert in ebay also have the pearl build in ..like the gen

4. Not sure how much it cost for the Chief AR. But K2222 AR cost around $50 and $20 crystal removal.

5. Hard to say about the authenticy of the ETA movement. Mine have ETA mark, but I am still not sure

Hope these help!

Cheers.

So as I wait for my UPO to arrive from King, I have several questions about modding my new baby

1) I read somewhere on the forums about a member who tried to change the dial of his UPO to a GEN dial, and it turned out that there was an issue with the date wheel and it not being compatible with the GEN dial...is this the case with all UPO's? or just earlier models?

2) I know where to get the parts from (ofrei), however, I was wondering how much (on average) does it cost to have all these parts installed (GEN dial, crown, and hands) by a watch repairman...$50? $100? Is it hard to do these mods bymyself?

3) I know there is an issue with the pearl placement on the UPO's bezel, however I was wondering if instead of buying a gen bezel just for the insert, why not buy one off of ebay for like 10 bucks? do the ones off of the bay have the same pearl placement problem?

4) Also, I have heard only good things about cheif's double AR...however I have a few questions about that as well. I pm'ed him to ask him these questions, and he referred me to his FAQ...but I still did not find the answers to my questions. I want a straightforward answer: How much does it cost and how long does it take for chief to apply the double AR?

5) Also, what are the chances of my UPO having an asian clone eta movement? King swears that it is a genuine ETA...but from what I've read around the forums it seems like with the eta shortage, the dealers are basically lying to the customers about the movements and charging the same amount for a genuine swiss movement

6) How hard is to regulate my movement? If I can open the caseback and have access to the movement, is it as simple as adjusting the + and - signs on my movement to suit my tastes? or do I have that totally wrong?

sorry for all the specific, semi-complicated n00b questions, but please, help me out

my money is on lord rasta to be the first to answer this thread, as he seems to have much in common with Dr.Frankenstein when it comes to Omegas