Otero 144
Description
The 10 1/2 ligne caliber Otero 144, which was launched in the late 1950s, features an unusual winding mechanism, more on that later.
base plate
Even if the execution appears rather cheap, it is sufficiently well-equipped with its pallet lever escapement and the total of 17 jewels. However, the two upper cap jewels have no real function, as the pivots of the escapement- and third wheel do not even extend through the bearing jewels.
base plate with minute wheel
Construction-wise, it still uses the classic approach with a central minute wheel mounted under its own cock and driven directly by the mainspring barrel.
gear train
The minute wheel is followed by third wheel, directly driven center seconds wheel and escape wheel.
Of course, the Otero 144 is built quite high, but that was still state of the art at the time.
side view of the gear train
There’s already a modern annular balance with three legs, which is beared in two, not further identifiable, shock protections with three legs.
It beats contemporarily slow with 18,000 A/h and can be adjusted quite easily using the extended hairspring key. In combination with the movable hairspring stud carrier, even excellent rate results are possible, as this example demonstrated on the timegrapher.
empty dial side
The truly special feature of the Otero 144, however, can be found on the dial side: The rocking bar winding mechanism with sliding function, which is rarely found in any other movement.
open winding mechanism
The rocker-and-rocker winding mechanism here does not rotate around the central wheel, but is shifted sideways by the bell crank so that either the upper winding wheel engages the ratchet wheel on the dial side, or the hand-setting wheel engages the change wheel.
Why Otero opted for this very complex rocker-and-rocker winding mechanism is unknown. In any case, watchmakers must not have been enthusiastic, because the winding mechanism is always under tension, which makes assembly extremely difficult to work on.
Otero 144: Dial side
The dial-side ratchet mechanism is also clearly visible and is also very neatly executed.
In the lab
Timegrapher result
Considering that this movement has water damage and a broken mainspring, the measured rates are absolutely sensational!| horizontal positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| dial up | +-0 s/d | 222° | 0.5ms |
| dial down | +6 s/d | 219° | 0.6ms |
| vertical positions | |||
| crown right (12 up) | +7 s/d | 164° | 0.8ms |
| crown up (3 up) | +-0 s/d | 150° | 0.8ms |
| crown left (6 up) | +3 s/d | 170° | 0.1ms |
| crown down (9 up) | +4 s/d | 163° | 0.1ms |
Technical data
| Manufacturer: | Otero |
| Caliber: | 144 |
| Size: | 10 1/2''' (measured: 23,25mm) |
| A/h: | 18000 |
| Number of jewels: | 17 |
| Escapement: | Pallet lever |
| Balance types: |
monometallic anular balance (three legs) |
| Shock protection(s): |
3 legs (generic) |
| Balance bearing / direction hairspring: | Counterclockwise |
| Moveable stud: | yes |
| Adjust mechanism: | Hairspring key |
| Construction: |
|
| Construction type: | solid construction |
| Winding mechanism: | rocking bar winding system |
| Setting lever spring: | 3 hole(s) |
| Attachment of setting lever: | screwed |
| Features: |
|
| References: |
Flume: 1958 b.34 |
| Mentioning in literature (years): | 1964 - 1968 |
| Inventory number: | 24012 |
Usage gallery
Zentra "O" gents watch