176.0012 questions about servicing

Try? Well that's an unusual description, but generally the answer is no. If Omega feels that either the dial or hands do not meet their specifications, there's no trying - they will only replace.

This subject has been beaten to death on this and other forums, but it's clear that Omega will not always follow your wishes, which is why most people do not advocate sending vintage watches to Omega for servicing. Others may jump in and say they asked for something and Omega complied - that can be misleading (not intentional). If you ask Omega not to replace the dial, and there's nothing wrong with the dial, they won't replace it, and it sounds like they followed your wishes. What it really means is that the dial wouldn't have been replaced, even if you didn't ask for them to keep it.

There are places that do case restorations, and certainly servicing the movement is not an issue. Any watchmaker with an Omega parts account can get the parts needed for it.


I don't blame you - I wouldn't make a false declaration either. I know he doesn't have an Omega parts account, so might have more difficulty with sourcing parts, but there are watchmakers around who do that can get the movement and case parts that might be needed directly from Omega.

Cheers, Al

Looks good, too bad they couldn't save the hands. I just got my MKII Speedmaster back from Nesbit's this week, my wife-to-be gave me the watch in 1972 and it was long overdue for an overhaul. They cautioned me that the hands were deteriorated and they might not be able to save them, and the crystal sometimes cracks when they remove it and may need to be replaced, but I told them to try to save those items if they could. Fortunately they were able to reuse the aged and somewhat faded hands (none of the orange hands ever quite matched, even when new), and the almost perfect crystal that was a replacement for the original way back in 1981 was salvaged. Case refinishing was well done, too. Happy with their work, and it comes with a 3 year warranty. Looks good for an almost 50 yo watch that has seen the battles. Put it on a Genteel navy goat strap with orange stitching, with an Omega DP buckle. Now looks sharp.

Yikes!