Accuracy of a vintage Omega from the 60's ?

Canuck · Jan 3, 2019

holnave
Watchmaker agreed to take it back for regulating!

Do you know for sure that it was this fellow that did the work on your watch? A lot of shops farm out watch repairs. You appear to have confidence in the shop, but if the work is farmed out..............? Somebody whose skill set limits him to taking watch apart and putting it back together so it runs, is not necessarily a “watchmaker”! However, to be fair, if a watch has previously been badly handled, it can be difficult or impossible to make it give spectacular results.

Risto · Jan 3, 2019

Many sellers say that they don't check vintage watches for accuracy.
I bought a 1962 Constellation from this forum and it was serviced and runs at +/- 5 sec per day. It's cal 561.
I personally care if the watch runs well. I was not happy when one day my Longines Ultra-Chron started to run +1 min per day when it used to do +/- 2 sec per day.

STANDY · Jan 3, 2019

The accuracy of just one watch. That’s your problem right there. 😉

Wouldn’t know what any of the below seconds a day are, as rarely wear for more than a day.

But they are all in good condition and serviced or awaiting a service
( above picture was a 12month buying binge a few years ago.)

dan7800 · Jan 3, 2019

Canuck
Do you know for sure that it was this fellow that did the work on your watch? A lot of shops farm out watch repairs. You appear to have confidence in the shop, but if the work is farmed out..............? Somebody whose skill set limits him to taking watch apart and putting it back together so it runs, is not necessarily a “watchmaker”!

+1. Many "watchmakers" outsource the watch to "experts", who actually don't really know what they are doing

How long did the service take?

Canuck
However, to be fair, if a watch has previously been badly handled, it can be difficult or impossible to make it give spectacular results.

How so? If the other parts are worn/used improperly then why not just replace them?

connieseamaster · Jan 3, 2019

>How so? If the other parts are worn/used improperly then why not just replacethem?

Parts for older movements are no longer made so you're stuck hoping the watchmaker has a stock of NOS parts, can source a donor movement for salvage, or is skilled enough to fabricate a replacement part.

dan7800 · Jan 3, 2019

connieseamaster
>How so? If the other parts are worn/used improperly then why not just replacethem?

Parts for older movements are no longer made so you're stuck hoping the watchmaker has a stock of NOS parts, can source a donor movement for salvage, or is skilled enough to fabricate a replacement part.

Someone more skilled than I can chime in, but it likely depends on the part/watch. For my 68 Seamaster, a "watchmaker" told me that parts were impossible to come by, but then when I sent the watch to someone with an Omega account they got the parts no problem.

Archer · Jan 3, 2019

dan7800
Someone more skilled than I can chime in, but it likely depends on the part/watch. For my 68 Seamaster, a "watchmaker" told me that parts were impossible to come by, but then when I sent the watch to someone with an Omega account they got the parts no problem.

The watch in question is a Seamaster 30, and that will have one of Omega's 30 mm movements in it. Many parts for these calibers are discontinued, but some are still available, so it will depend on what exact part is required.

holnave · Jan 3, 2019

The below is what was in the service quote.
PARTS:-
Central wheels shaft, mainspring, setting lever, winding stem, gaskets, movt clams, screws, studs and pinions.
SERVICE:
Re-oiling, aptitude test, calibration/tuning, pressure sealing and polish.

The crown was replaced as well. I was told by various vintage vendors that the Seamaster 30 crown was normally smaller and the logo on the crown had longer tails. But I don't know for sure. My experience with vintage omegas are very limited. I was also told that original Seamaster 30 crowns are really hard to come by at my area.

However the watchmaker did mention that the crown is the right fit because the winding stem and the setting level are an exact fix.

Watch Ref: 125.007-63

Canuck
Do you know for sure that it was this fellow that did the work on your watch? A lot of shops farm out watch repairs. You appear to have confidence in the shop, but if the work is farmed out..............? Somebody whose skill set limits him to taking watch apart and putting it back together so it runs, is not necessarily a “watchmaker”! However, to be fair, if a watch has previously been badly handled, it can be difficult or impossible to make it give spectacular results.

The guy is a 2nd generation watch maker. He and his dad did start small in the early years but now he runs a business. I'm quite sure he has a small team of repair/servicemen by now. However he did reach out to me personally to inform me of the issues of the watch and the parts he will be replacing. Could I find a really good watchmaker around town fully dedicated to his craft? Probably, but I'd be taking the same risks as sending my watch to this guy.

Dan S · Jan 3, 2019

Usually a full service like that from a reputable watchmaker will come with a warranty for some period of time, often as much as a year. Hopefully that is also written on your invoice. If so, they aren't doing you a favor by agreeing to regulate the watch, it's part of what you paid for. It's a minor procedure for them, and not something that should necessarily give you concern about this watchmaker. Yes, it's possible that they didn't regulate it as carefully as they should have initially, but if it's a local shop, it's not a big deal.

holnave · Jan 3, 2019

Agreed, it's not a favour. It did come with warranty.

Canuck · Jan 3, 2019

An aggregation of perfect original factory parts assembled into a running watch can still result in a watch that is a poor timekeeper if the last pair of hands that touched it didn’t do the essential tuning required to produce an accurate watch. I recently had a local collector bring a Zenith, ETA based watch that was out minutes in a day. He felt it might be “magnetized”. I put it on my timer to find it was actually quite erratic. Fast, slow, all over the place. I removed the case back to find a modern automatic wind ETA movement in apparently good overall condition. The second coil of the hairspring was bouncing off the curb pin of the regulator in some positions, at some times. It was a simple matter of pulling the balance wheel adjusting the outer half of the outer coil of the hairspring maybe 0.02 mm away from the second coil, and re-assembling the watch. Putting it back on the timer, setting the beat, doing some minor regulation of a movement that now exhibited a stable, uniform rate, and buttoning it up. Result? The watch now runs within seconds per day. I never did test it for “magnetism”. It is conceivable that someone before me never did assess the rate before they called the watch finished. Thereby, they would not have been looking for the fault I found. So I don’t care if your watchmaker replaced half the watch with new original parts. He left something un-done, and it is up to him to identify the particular problem, and correct it!

François Pépin · Jan 3, 2019

holnave
The below is what was in the service quote.
PARTS:-
Central wheels shaft, mainspring, setting lever, winding stem, gaskets, movt clams, screws, studs and pinions.
SERVICE:
Re-oiling, aptitude test, calibration/tuning, pressure sealing and polish.

The crown was replaced as well. I was told by various vintage vendors that the Seamaster 30 crown was normally smaller and the logo on the crown had longer tails. But I don't know for sure. My experience with vintage omegas are very limited. I was also told that original Seamaster 30 crowns are really hard to come by at my area.

However the watchmaker did mention that the crown is the right fit because the winding stem and the setting level are an exact fix.

Watch Ref: 125.007-63

The guy is a 2nd generation watch maker. He and his dad did start small in the early years but now he runs a business. I'm quite sure he has a small team of repair/servicemen by now. However he did reach out to me personally to inform me of the issues of the watch and the parts he will be replacing. Could I find a really good watchmaker around town fully dedicated to his craft? Probably, but I'd be taking the same risks as sending my watch to this guy.

I am not commenting the timing issue - Archer and Canuck gave you professional insights. But it is not because a crown fits the stem that it is correct to the watch! And yours is not. But it is not necessary a watchmaker issue, rather a collector one.

holnave · Jan 3, 2019

Thanks all for your professional insights.

I am hard pressed to find an original crown locally. Maybe it’s time to look online or maybe even the threads around here.

It is indeed a collector thing. A wrong crown, albeit an omega signed one, is a little like an itch that can’t be scratched until I get the same model crown. But it’s a bearable itch for now.

To a watchmaker who takes in hundreds of watches, sourcing an original model crown won’t be a priority. If it fits, it sits. Not unless the he is an enthusiast himself and is particular about such things.

Would anyone have insight as to what period/model a crown like mine would belong to?

Dan S · Jan 3, 2019

holnave
Thanks all for your professional insights.

I am hard pressed to find an original crown locally. Maybe it’s time to look online or maybe even the threads around here.

It is indeed a collector thing. A wrong crown, albeit an omega signed one, is a little like an itch that can’t be scratched until I get the same model crown. But it’s a bearable itch for now.

To a watchmaker who takes in hundreds of watches, sourcing an original model crown won’t be a priority. If it fits, it sits. Not unless the he is an enthusiast himself and is particular about such things.

Would anyone have insight as to what period/model a crown like mine would belong to?

Many watchmakers will feel that it is entirely appropriate to use the "modern replacement part", and I can't really disagree with that from a repair perspective. After all, it probably has a good seal. With patience, you will find the right crown on eBay.

holnave · Jan 3, 2019

Dan S
Many watchmakers will feel that it is entirely appropriate to use the "modern replacement part", and I can't really disagree with that from a repair perspective. After all, it probably has a good seal. With patience, you will find the right crown on eBay.

I have to say I do feel that the seal is much tighter now compared to the older crown. I don't even know if the older crown is the original one. The images below show the crown it had when I first acquired it. Anyone knowledgeable care to comment in on it? I have compared it to other Seamaster 30s and it looks like a match (or at least a close match).

I might try and ask to get back the crown. Hopefully the watchmaker hasn't gone and throw it away or put it in another watch. By right I should have asked for it back from the start but as I am frankly new to all this, I didn't think about asking for it back.

But I realise I am derailing off the topic of the post. Will update on the accuracy after I get the watch back from the re-servicing.

Archer · Jan 3, 2019

holnave
I might try and ask to get back the crown. Hopefully the watchmaker hasn't gone and throw it away or put it in another watch. By right I should have asked for it back from the start but as I am frankly new to all this, I didn't think about asking for it back.

You shouldn't have had to ask - they should have returned it. It's your property after all...

Accuracy of a vintage Omega from the 60's ?

Canuck

Risto

STANDY

dan7800

connieseamaster

dan7800

Archer

holnave

Dan S

holnave

Canuck

François Pépin

holnave

Dan S

holnave

Archer

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