Advice on service of a reference 1680056 Omega Pie Pan

I apologize on beforehand for the somewhat lacking quality of the pictures. At the moment, it is the best that I can provide.

In 1966, for his 40th birthday, my grandfather was given this watch by by grandmother. To the best of my knowledge, it has seen little use the last 30 to 40 years, and is unlikely to have been serviced during that time.

As I recently inherited the watch, I brought it to an antique watchmaker in my city. He examined it and deemed that, apart from a general service, it needed a new crown with appurtenant gasket. Furthermore, he said the although he would try, it is tricky to find a crown that is identical, even if it is considered to be an original spare part by Omega.

The glass is, which is hopefully apparent from the pictures, quite scratched. He considered it to be an Omega glass, ableit not necessarily the very one it was shipped with. His advice was to polish it. At this point, I said that I wanted do some online research before I made a decision - and, well, here we are.

I am thinking along these lines: my plan was to use this watch. At the same time, I would like to treat it in a way that a purist in another 65 years will think I made the right call about how to service it.

My specific questions are: Which parts are acceptable to replace? Crown? Gaskets? Cogs and springs? In that case, which iterations of these?

Specifically for the crown, even if it is possible to find an identical one, I fear that the tint of it will differ from the bezel. Is it impossible to repair the current one, in so far as to keep the outer, golden part of it?

I am located in Sweden, and would, ideally, not like to ship the watch, but am somewhat open to the idea if necessary. As for costs, I am willing to spend 1200 USD/1000 Euro.

Any advice is greatly appriciated. Thank you for your time.

Wow, what a nice family heirloom to have passed down from your grandparents.

This model 168.005/6 is a dual reference case which spared the expense of having two different case backs. The 168.005 is the ‘standard’ model with yours being a 168.006 de luxe in 18k gold. The 168.005 also came in 18k gold but the main difference between the two is the dial on a 168.006 is also 18k solid gold.

In regards to the crown, you are very unlikely to find another in NOS condition with it’s seals intact. Most folks on here will advise you retain the original crown but be very careful when around moisture/water. This is pretty standard advise for a vintage watch regardless whether the crown is watertight or not. I have read on here that some watchmakers can replace the seals in the original crown. This in not something I’ve had done myself so could just be hearsay. As for the movement parts & gaskets etc it’s generally accepted that if any parts are worn they should be replaced at service. The crystal may polish up like new but if the scratches are deep it will need replacing. Again replacing a crystal is acceptable on a vintage watch.

As for servicing the general advise is DO NOT SEND TO OMEGA as they will replace all parts they deem to be worn. This includes the crown which is now obsolete and so they just fit whatever is the latest replacement.
It would be best to ask here for recommended watchmakers in your area. A €1000 budget for a service is well more than enough to cover your costs.

This is exactly the sort of input I was hoping for - really appreciate it!