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Art Deco vintage

O
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Greetings to all:

I’ve convinced my wife on restoring her grandma’s old wristwatch. It looks odd. Went to a local Omega store for information. Turns out it maybe from 30s to late 50’s Art Deco female line, but I see some red flags, specially on the back and I accidentally dropped it and got open quite easily (motor, sphere and back)… and I closed it back like a snap-on. Decided to ask you goys before sending it to Switzerland on a $1500 deposit fee just to be told its a fake. Oh her poor grandma…
 
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ConElPueblo
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Hi Omi, welcome to OF 😀

I don't think the watch is a fake, but at some point it had its dial repainted. This is not necessarily a sign of something bad, but it means that the collector's value is fairly small. Women's Omega watches are generally not very valuable, so if the finances are of any concern, I would leave it be. Any money spent is - in a monetary sense - wasted. If the watch is something your wife treasures, I would say that a service would be a good thing 😀
 
O
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ConElPueblo ConElPueblo
Hi Omi, welcome to OF 😀

I don't think the watch is a fake, but at some point it had its dial repainted. This is not necessarily a sign of something bad, but it means that the collector's value is fairly small. Women's Omega watches are generally not very valuable, so if the finances are of any concern, I would leave it be. Any money spent is - in a monetary sense - wasted. If the watch is something your wife treasures, I would say that a service would be a good thing 😀

I thought of restoring it because of a sentimental value (although I’m the one calling it out to her), plus its winding system. Since no acid corroded it’s interior I thought it could last longer once restored. From the $1,500 deposit, if I decide not to proceed with the restoration, they just charge me with a $75 fee and refund the rest. Maybe a restoration can the less expensive than a new watch, plus retaining family value?
 
Vitezi
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O Omi
Maybe a restoration can the less expensive than a new watch, plus retaining family value?
If you want to wear that watch, we generally recommend that you find an independent watchmaker near you who is familiar with vintage mechanical watches. They can service the watch movement and perhaps perform some sympathetic touchups that will preserve the sentimental value while providing a working, functional timepiece.
 
O
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Vitezi Vitezi
If you want to wear that watch, we generally recommend that you find an independent watchmaker near you who is familiar with vintage mechanical watches. They can service the watch movement and perhaps perform some sympathetic touchups that will preserve the sentimental value while providing a working, functional timepiece.

I once gave my Seamaster to one of those places for a battery replacement, but they clumsily broke the crown. I had to send it back to Omega HQ, pay $350 and wait 6 months, that taught me to leave this kind of watches to the original brand.

I honestly thought that old Omega watches were worthy of restoring, but I am getting discouraged by this forum. Maybe the wife was right and I’m obsessive about it.
 
O
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Vitezi Vitezi
If you want to wear that watch, we generally recommend that you find an independent watchmaker near you who is familiar with vintage mechanical watches. They can service the watch movement and perhaps perform some sympathetic touchups that will preserve the sentimental value while providing a working, functional timepiece.
So, not worthy to restore a 90 y/o nana’s Omega even if it could cost less than a new one? I really had high hopes about this brand. Well appreciated for your info.
 
wagudc
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O Omi
I once gave my Seamaster to one of those places for a battery replacement, but they clumsily broke the crown. I had to send it back to Omega HQ, pay $350 and wait 6 months, that taught me to leave this kind of watches to the original brand.

I honestly thought that old Omega watches were worthy of restoring, but I am getting discouraged by this forum. Maybe the wife was right and I’m obsessive about it.

Don't judge all watchmakers by one incompetent watch guy who may or may not have been a trained watchmaker. My independent watchmaker is highly trained and highly competent. I interact with him personally and we have an established relationship. I trust him with my most cherished family heirlooms. Now there is a guy that works out of a little storefront in a strip mall that changes watch batteries and sizes bracelets if watches people bought online. He has zero training and a $20 toolset he bought off Amazon. I would not take any watch to the second guy.

If you let us know your general location we could recommend someone to get grandma's watch running again for a reasonable cost.
 
sleepyastronaut
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O Omi
accidentally dropped it and got open quite easily

Vintage do be like that

O Omi
So, not worthy to restore a 90 y/o nana’s Omega even if it could cost less than a new one? I really had high hopes about this brand. Well appreciated for your info.

Worth is relative. Could be it's worth it to you. Since your wife needed 'convincing,' it may not worth it to her. It generally won't be worth it if you ever were to try to sell this piece.

This is not strictly an Omega situation, this is the way of the world: Men's vintage watches can be collectible, whereas most Women's vintage watches are not. This should not impact your hopes for Omega, but should guide your expectations for value and collectability in vintage watches according to their gender/size.

If it makes your wife happy, service the watch. Happy wife == happy life. Just don't expect her to be enthralled with the process or outcome just because you convinced her it's what should be done.
 
ConElPueblo
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O Omi
So, not worthy to restore a 90 y/o nana’s Omega even if it could cost less than a new one? I really had high hopes about this brand. Well appreciated for your info.


sleepyastronaut sleepyastronaut
Worth is relative. Could be it's worth it to you. Since your wife needed 'convincing,' it may not worth it to her. It generally won't be worth it if you ever were to try to sell this piece.

This is not strictly an Omega situation, this is the way of the world: Men's vintage watches can be collectible, whereas most Women's vintage watches are not. This should not impact your hopes for Omega, but should guide your expectations for value and collectability in vintage watches according to their gender/size.

If it makes your wife happy, service the watch. Happy wife == happy life. Just don't expect her to be enthralled with the process or outcome just because you convinced her it's what should be done.

100% what @sleepyastronaut says.
 
Larry S
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As @wagudc said. All of us rely on one or more trusted independent watchmakers to maintain our collections. (The watchmaker members here rely on themselves so they count) I’d imagine it would cost a few hundred to get that watch going. Sorry you encountered a mall battery changer. Your geography will help us steer you.
 
O
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I live in Puerto Rico, as seen elsewhere, we have good and bad watchmakers, i’ll just have to do the homework and find a good one.

I have received so many good points of view on the subject, I thank & appreciate the chance of having them throughout this page. I will let you guys know about the outcome once I find the right watchmaker, thank you once again.
 
O
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Sorry for the typos, auto correction doing his bid I’m afraid
 
wagudc
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O Omi
I live in Puerto Rico, as seen elsewhere, we have good and bad watchmakers, i’ll just have to do the homework and find a good one.

I have received so many good points of view on the subject, I thank & appreciate the chance of having them throughout this page. I will let you guys know about the outcome once I find the right watchmaker, thank you once again.

I don't have any experience with him, but there is one guy in San Juan that came up on an AWCI search:

https://awci.memberclicks.net/index...-6e45-4994-94ac-8505bd2851eb&current_page=1#/
 
O
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Larry S Larry S
As @wagudc said. All of us rely on one or more trusted independent watchmakers to maintain our collections. (The watchmaker members here rely on themselves so they count) I’d imagine it would cost a few hundred to get that watch going. Sorry you encountered a mall battery changer. Your geography will help us steer you.
Hahaha! The guy on the mall… not to rely on stereotypes but yeah: young and a portable kit.
 
Syrte
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Just to give you an idea, I would say the watch itself is worth at most 100 US dollars. So even if it is a treasured family heirloom, finding a competent independent watchmaker to service it seems like the best course of action IF your wife would like to wear it.
For sure you should definitely not pay 1500 swiss francs for it.

Ps the bracelet of course is worth the price of gold if it is gold. It would be best to keep the original bracelet intact if it is signed Omega but I somehow doubt it.
 
Claven2
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Syrte Syrte
Just to give you an idea, I would say the watch itself is worth at most 100 US dollars. So even if it is a treasured family heirloom, finding a competent independent watchmaker to service it seems like the best course of action IF your wife would like to wear it.
For sure you should definitely not pay 1500 swiss francs for it.

Ps the bracelet of course is worth the price of gold if it is gold. It would be best to keep the original bracelet intact if it is signed Omega but I somehow doubt it.

$100?!? If it's solid gold, the gold value is many times that.
 
Syrte
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Claven2 Claven2
$100?!? If it's solid gold, the gold value is many times that.
Dunno…. It’s a very tiny ladies watch. I wasn’t talking about the bracelet. Also depends if it’s 18K gold or 14K gold. 14k isn’t worth all that much as the gold content is not so high. I was stunned three years or so ago that the very chunky 14k case of a 30mm watch I had was only worth 115 euros at melt value. Sure nowadays it would be 40% more or so, that’s only an extra 50 euros or so.
I’ve bought a non working 18K gold ladies watches from the same era for 85 euros not so long ago… unfortunately the movement was toast - I was hoping to salvage it but the movement was too worn, it just wasn’t worth it.

As for the value of the bracelet, we’d need to see if there are any hallmarks on the clasp-
Right now we don’t know if it’s gold or merely gold filled or gold plated.
 
Claven2
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That's true, though much of the time, Omegas of this era, if plated or filled, would have that written near the lugs. Often, if you see nothing, it's only marked inside the case and there is a better chance it's gold. I also think it unusual a women's watch that saw enough use it needed a redial and that was cherished by a life-long owner would not have some brassing if it was plated or filled.

If the bracelet is gold, it's worth at least it's melt weight (bracelet and case). That said, if the OP's wife would actually wear the watch and it carries meaning, it's value is in fact priceless.
 
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