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  1. alkearl Aug 2, 2020

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    @OMEGAWD2020 Based on some of the convos I've now had, i'm optimistic it will work out. I'll ping you once done and relay the experience. PS Really love the Dynamic. Great piece.
     
  2. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker Aug 2, 2020

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    If this is a vintage watch, and you want to keep any vintage character it may have, then Omega is a risky place to send it. They may end up replacing parts that you won't want replaced.

    Cheers, Al
     
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  3. Dan S Aug 2, 2020

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    I think it's tricky to have Omega service a vintage watch since you may have specific instructions regarding how the original parts should be treated and whether the case should be refinished, etc. It may turn out just fine, but there is high potential for miscommunication since you are dealing with a corporate structure, not talking one-on-one to the person doing the work. All I can suggest is writing down your instructions very clearly, in detail, and attaching them directly to the watch. However, most likely, those instructions will be separated from the watch, and you will just have to hope for the best. Also, you really have no idea who will be doing the work, so you are entirely at the mercy of Swatch QC.

    In short, I don't really see a major advantage in having Swatch service a vintage Omega compared to a competent independent watchmaker. Perhaps there is an advantage in sending it to an independent watchmaker with an Omega parts account, but I'm not even certain about that, since I don't know if Omega will still provide parts for your particular movement.
     
  4. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker Aug 2, 2020

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    Please post a photo of the watch. Omega won't fit hands on a watch that it didn't come with originally, unless the original hands are no longer available.
     
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  5. padders Oooo subtitles! Aug 2, 2020

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    I know the watch, it is a little seen Japanse market version of the Gen III dynamic, it has a lot of the subsequent 2255 SMP about it. Pic below, I know what you mean about the hands. I think you should probably leave them be but the Gen III hands would be preferable to me. The metal disk you refer to is presumably an iron anti mag shield. I can't recall if the Gen III has one, the SMP certainly does.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
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  6. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker Aug 2, 2020

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    Okay, not the Dynamic I was thinking of then...
     
  7. lillatroll Aug 2, 2020

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    I recently had a chronostop serviced. Including parts it was around 400 pounds. I got a full report on what was good bad and indifferent about the watch and what the watch maker recommended I should do. He offered to source generic parts or omega parts and it was up to me.

    The movement was stripped, cleaned, parts replaced cleaned and oiled, reassembled and tested in various positions and another report with pictures was sent explaining everything that had been done.

    Somebody who puts this much effort into their work deserves every single penny they ask for and I am more than happy to pay for it. I only buy watches I really want so I really want to look after them too.
    Finding someone who is willing to go to so much effort tells me my watch is being looked after. I am happy to pay for his skills and appreciate the work he does on my watches.
     
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  8. alkearl Aug 3, 2020

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    Good advice. I'll keep this in mind for this and subsequent pieces.
     
  9. iamvr Nov 2, 2020

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    I don't own a vintage Omega yet, but as the OP was interested in the ballpark (didn't know it was as baseball term, but the meaning made it across the pond) figure for servicing costs as I have to price it into my budget. An independent watchmaker in Zurich, Switzerland, quoted CHF 800 - 900 :confused: depending on the condition of the watch.
     
  10. onlyomega94 Nov 2, 2020

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    Going back to OP’s question. In Denmark I would expect to pay the equivalent to around 200 euros for a standard manual wind watch, going up to about the double for an automatic chronograph.
     
  11. alkearl Nov 2, 2020

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    Always nice when a thread comes back up for discussion when you've gone through the process and have some information to pass along as the OP (although information is rather specific to the Canadian market.). These can stand as rough data points for Canadians seeking out the same info I was...

    Upon inquiring in my city at a well known shop where the WM has experience with vintage Omega's, I was quoted $550 (CAD, or about $350 euro at current exchange) for disassembly, wash and re-assembly. Any replacement parts cost would be on top of that (no issues with that). The WM took the case back off and with his loupe in hand told me that it looked like "quite a dirty movement that would need a lot of work". I thought this suspicious as I had previously opened the case myself and with my own loupe thought it looked to be in decent shape on the surface, but still in need of a routine service to keep it beating strong. I'm clearly not a WM, so I didn't argue but gathered the watch and left the shop.

    Given what I had read on the forum and elsewhere, this seemed a little steep for our market. So I sought out some OF members who were in Canada and who clearly had an older Omega or two in the collection and asked them what they were paying and where. Ultimately, one very kind OF member directed me to their WM in another city who came very highly recommended (a gentleman who had actually worked at an Omega facility in the 1970's and had tremendous knowledge of the movements - movement in question is a cal. 752 for reference) who quoted me $125 (CAD) for the very same work that the guy in my own town was saying would be $550 (or more than 4x less).

    After my conversations on the phone with the WM in the other city, I took the risk of mailing my watch to him for the work. He tore the watch down, called me to say that the piece was actually in quite good shape (as was my instinct in the first place, but confirmation is always nice), and that no replacement parts were needed. He did an excellent job cleaning the watch and putting it back together and I had the watch back in under 2 weeks from the date I mailed it.

    I couldn't be happier, especially knowing that what I saved on this service ($425 CAD) by asking the forum for info stays in the watch fund to be put to use acquiring another great piece. The research and help of others on OF proved to be worth it several times over. Chalk up another win for the OF community.

    Here's a shot of the watch from when it was received back from service a few months ago. Still humming along nicely!
     
    SEA1.jpg
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  12. onlyomega94 Nov 2, 2020

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    Good to hear - and great looking watch!
     
  13. JwRosenthal Nov 2, 2020

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    Glad you found a watchmaker you enjoyed working with.
    In regards to needing parts or not- I think much of it has to do with what the watchmaker “thinks” is within tolerances versus what the factory thinks is within tolerance. Authorized factory service providers inspect and measure every part to verify it meets factory specs- that is their protocol. They also have a factory parr’s account which gives them easy access to parts.
    Some watchmakers just strip, clean and reassemble/oil- perhaps replacing a part that has failed, causing an obvious operational problem, and then reassemble and regulate it to get close. They don’t have factory parts accounts so tend to either work through a network of other watchmakers to get parts they need, or they hunt them down on the open market (eBay or supply houses) like we have access to.
    There are many shades of grey in between and the prices vary across the board. You have to decide what level of service you want.
    I have one primary watchmaker I use for my expensive watches, one I have used for Omega specifically, and a friend who is a hobbyist who works on my inexpensive watches.
    Two watches that I sent to the Omega specialist required very different treatments. One was a late 60’s Connie that saw very little wear and spent most of its life in a drawer. The watchmaker was actually surprised at little use the movement saw, so he replaced the mainspring was a matter of SOP and only needed to CLA- cost was $200.
    The next one I sent to him was a Seamaster 120 which had seen much more wear. The cost of his labor didn’t change, but the cost of parts the watch needed was extensive- that service was over $400- almost half what I paid for the watch.

    Mike Miller from the BMW CCA magazine Roundel, wrote many years ago about the cost of servicing older models and the common outrage by owners who got them on the cheap. Just because you got a once $70k car for $6k doesn’t mean the cost of parts and labor for that car have changed- and the car still thinks it’s worthy of the treatment you would give a $70k car.
     
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  14. alkearl Nov 2, 2020

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    Sums up the experience and situation quite well. Ultimately finding that person you trust to do the job is key, and learning a bit about what you're going in for makes a world of difference.
     
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  15. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker Nov 2, 2020

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    Parts aren't really "measured" for wear. Wear is typically determined visually, and when it's there, it's pretty obvious. It may take a little experience to recognize wear (not much in reality) but once you know what it looks like, there's little in the way of interpretation required.

    The real difference is between the watchmaker who looks at the parts and says "that will run okay when I get this back together" and the one that looks and the part and asks "will this run okay for the next 6 years?" The answer isn't always the same.

    To be frank, many watchmakers just put the watches back together with worn parts. I've had "freshly serviced" watches come to me with problems, and the parts inside the watch are worn. It's clear that wear didn't happen since the last guy looked at it - they just put it back together and hoped for the best.

    This is because they most likely don't have access to parts from the manufacturer, and would have to spend a lot of time looking for them elsewhere, and for what they charge it's not worth their time to do so. This is in my view the folly of the watch companies restricting parts to "ensure quality" because all it does is encourage watchmakers to do substandard work.

    Indeed. Just because you had the watch serviced for much less, doesn't mean you got the same quality of service.
     
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  16. PlainVanilla Nov 2, 2020

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    I just had this Seamaster pre De Ville serviced for 180€ in Paris.

    [​IMG]
     
  17. ATracyWatches Nov 3, 2020

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    I can state, 100% without doubt, that the service you received for $125 is not the service you think you were after...
     
  18. PlainVanilla Nov 3, 2020

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    So you seem to have personally dealt with that watchmaker before... Or I hope that's what you are trying to say.
     
  19. ATracyWatches Nov 3, 2020

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    Nope, I’m saying that in Canada you can’t properly service a watch to a level that is deemed appropriate by Swiss standards (Rolex, Omega, WOSTEP) and feed your family charging those prices. I don’t care what anyone says - it’s impossible.
     
  20. PlainVanilla Nov 3, 2020

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    As you "don't care what anyone says", I won't bother arguing with you.
     
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