Call for Help: Possible Seamaster 166.010 or 168.024

cnjackson

Thank you SkunkPrince! So maybe it would be best to get the less expensive one from Closer and then send it off to Omega for a nice service? Or from some another watchmaker?

SkunkPrince

Possibly, or possibly not. This forum has many collectors with definite opinions about factory service (definitely not!) and case and bracelet refinishing (now the watch is worthless!).

I, personally, like my watches to look nice, and I've picked nice examples that needed a minimum of work. But make no mistake, my 166.010 watch and its bracelet were definitely refinished. The watchmaker I use (don't ask) also has definite opinions (it's only original once!) but he will also refinish at least as far as is prudent to not degrade the case or bracelet. If you look closely, you can still see some remnants of deep marks, but on the other hand, I only paid $700 because of the condition of the case and dial. It was a gamble, and it paid off, but I always intend a certain amount of refinishing in whatever I buy... which is sometimes done completely by hand, and sometimes by me.

So keep in mind that the case and the dial, pretty much, are only original once, but if you don't care about collector-level condition, you can get a quite handsome watch, like I did, by ignorning small dial flaws and having a poor case refinished.

cnjackson

I think I wouldn't mind some refinishing: Like you, I want the watch to look nice--and to be one I can wear fairly regularly. I'm not really a collector, if that means wanting "perfect" examples.

If I were to send it to Omega, would they clean up the hands and dial and case?

impalla62ss

Sadly my watchmaker just had a stroke and is no longer working. He is a good friend and I am pretty bummed. Barring major part replacement, I typically pay $250 for a Cal. 5xx service. But the price varies by location.

SkunkPrince

In a word, yes. They'll do what they can and need to, to return the case to as-new as best they can. The bezel comes off, so they can certainly get underneath it.

You'd lose that crown, because they don't make that replacement anymore, but you might not find that significant.

As for the dial, "it depends". Sometimes they have replacements, many times they will refinish them (less wrong if the manufacturer does it, many think). The hands you get back might be slightly different.

But this is, in some ways, no different than an independent. I have begun using Nesbit's Watch Service in Seattle, because their prices are close to Omega's, and they have a factory parts account. For where I live, anything Swatch Group is sent to the Miami service center, and I've had bad experiences with them.

As for that end link, it just needs adjusting.

SkunkPrince

Nothing can be done with the dial but bubbling in the lacquer is hard to see when it's on the wrist.