Can dirt or metal on the dial cause any issues?

Hi all

I just got a watch back from repair, and the watchmaker has left a little black thing on the dial. I think it is a piece of metal, because when I shine a light on it, it seems to have an edge.

I've already sent the watch to this watchmaker twice (the first repair made the watch worse), so I am hesitant to send it to them again. Instead I am going to meet them face to face when I'm in the UK (this was their idea), and they will fix the issue in front of me.

But this won't happen for another 4 months.

I'm wondering is there any risk here? Can something like this cause patina or possibly damage the dial?

I'm concerned because it's an otherwise perfect looking Omega Constellation Deluxe.

Thanks.

Sure, look under the "a" in "Officially".

It's small but still noticeable, especially on such a clean dial.

Depending on the metal. Gold or SS pretty safe. Brass, copper, steel, silver all oxidise, & often leave oxide stains on the surface they rest on.

Thanks Michael.

So in my case, the dial is 18k gold. Are you saying if the little piece of metal is brass, copper, steel, or silver, it could cause a problem?

Or are you saying I'm fine, because the dial is gold?

It matters what the little piece is.

Michael, one more question if you don't mind.

How long does it take for the oxidisation to take place?

Would keeping the watching in a humid country (Hong Kong) for four months be a risk?

Or does this usually take years?

Thanks!

That's variable. Heat & humidity make it faster. The inside of a watchcase can be pretty air tight.
But on a dial like that, even a tiny stain may be obvious.

Don't you have a local watchmaker who could look at this for you? Sometimes bad things happen as no-one is infallible (little pieces of dust and so on can hide on the underside of the hands, for example) but is it the best idea to go back to someone who you've now had problems with twice if they are on the far side of the world? Once they open the case "in front of you" to remove this, the opportunity to drop something else in there, possibly brought in by you, would be a concern for me - hence why no-one else is allowed in my workshop (I suppose someone could look through the window though if they were really interested😁 but it is very boring to watch). I'd look for someone local if you can and then you won't have the 4 month wait and worry.

Regards, Chris

Chris

The problem is the two big watchmakers in Hong Kong (Bernes and Classic Watch Repair) have a bad reputation. My experience with both of them has been negative. I'm very hesitant to use either of them again. Bernes straight up lied to my face (pretending a broken watch is fixed) and Classic Watch Repair scratched the shit out of a crystal on one of my watches they were looking at.

The UK company I'm using is Swiss Time Services. Honestly my experience with their watchmakers has been bad (little to no quality control) but the fact that they're considered one of the best makes me quite scared to try one of the lesser guys...

Sounds like Hong Kong is out then!

Well that's a shame about STS as they are Omega approved so should work to a good standard. There have been a few threads recently on here and elsewhere mentioning possible issues with them but, they must service a lot of watches with their team of half a dozen (I think) so are bound to get some returns. Good luck with it when you see them and sorry that it's not been a good experience..

If you're still unhappy afterwards and are in my area (Somerset), I'll check it for you and you can watch through the window😉.

Regards, Chris