I Bought a 1960s vintage Seamaster chronostop fom a friend for £50 when I was about 20. I'm now 40!
It's a 1967 or 68, can't recall which. I deduced the year by finding an advert for the exact watch in an old National Geographic!

The watch stopped working when I was about 35. As far as I recall, I went away for a long sailing trip leaving it at home, (as I wasn't sure if it would still be waterproof), and after that lack of use it just wouldn't keep going. It goes for hours at a time but then stops.

It's been in my bathroom cabinet for years now. Now that I've got it out again it's sprung back into life, due I supose to its automatic movement although its sweep hand is not sweeping quite as smoothly as I remember it.

I've wound it up a bit, but I can't even remember if its a movement that needs to be wound up a bit once its been left.
It goes for a couple of hours then stops.

When I hold the winder and rock it back and forth I note that the whole of the inner face/ movement rocks, taps back and forth about half a mm around the axis of the winder. should this worry me?

I wonder if it just needs servicing? Its not been serviced for at least 20 years, and for all I know not even the 20 before that either. How much should I be looking at for someone to whip the back off it, give it a light servicing/ oiling and tell me how broken it actually is? Is there somebody likely for such a job local to Southampton UK, or perhaps it just being a watch people send them by post for servicing? Having said that it might be nice to be shown (briefly) what it looks like inside and what's gone wrong with it, so somewhere local and friendly might be nice.

I also had to put a rubbish elasticated stainless strap on it that I got from a market stall for the last few years it was working.
The original Omega strap is lovely and I'd like to get it back on If I ever get the watch going again, but unfortunately in my haste in a drunken episode many years ago I lost one of the pieces that covers one of the pins, so the bit that goes between the strap and the watch body. I've got the other one still. It has the number 625 embossed on it.

If I knew what this piece of bent stainless was called I might be able to find one on ebay. The world has changed a lot in 1970s watches I see- so where i had no hope whatsoever of finding this piece a few years back I see old watches like this are quite commonly now broken up for parts.
However, I'm not going to bother until I've found out whether it's worth getting the watch working again.

I guess i also ought to ask what these watches are worth now? That way I can evaluate what it would likely cost to fix against that. I note that similar vintage working order Geneve Dynamics are fetching £300-400 on ebay, but they are a little aesthetically 'challenging' so I have some hope that mine, once working could be worth a smidge more. But its hard to say as I can't find any like mine for sale. Don't get me wrong about the Geneve Dynamic. They are so retro looking I'm quite sure their time will come again, indeed I'm currently bidding on 2 of them on ebay! I only went on there to try to find out what mine is worth! I think they look awesome and there are so many for sale it looks possible to collect the whole available range in a couple of months, and they aren't ever likely to be worth much less than they currently are.

The glass on mine is a bit scratched but a) it is very light and Ive never made any attempt to polish it out, and B) it looks and feels like hard plastic so presumably, with care and the correct products most of it can be polished out?

It's just an old watch, but I really like the look of it now, and I've got some great memories of it and wonder if the time has come to think about getting it fixed.

I will post photos if I can work out how.

 

Here it is

 

Welcome Jakey. You have a nice 145.007 there. The movement of the inner part of the dial probably indicates that one of the dial feet has become detached. This is a specialist repair because it attaches on the slope of the dial and is very wide compared to many other dial feet. This is not uncommon because the dial foot has not been shaped to fit the angle, but relies on whatever solder finds its way into the gap.

Without a shadow of a doubt, it does need a service and the part you are missing is known as an "end piece". What you need is one with the same markings as the one you still have.

Current pricing with the dial repaired and the bracelet intact would be about £750 to £1,000. The top end would depend on it being in very original condition. As it is, currently, I would say it would fetch about £500, but the repairs and service will set you back about £400 if no parts, other than a mainspring, need replacing. It might fetch a bit more on sBay, but now you have declared the problem with the dial, this will have an effect on the price. Being honest on eBay does though reduce the chance of a return.

 

Check with warren - @SpikiSpikester - before buying a dynamic off ebay.... nice chrono. You should be able to find a service locally - but search this forum for a couple of local recommendations....

 

Maybe it's just a loose movement screw, easily fixed if it is.

 

I'm never selling this watch so I don't need to worry about repairing it properly- in such a way that i won't get come-backs on it. This dial foot thing sounds like a job for a carefully applied dab of superglue on the end of a needle.
The watch now is still running nicely after 24 hrs. I'm wondering if the stopping fault is connected to whatever has come adrift inside?
When I leave it on the bench it seems fine, when I wear it it stops after a bit.
Perhaps there is something rattling arround in there?
I need to get the back off and have a look!
How do I get the back off? Where do I get the tool?
Also, when I wore the watch when I was younger i ran the chronograph constantly (showing off its and sweeping hand etc.) Now I understand this is the stopwatch function- in normal use your supposed to leave the second hand parked at 12oclock I'm guessing. Perhaps not running the chronograph constantly is helping this watch perform better?

 

Your questions and obvious lack of "watch tinkerer" skills leads me to this recommendation.

Find a watchmaker and get the watch assessed and serviced.

It's a little gem and deserves some tender care (watchmaker) and affection (you).

Cheers

Jim

 

This thread makes me very sad for that Chronostop.

@jakey555 I agree with Jim - no offence, but if you have to ask how to get the case back off... you probably shouldn't be taking it off.

You've got a great watch there - one which Omega is still selling spare parts for. Get it to a good watchmaker and it might last another 40 years - it will give back what you put into it.

 

I have had the back off a few watches. Obviously I know it unscrews. I'm just asking a genuine question on what the correct tool is to use. I've seen backs badly scratched when people use needle nose pliers and they slip. I ask the question because I do care about the watch.

 

Sorry - these 2 things do not go together - if you do really care about the watch, please take it to someone who can fix it properly. Superglue is not something that should ever be used inside a watch...

Cheers, Al

 

I see that the 625 endpiece I am missing is available from Otto Frei in the States. However, they are new parts, he only sells them in pairs, shipping and import duty will be significant extras.
Surely somebody, or even many people in Europe are dismantling old Omegas and selling the parts. Any suggestions on who I should try? I'm sure somebody somwhere more local than California has a drawer full of old Omega endpieces, won't want quite as much and won't insist on selling me a pair.

 

I have been buying vintage watches for three years, now. My learning curve has been huge, mostly because of the great people within this forum.

My suggestion is, listen to the previous advices and find a competent watchmaker to get it serviced. This beautiful watch needs it.

Concerning end pieces: If you are lucky, you might find somebody selling you the correct vintage endpiece as a single, but only if you are lucky.

 

I have been looking for endpiece #47 for over a year, this one is no longer sold by Otto Frei or anyone else, placing WTB ad's on here hasn't helped either, you would be surpried how hard it can be to source some parts

 

Thanks for your advice. It was indeed not one but both loose movement screws. I should have made it clearer too. The dial was only moving when adjusting the time, so with the crown pulled right out. I guess the stem pushed in was locating the movement a little