Hey Forum. Just can't resist but sharing my new Baby here. Bought it of a Kind member of this Forum and am completely happy with it. Just had to share. And ask ONE question. This watch hasn't been serviced within the last few years. Unfortunately i have no exact date when it actually has been serviced. Being stupid enough to own vintage cars i learned one lesson: Service 'em regularly, even if everything seems fine. Subsequent repairs are devilish with engines... What about watches? Should i run to a jeweller and have it serviced right away? Or is it ok to "wait until something breaks"? Of course, as i write this sentence i immediately feel that this can't be correct... But i guess by now you all know what my question is. Right? Or not? Anyway, let's see pics. (Just iPhone shots..) Greetings from Germany, Felix PS: The NATO Strap was the first Thing i grabbed to try it on...actually fits pretty nicely with the faded lume and Hands... aaaaaaand: the proud father in his untidy Office.
and yes, i have seen the scratch on the hesalite. seems worse than it is in the sunshine.... and one Hand might have been replaced. just saying...
Congrats, very nice 145.012! You have really answered your own question, get it serviced, but tell them to just service movement and leave everything else alone.
very nice! i think i know who you bought this watch from! thats ironic. i am going through the same issue, probably best to get it serviced anyways. if the watch is fine it will basically be an inspection and cleaning anyways which is cheap
especially a 321, the seem to be pretty finnicky, so just like your cars ...service , service , service
mmmhhhh....that's not what i WANTED to hear, but that's what i thought... Compromise: I'll wear it a couple of weeks but already arrange for a Service so that i HAVE TO send it in. Let's say: 1 Month. OK?
The engine analogy was a good one. The movement gets wear issues. If you wait long enough for something to break, it's likely several parts (or a lot of things) will have worn beyond spec. Replacing rings and bearings is typically cheap compared to replacing pistons, cylinders and crankshafts. So pay $ now to get everything tuned up and lubed correctly, or potentially pay $$$$ later plus have more non-original parts.
"Should i run to a jeweller and have it serviced right away?" No - do not run to a jeweler - run to a watchmaker. Big difference. If the jeweler tells you they can service it, or send it out, again take it to a watchmaker directly.
You're totally right, I already did a research in specialists here in Germany. Sorry for the misunderstanding, that was due to English not being my first language. I know how important it is to have someone who knows what they are doing. For cars I've always had one place/person for each and every car....saves time and money, too... Good point!
I only mention it because many people start at a jewelry store if they are not familiar with a local watchmaker, and this often ends badly. A store that doesn't have a watchmaker in house is generally sending out to some poor soul who is fixing watches for many stores. They have all beat him down on price to the bare minimum required for him to survive, give him next to no information about potential problems with the watch, and want them all fixed tomorrow. On top of that they are marking his price up by at least 100% so making lots of money, and if the watch comes back they just send it to the watchmaker to deal with. Good deal for the store, but less of a good deal for the watchmaker, and the watch owner sometimes. All this leads to some less than optimal outcomes. I have seen the sort of work that can happen in these situations, and it isn't pretty.
I was in a similar spot a month or so ago, however with a 861 movement rather than a 321. The watch is functioning perfectly and I had just got it in my grubby mitts! The last thing I wanted to do was ship it off for service and be without it for a month. So I've kept it and worn it damn near every day. In a month or two I'll get around to letting it go so it can get serviced. I think wearing awhile and enjoying it (Its a beautiful piece) and then getting it serviced in a timely manner feels like good advice.
I am lucky to have a friendly relationship with a local independent watchmaker that I trust. Whenever I get a vintage watch I have him look it over. Sometimes it is clean and well lubricated and needs nothing, but most of the time it needs something to put it right. I count my lucky stars that I found this guy.
NOT TRUE! The reason they were selected by NASA was because the movement was so robust, anything but finicky. I use 3 speedys as my daily watch and 2 are 321s. They are beyond tough. If it's keeping accurate time you should be o'k for now. I always service the movement on any new vintage acquisition. You can't just take it to any watchmaker. First off, there are only a few that might be able to get 321 parts. You have to get it to a watch maker who knows them. When I first started with Omegas in the early 90s, there was an independent who was an authorized Omega service center. He knows the 321s and still has/gets parts for them, even though Omega did away with the independents who did authorized service. Normal watchmakers want to make the watch look and run like new when they service them, and that can be disastrous with a vintage watch.
Great watch indeed. I know how excited you feel as I bought my first Vintage Speedmaster about 4 months ago. Also a 1967 321. Amazing pieces. I didn't know service history or if it had been wound much over the previous decades but couldn't stop myself wearing it for a couple of days. Then it started to worry me that I might be damaging my baby so of it went to the watchmaker. I can't tell you how much mote I love wearing it now I know it's all serviced and correct! Bite the bullet and send it off sooner rather than later. That's my advice. Enjoy it though. Lovely watch. Here's mine.
Most(?) watch makers will pop the back off and look them over for free. Also a ride on their timer/scope thing will let them know how well it is running now. Could be the difference between its ok or lets stop it right now. If you have someone local who does this its great.
He is the best Watchmaker for old Speedmasters in Germany, but not cheap. Maybe you can get parts from him, Hands or a Crown if needed . Lothar Johnen ist wirklich sehr gut , er hat Ersatzteile für das 321. Nicht billig aber echt super, vielleicht wohnst du ja im Rhein-Main Gebiet.?? L´Horlogerie Bad Soden - Home Vintage Omega bei Lothar Johnen in Bad Soden? - UhrForum
Hey thanks al lot! That's a 2 hour drive from me, no problem...I'm traveling a lot anyway, so I'll just give him a call and visit him soon. I always prefer to meet someone in person. Great!! Vielen herzlichen Dank!!