Here's my new Omega watch!

Don't take it to Omega! Take it to an independent watchmaker who understands vintage watches and will treat it sympathetically. Make sure he knows not to replace anything that's not actually broken, and above all don't let him poish the case!
EDIT polish not poish!

Beautiful family heirloom!!! I'd be very hesitant to try to open it yourself, too many things could go wrong. Some cases are opened from the back, and some are " front loaders." Better to be patient, than ruin the watch. It's impossible to estimate the cost of service without having it looked at by a watchmaker. $200.00-$400.00 could be a decent estimate but who knows what parts may be worn or even if they're still available. If your present finances don't allow it to be restored now, it's best not to wind it now, but put it in a safe place and maybe sometime in the future things will improve. My dad left me two watches, I just had one serviced. It cost alot more than expected, but it was worth it, he unfortuneatly won't be leaving me any more watches in the future 🙁.

I would say the price is worth it. Once you get it serviced and wear it daily, think of it as $1 a day for a year that you get to enjoy. And usually will last around a decade after service. All perspective right? Pretty cool that you found this randomly. I'm jelly. haha.

Maurizio, qualunque orologiaio in Italia te lo revisiona con 70/80 Euro.

Maurizio, a complete service costs 70/80 Euros in Italy

70 to 80 Euros? Really? I should save up several watches and take them to Italy for service. Might pay for the trip.

Manual wind and no spare parts, but including mainspring and gaskets. About 120/150 for an automatic.

Well that helps explain why Italians love collecting watches. You guys should be the watch repair centre of the world with those prices.

Time for a brief recap of the last few weeks! And, by the way, thank you all for your kind responses.

A few weeks ago I finally decided on servicing my watch and brought it to some lab with a lot of 5 star reviews on Facebook (note to self: do not base your choice on Facebook reviews, you'll soon realize why I say this). The guy owns a famous jewelry shop and also repairs very expensive timepieces, so I ask how much it would be to have mine serviced. Extremely rude, extremely arrogant, the kind of people that looks at you with eyes fixed on your appearance trying to determine your wealth in terms of total assets and annual salary in their head, ready to put on a smile if they realize you're above €60.000/year.. and let's just say I am far from that kind of wealth. As @gbesq humorously stated, the kind of attitude you'd normally associate with gentlemen over at the Rolex forum (thank you for making my day with that pun).

So, the guy took a full two weeks to open the watch, look closely at the components inside and close it back. He said he would charge 170 for generically "servicing the watch" (without giving any additional informations about it nor explanation as to how a timepiece works, worn out components or what might be wrong with it), polishing the case (he must be a Rolex guy) and replacing the glass because, apparently, polishing it would be impossible (the glass I want polished because I can't stand the scratches). I realized I didn't like the guy and took the watch with me. Ever since that day, the hands started RUNNING. And I mean "RUNNING". About two hours faster per day. I felt so bad about it that I took the watch and put it back in the closet.

Then I contacted a few other repair shops and ultimately found one which I believe I can trust. The guy looked alright, so I handed over my Omega and only told him that I would have appreciated if I could have it serviced. So he opened the caseback in front of me and handed me their monocular magnifier so that I could see for myself. He stated the rubies were very opaque and immediately noticed the balance spring (a Breguet) had been twisted in an unnatural manner and asked who (please note, he didn't ask "if") had I brought it to before. He wondered exactly by how much was the accuracy off and I replied two hours per day. He kept wondering about what happened, so I told him the whole story and he said "eh, I guessed so, I'll see what I can do". The next day he told me he had looked into it and managed to twist the balance spring back into its original position after a full hour of hard work (for free) and quoted 90 for servicing (and he would try polishing the glass or replace it altogether for free) + 30 for what I believe is the mainspring. I asked if that was necessary and he said "No. But if I put it back together and the accuracy isn't what you expect, I will have to open it again and replace the mainspring. You choose." and I said "Ok". Not sure what you think about my choice though, in that moment I thought I would have to replace it anyway sooner or later, so I followed his advice. He also remarked that he would not polish the case on such a timepiece if it were for him. And there I knew I'd found the right guy for the job.

I will have it back in a few days, hopefully. A new lockdown/shutdown is due to activate in a few days as a consequence for the recent reprise of the COVID outbreak. Definitely not the best time of our lives, uh?


Pretty much what I've been quoted for, though I must say I have been quoted some heftier prices too.
How'd you deduce my nationality though? Ahah well, my first name is probably a very strong hint, isn't it?

STILL haven't found a strap which I like though. I can only find some ordinary/cheap ones around.


Oh, btw, that Constellation is truly magnificent. A little too flashy (and DEFINITELY too expensive) for me.. but truly magnificent.

Hi! Looks like a 2504 reference which would be powered by 283 or 285 caliber. Looks like a lovey vintage piece. Enjoy it!

Welcome to the forum and to the Omega club. I hope you get your watch back soon so you can enjoy it for another five years (a watch should be serviced around every five years to make sure it stays in good health).