I know there are many vintage Omega watches from the '40s & 50's out there and I own one, but my question is how long are Omegas from the 1990's and 2000's and beyond expected to last?

I have a 2234.50 (which Omega considers a vintage watch) with the 1128 pre coaxial movement that I baby and cherish more than my Rolexes, it just had a total service in Biel. Should I expect it to survive a lifetime if well taken care of?

Are Omegas from the 2000's as robust as the older pre quartz crisis Omegas of the 40's 50's?

The reason I ask is that I was just refused service of a 1996 Tissot with a purely standard 2824 movement. Tissot HQ at Le Locle in Switzerland cited it as being too old!. They returned the watch, marked it inside the case with two letters, and gave me a 100 CHF voucher.

I know Tissot isn't Omega, despite belonging to the same Swatch group, but is Omega now what it used to be in the '40s and '50s?

I still have my father's watch from 1948 .... never needed more than the usual service.


So is my 2006 2234.50 Seamaster expected to outlast me? are coaxial movements better or worse/harder to service?

Your thoughts are highly appreciated.

 

There's absolutely no reason why your watch should not last a lifetime, if well taken care of.

The issue with your Tissot was not about the life of the actual watch - it was about company policies. Of course parts for the 2824-2 are readily available and any competent watchmaker can service it for you. The issue will be case parts, so new crown, case tube, seals, hands, dial, bezels, etc. If the company stops making those, then they can't properly service the watch, so apparently Tissot would rather give you $100 off voucher rather than keep stock of those parts for repairs.

The further down the Swatch ladder you go, the worse this issue is. Omega guarantees parts availability for at least 20 years, and given that I can still get all the movement parts for movements that were last made in the 60's and very early 70's, I don't see an issue with your Omega going forward.

Cheers, Al

 

Thanks Al, I was hoping that you'd chime in. It was that 20 years policy that got me worried, but since you still can get older parts (and unless Omega policy doesn't change) I should be in good hands I hope.

Thanks again !
Cheers

 

Thanks Gatorcpa ... that's a very valid point regarding coaxial movements. There are just too movements and versions of the same (older) coaxial movement that make me shy away from them. I'm a globe trotter and live in a country for a few years before I move on, so I appreciate slow evolution and easy serviced watches.

 

Not really about the lack of watchmaking talent - it's a straightforward business decision about what stock to carry and the costs of doing all that compared to giving away $100 vouchers.

If Swatch is not keeping parts for these, then doesn't matter what parts account you have, they won't be supplying parts to me or anyone else. Again it's not the movement that is the issue, it's case parts. Longines is also very much this way - Swatch group calls watches they made in the 90's "ancient"...

 

Omega claims it will service anything they ever made and will make the parts if necessary... for a minimum charge of $1500. I wonder if anyone has ever tried that service?

 

Steel or precious metal watches will last a lifetime... put one in a safe, if the safe will be opened in 200 years, it will still be there...

 

We have a Seamaster from the mid '70s and some of its parts are unavailable. The rubber seal was not original and not a perfect fit and couldn't keep the watch watertight. Shame!

 

From Omega servicing? I know the US regional centers are full of goofballs. I meant if you send your watch to the factory in Bienne. My continued issues with them over the years are why I finally sent my Seamaster Pro 2254.50.00 to Nesbit's in Seattle.

 

Can't say it is "much loved", but there are people who like them, me included. It seems sufficiently robust to me, but then I like 1960's Heuer watches and 1950/60's Lotus cars and have had a few of each. Worn and raced respectively -- at the same time even

 

I had my 2010 Seamaster Diver (2500c movement, see picture below) serviced by Omega last September, on collecting the watch from the AD I asked how long Omega could continue to service my watch, the AD stated that it was likely that parts would still be available in 25 years time as so many watches using this movement have been made and the 2500 is still being used by Omega, I therefore shouldn't be concerned about the watch becoming unserviceable.

 

SkunkPrince: I hope you're right, especially on the coaxial movements, not everybody can service them properly. I was once warned by an Omega Authorized Service Center not to buy the older 2500 with its a-b-c-d versions citing that they will be problematic in the future as far as the availability of spare parts is concerned. I naturally shied away that time and headed for Rolex. YMMV I really don't know much about these movements.

I'm thinking of buying an Aqua Terra with the new 8900 movements though, I hear it's a good movement. I need to do some research.

At any rate, I definitely prefer the Omega policy to Rolex, despite the $1500 price tag. I hear of horror stories on the Rolex forum of watches being returned to customers, just like my Tissot, asking customers to go buy themselves a new watch. It sure is the new business model in the industry. Watches are heirloom items and most have an emotional value attached to them far greater than their market price. I'd fix my dad's 1950 Eterna or my grandad's Zenith pocket watch for far greater than its market price, just to keep it going and hand it over to the next generation.

BTW, after sending the watch to Biel, I noticed that that the hands were not parallel to each other or to the dial. They said it's within "tolerance", and it won't affect function (friction among the three hands), but I returned it to be fixed because it was noticeable to me. I never had that problem before, EVER. After the Covid-19 shutdown, I'm sure they have a massive backlog here in Switzerland.

Martin _J_N: Yes, this is in line with what Al said, but what after that? If the business model changed ...finito la musica passato la festa ... as the Italians would say.

Zenman3: I think the speedy 1861 and 1863 lemania movements will be easier to service down the line compared to Coaxial movements, but I'd leave that for the more experienced hands-on watchmakers to comment on that.....but then again, I hear that the lineup is up for some changes soon. YMMV

Cheers and happy Sunday everyone

 

Hi I was worried about coaxial too. 2500 a b were 2892 based with the escapement design added. It may be that the modification change parts aren’t in production, as current 2500 is an omega Re design of the Daniels escapement to integrate it better.
I have a modern one but have residual concern about the percussive nature of how coaxial works. I expect that hands seals stems case parts are the bigger risk.

 

I’m curious if Tissot replaces everything they consider ‘worn’ similar to Omega? It could be that supplies like hands and crowns aren’t going to be kept in stock but some of the more commonly replaced parts will be available for watchmakers?. In my limited experience a really good watch maker can repair a damaged part (Archer did some impressive magic to save me hundreds and fix a chronostop I sent him) - but won’t necessarily send a watch back in “like new” condition like Omega always will.

 

With the rapid advancement of 3D printing you’ll be able to get any part from any era that can quickly be reproduced in-house.

we all lament about reproduction crowns and bezels. Imagine when somebody starts cranking out perfect reproductions of vintage Speedmaster crowns on a 3D laser “printer”.

Regarding Tissot giving out 100 CHF vouchers, that’s basically a new Tissot, right? The brand has certainly changed over the past 50 years.

 

Hey everyone, wanted to bump this up. Technically this my first post, but I have over 3k posts on WUS.

I'm looking at buying a 2201 Planet Ocean with 2500 C movement. My question is how long will Omega, or other authorized servicers, be able to service this watch? Should I consider a new model, something fromt he 8500 line, instead?

Thanks!

 

Have a 2007 4x4 that parts are hard to come by for… glad I’m old the more I hear of current issues with serviceability of anything.

 

Unless I'm mistaken (and @Archer please weigh in on this if you know) doesn't Rolex have a similar policy on not repairing their watches beyond a certain age? As for the Omega 2500, I wouldn't worry about not being able to get replacement parts anytime soon. Omega is still using that movement and the latter versions, especially the 2500d, are robust, accurate and reliable caibers.

 

Lol - we still talking about watches?