How to stop 90s Omega boxes from disintegrating?

[Gulosten]

Hi everyone,

I collect watches and several of my Omegas from the 90s come in boxes that are gradually disintegrating. Even though they are stored in a dark and cold enviroment.

Anyone know if it's possible to treat the boxes with some sort of spray to stop this process? For example leather spray that you use for leather shoes? I actually don't think the boxes are genuine leather, but some sort of plastic..

Example, my 3520.53.00 box, photos attatched.

 

[dsio]

Prayer might be your best bet

 

[Eve]

Stop opening them

 

[Gulosten]

dsio

Prayer might be your best bet

Haha, I don't think prayers will help a lot in this case

I'm thinking about spraying all my boxes with clear varnish? Anyone tried this?

 

[Dimitar Adamski]

They are just crap. Cost cutting period fr the brand or just wrong choice of materials.

 

[kov]

Makes it even harder to show up with a really NOS set, including the immaculate box

 

[gatorcpa]

I have heard of a few instances where Omega replaced those red boxes. Contact an Omega Boutique.
gatorcpa

 

[ConElPueblo]

sixties and onwards artwork in museums made up of plastics are disintegrating as well, which sets immense challenges for the restorers. It is virtually impossible to slow down the process of plastics changing properties and slowly going to pieces.

 

[STANDY]

Apparently they don’t degrade in space

 

[RealFire]

I store all of my vintage boxes in a airtight plastic container. Seems to help a little with temp changes/conditions with humidity ect

 

[Vercingetorix]

My pet theory is that humidity does them in.

 

[Gulosten]

gatorcpa

I have heard of a few instances where Omega replaced those red boxes. Contact an Omega Boutique.
gatorcpa

I've sent an e-mail to my local Omega boutique today. Let's see what they say

 

[Puma_135o]

My Speedmaster Automatic Date box has the same problem (bought in 1994).

 

[SpeedyPhill]

The first thing we've learned about old Omega boxes... a particular smell... It was called ROMDS = Red Omega Mars Dust Syndrome
Describing or related to the bad quality of the red 1980s & 1990s Omega boxes, which deteriorated very fast... with a distinctive smell !

 

[vlaspri]

I have a couple Omega watches from beginning of 1990s, they all are full sets and have grey square faux-leather boxes before these red ones. After searching the best way to keep them safe from temperature influence and humidity I decided to store them with couple small packs of silica gel inside, the whole box wrapped in craft paper and zipper storage bag with holes for airing. Inner and outer boxes I keep separately to avoid the deterioration process which occurs inside. It's been 4-5 years already and none of them changed their appearance.

 

[Nicholas Stenov]

Here is one way to fix it:

Best regards


Nicholas Stenov

 

[nkhandekar]

Without knowing what the plastic is, chemically, it's hard to know how to take care of it. In my museum we have just analyzed about 1000 objects that contain plastics so that we can store them properly, and its entirely dependent on the polymer present and the degradation pathway. It's not just Omega. My wife has Patek case from 2000 which has the same issue.

 

[jaguar11]

Just call it patina....

 

[Nicholas Stenov]

On IWC boxes from that area of time it was black rubber that desinegrated. I thought it was kind of rubber too on the Omegaboxex, but I am not sure what is is. Feels like plastic, and then I though it was some sort of leater. Only the IWC boxex I now know is rubber.


Best regards


Nicholas Stenov

 

[Nicholas Stenov]

Ok. It is red imitation leather I fould out. They should have used real leather