Good morning! I inherited an Omega Seamaster Deville from the 70's (retirement gift to my wife's grandfather from his company- and is engraved) with the crystal cracked. I wore it for about a week and a few times after washing my hands I noticed there was a fair amount of condensation on the inside of the crystal. I then sent it out for repair. The crystal has been replaced. The jeweler said that the water didn't get in through the crystal because the crack wasn't through and through. The jeweler then told me that the crown was rusted out, and recommended replacing it... but that the watch will still not be water resistant due to its age and seals wear over time. I am not really sure what to do at the moment... I am thinking of selling it (I had already explained the water situation to my wife's grandmother to told me to sell it if I won't wear it because of that) to buy a newer Omega that is water resistant, as I won't wear a watch that will get ruined by me washing my hands while wearing it. Alternatively, I have a Croton I can wear and just keep the Omega in a safe... I am not really sure what to do here.... Also, I don't know if the value of my current Omega is enough to buy a newer one. Thoughts? (I have attached a picture of it before the crystal was replaced and one from the jeweler when she recommended replacing the crown) I had asked the jeweler if it would be possible to replace the backing so I can keep the engraved portion, but she said that she can't do that for this watch due to age and availability of the piece. Thank you!
Opinions will vary, and may go against your desires, but for what it's worth: The watch is a nice one. I recommend allowing your watchmaker to service the movement. If they can replace the crown with the proper Omega part, I recommend that as well. The value of the watch will not be enough to purchase a new Omega. I suggest keeping the restored watch and perhaps wearing it carefully for special occasions only. If the watch means nothing to you or your family, sell it as-is since you'll probably end up with more money than you would get paying for a restoration first. Don't let others here guilt you in to fixing it and wearing ("enjoying") it if you/family have no real interest in it. That concept is difficult for us collectors with a passion for vintage watches to grasp, especially for watches that have been in the family. Good luck with your next questions ("How much is it worth? How do I sell it?").
I'm going with what the astute member above me said. A watch like this fully restored may fetch $750-$1000. That's well short of what you need to purchase a new Omega. An older quartz bond seamaster might be possible if you sweetened the pot a little but, as I said only after your watch is restored. It's a nice watch with some personal history but, as a daily wearer it might not be up to the task. More of a special occasion watch or a watch that you'd have to be careful not to get wet. If it were me, I'd fix it and wear the Croton daily.
Thank you for the response Time Exposure, and italy1861... A co-worker of mine has an automatic watch winding device that spins the watch (or something along those lines) at night, maybe I could get one of those. That way if I was wearing it on special occasions, I wouldn't need to reset the date and time each instance that I wear the watch. As for being attached to the watch, I think I am more attached to it than my wife's family is. I think it's neat that it has a small piece of her family's history on it. I am leaning toward wearing the Croton as my daily wear and using this for special occasions. That whole water thing puts me off though. I know it isn't a practical watch but I do like it... Thanks again for the advice!
Welcome to the world of vintage watches! The water resistance or lack of is something that takes time to get used to but, the payoff is the joy of wearing a piece of family history and a watch you won't see out and about often. I remove my vintage when washing hands and just put it back on after. No biggie.
In terms of the water ingress while hand washing, if you are going to keep it, just get a watchmaker to fit the proper crown and crystal to it. That should fix the issue.