My dad has this old De Ville that is probably close to 40 years ago (he can't remember exactly when he got it). Unfortunately, it's no longer in working condition. One local authorized dealer said it would probably take at last $1,000 to fix by sending it back to Omega. Should we take it to another for a second opinion? We're in San Jose, CA. Is this worth fixing? Any thoughts?

I took some quick photos but can provide more in detail if you think it'll help.

 

http://www.paulswatchandclockrepair.com/

Paul's is in Sacramento. They love vintage Omega watches and have done a good job with several of mine. If the watch may be repaired it should be way under a thousand to repair it.

 

If you plan on wearing it or your dad is. Then check and see if it's worth repairing. If no one is going to wear it. Back in the drawer

 

Is it worth fixing? If it was my watch, I'd say yes. The consensus around here would be not to send to Omega for repairs, instead find an independent and competent watchmaker to service, this will be a less costly option and will better preserve the watch's original condition. I'm sure others around here can recommend reputable watchmakers in CA. I don't buy the $1K repair estimate.

 

+1 for Paul's. They did great jobs on my Thoresen, Gubelin and Girard Perregaux.

 

and I believe that...

and this is precisely what I meant about not buying the $1K repair estimate...

 

An early production Sea Wolf (solid lume hands - no hack feature) is the very first watch I sent Paul's, after another mail order watch smith, "fixed" it, returning it as incapable of being wound while suggesting that I'd now have to shake it in order to wind it, relying on the automatic feature going forward. It would wind and run before I sent it off! So, I searched online for another 'smith who might provide satisfactory results and the search turned up Paul's.

Raimond at Paul's took the Sea Wolf in and pretty extensively rebuilt it but did it right this time. I was very pleased, pleased with the charges for the work and pleased with the results, especially since I'd already thrown money down the "Sea Wolf drain" at the other fellow. The Sea Wolf now ticks happily and reliably every time I wind it to wear it.

12-15 watches have been to Paul's since that Sea Wolf, including the Speedmaster, and I'm pleased with the shop's work and with their honesty. The rapport with the shop is as important to me as the work they do. They take the time to describe the work which is an education to me, give me the benefit of their personal opinion on vintage brands (they have a lot of respect for the vintage Omega), and return the watches more speedily than my low turn-around expectations require.

Of course they probably won't be so speedy now if they have to take on additional watch work because of recommendations.

 

I'm seconding (thirding?) the recommendation for Paul's. You know the old saying "You can get it done cheaply, done quickly, or done with quality---pick two"? Well, Paul's still gives you all three. Worth a trip from San Jose if you like to look at pocket watches; they always have a couple dozen in the case, freshly overhauled.

 

thank you everyone! it's almost a consensus. looks like i'll have a trip to sacramento in my future.

i do think out of sentimental reasons i want to get the watch repaired for my dad. actually came up because i just made my first watch purchase (omega speedmaster '57) and he replied with a "oh yeah, my first watch was an omega too!".

thanks again everyone!

 

Let us know how it comes out!

 

its a very expensive quotation...in the Phils it can be repaired for less than a hundred it there are no damaged parts...I bet the only needed service is to have it cleaned and oiled..

 

The OP should not take a $1k quote seriously, any more than they should take "it can be repaired for less than one hundred if there are no damaged parts", seriously! Under $100.00 buys you a "dip 'n' swish", and the watch is certainly worthy of better treatment than that! Please let us know what the diagnosis and quote are.

 

will do everyone, thanks!

 

I don't have anything to add but thank you for posting the pics - I now know where the band to my frankenwatch came from.

 

Another option is Roman at Precious Gems in Folsom on Sutter street. He just did my Mark 4.5 and I am very pleased with the results, so much so that I gave him two more watches to service.

http://www.precious-gems.com/

 

Minor update: I think getting to Sacramento will be tough for my dad but we are going with everyone's advice and going with a local repair shop right down the street: Kroman Watchworks. He seems to do good work and apparently my dad used to work with his mom. There's quite a backlog of work (6-8 weeks) but I'll give an update on how the results end up.

 

For anyone interested, it look almost a year but we finally got the watch back. The problem is that they had to send away for parts since it was so old. When we first got the watch, it still didn't work, so we took it back and had the owner redo the work himself, now it works fine. Best guess is that he's the best person at the shop to do work.