This might be a dumb question... Could I take my vintage Omega to a jewelry store that is also an authorized Omega dealer, to have them open it up and check it out?

If not, I'm in Indianapolis, IN - anywhere else I should take it?

 

Don't see why not. I know people who have done just that.

 

Does the store have a watchmaker that knows his way around Omegas? Just because they're an AD doesn't necessarily imply that they do. I'd ask some questions before I let them tinker with my watch.

 

Ok yeah I think I will call them first. See how they respond over the phone to some questions...

 

Definitely call first. There's an AD near my house and in speaking with them, they wouldn't a vintage Omega. There's an AD near my office and they would open a vintage Omega. They wouldn't do anything with it though other than to assess it, any work would require it be sent to another location. Of course, whether or not you want Omega to work on your vintage watch has been covered several times here already.

 

I'm not looking for them to work on it. I just want to see the innards. Also, my Seamaster is one where the crystal must be taken off, not the back.

 

In general what I was saying was one AD wouldn't touch any watch and the other would open it up, but really not much else. The comment regarding working on it was simply additional info, I understood you're not looking to have it worked on. You'll have to ask, hopefully they've got the staff and skills on-site to help you out.

 

Just like most businesses there are nice, patient watchmakers and.... the rest.

Most dealers I've come across would shy away from helping out an enthusiast in looking at the inside of their watch. They are running a business and there's no money in it for them (but there is risk in opening your watch for you).

Call around and see if anyone is happy to open it up for you, but if you're doing so to check out the inner workings then perhaps it's time to think about getting into hobby watchmaking yourself?