Lost 4 minutes in two weeks on my late ‘90s Seamaster 300m

Johnjb · Sep 6, 2021

Hello!

I was gifted an Omega Seamaster identical to the picture I posted that was purchased by my grandmother (used) about and then kept in its original box in her safe for about a decade. It was never touched by anyone the entire time it was in that box until I received it last month. I have been wearing it every day, but I’ve been taking good care of it. I take it off before I do any strenuous activity, and I don’t work in an environment where there’s really any risk of it getting damaged.

I definitely realize that the watch is definitely due for a servicing, but a full servicing of this model could cost up to $700 dollars, which I don’t have to spend at the moment. Aside from that, I heard that I could take as little as 3 weeks to upwards of a year to get your watch back, and I really want to have it for when I go out on my birthday within about two months from now.

My question is will not addressing this problem for a few more months up until maybe winter of this year or early spring of next year cause larger problems down the line? Is the watch losing around 15 seconds a day a symptom of a much larger, more catastrophic problem - or is adjusting the time weekly just a minor inconvenience that I’ll have to live with until it can be fixed with a full service?

Dan S · Sep 6, 2021

It's impossible to diagnose the watch based solely on the fact that it is losing 15 seconds per day. Since the watch is due for a service, continuing to run it will result in more wear to the moving parts and it's possible that some additional parts may have to be replaced. However, if you are planning to have the watch serviced by Omega, it's not likely that the cost of service/repairs will change much if you wait a few months because of their inclusive service charge policy.

Faz · Sep 6, 2021

Sounds like it simply needs a good service.

Johnjb · Sep 6, 2021

That’s comforting that it’s probably not as big of an issue as I thought it might be, and whatever it is will likely be fixed even if it gets worse. I do plan on sending it to a licensed omega dealer, I just can’t believe that potential turnaround time…

wagudc · Sep 6, 2021

J Johnjb
That’s comforting that it’s probably not as big of an issue as I thought it might be, and whatever it is will likely be fixed even if it gets worse. I do plan on sending it to a licensed omega dealer, I just can’t believe that potential turnaround time…

Not many watchmakers around these days, and all the good ones have waiting lists. One to three months is pretty standard if parts are available, longer if parts have to be sourced from unusual or far away places. This is not a really old watch, so parts should not be hard to get for an Omega service center or an independent with a parts account.

padders · Sep 7, 2021

All good advice above, but if it is indeed from the 1990s then yours won’t be identical to the picture you posted above since that coaxial model was introduced in 2008. Maybe you have the 1990s 2351.80 Bond SMP which looks very similar but with white instead of red Seamaster text and a movement with slightly better parts availability.

Pedantic, moi?

SkunkPrince · Sep 7, 2021

If so, $585 at Nesbit’s.

dsio · Sep 7, 2021

If it’s 1990s it’ll be 2531.80 or the midsize version, either way you’ll have a Calibre 1120 which is easily handled by any good independent, though finding one without a waiting list as mentioned above isn’t easy. If it were the later co-axial you’d need someone trained properly on that which is a bit rarer.

ChiefMark · Sep 7, 2021

I just sent my 1999 300M GMT 50th anniversary (Cal 1128) in to Omega, was given 10 weeks as a turnaround time. I don't think it's going to be there a year.

flw · Sep 7, 2021

I had my 2014 300M Diver serviced by the Seattle Omega center at the end of last summer, about a year ago (I'm not sure what kinds of delays have built up since then). I got it back within a month. The key to the turnaround time was instructing them not to polish it.

Donn Chambers · Sep 7, 2021

Omega service for a steel non-chronograph mechanical watch is $550 in the United States, not $700. As far as doing it now versus waiting, it’s really up to you. The lubrication is probably gone or bone dry and by running it you will be causing excess wear on parts. But with the service of a new Omega, those parts are generally changed anyway, so doing it now vs later probably won’t cost any different.

But this assumes that watch is water resistant and the gaskets are still in good working order. If this watch really is 20-years old with an unknown service history and has sat in in the box for 10 years, then those gaskets have probably rotted and you have to worry about moisture getting in. If that happens, a lot more bad things can happen, including damage to the dial and hands and that can make a $550 reapair a lot higher fast.

Better to get it serviced now and enjoy later rather than enjoy it now and have it turn into an expensive mistake down the line.

Lost 4 minutes in two weeks on my late ‘90s Seamaster 300m

Johnjb

Dan S

Faz

Johnjb

wagudc

padders

SkunkPrince

dsio

ChiefMark

flw

Donn Chambers

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