I recently was gifted my late fathers watch which had been missing for many years. I can’t begin to describe the joy it gives me. It appears to be from the late 60’s and is running but I can’t change the time. I was able to set the date. The band is also missing the link that attaches to the watch. My questions are, should I take it to a watch repair guy that has good reviews on yelp (I live in the South Bay close to Los Angeles)? Also, is there any way to get detailed information on the watch, like the exact year and maybe even where it was purchased. Thank you in advance. I am obviously new to Omega but have always admired their beauty in simplicity and often dreamt of having this timepiece.

 

hi there,
it's a nice looking watch. you should try ebay for a 570 endlink..they turn up regularly. A general revision is what you should do and it'll come back repaired and running well. Any quality watchmaker can do this and it shouldn't cost a lot. I'd roughly guess early to mid 60's...but to be sure, take the back off and you'll see a calibre number (3 digits..probably 6XX) and a serial number (most likely 20-28,000,000) and this can be compared to a chart from when the movement was made (although sometimes they sat around in stock for a longer time before they were fitted into a case). If you need to know more, you can send this relevant info off to Omega in Switzerland and pay 120 SWF or so for an extract from the archives. This will tell you a little more precise info including the country it was originally shipped to...that's about all you'll be able to find out.

 

This is great info chipsotoole and thanks for responding so quickly!

Chipsotoole, this is such great info. Thank you so much!! I'll post a pic when I get the revision. Thanks again.

 

Congrats on getting this heirloom and welcome to OF. The watch looks great. Have a watchmaker service the movement (including any repairs that are needed), but ask him not to polish the case or to replace any parts for cosmetic reasons. You want to maintain the original condition of the watch as much as possible. Your watch is currently unpolished, with nice sharp edges, just the way collectors like them, so leave it that way and tolerate whatever minor scratches your father gifted you. In the US, a maintenance service is not usually called a revision, but a "full service", "overhaul", or "clean, oil, and adjust" (COA).

There should be different crown positions for changing the time and date, so you might need to experiment with that. Or just ask the watchmaker to explain. It's best not to use it too much before having it serviced, since the lubricating oils in the movement will have dried up over time.

If you can't find the correct end-link immediately, you can transfer the watch to a nice leather strap in the meantime. It will look great.

As mentioned by @chipsotoole, the serial number on the movement will provide an estimate of when the watch was produced using a table of Omega serial numbers (just Google it). And for $150 USD you can order what is called an Extract of the Archives from Omega for your specific watch, which will most likely give you the month, year, and location where the watch was delivered. If you'd like to do that, you will need to go to a local Omega Boutique or contact SwatchGroup customer service by email, since one can't order an Extract online from the US.

 

Thank a lot @Dan S , I would have never known about keeping the watch unpolished. I definitely like the "well worn" nature of the watch. It shows, and my mother tells me, that my Dad wore it a lot. Any idea around how much a service should cost? I think I will definitely be getting the extract of the archives. Thanks for such great info!

 

My watchmaker would probably charge in the neighborhood of $150 to service that watch if no repairs were needed. But that can depend on location, so you should take that as a general ballpark estimate. And also, once the watchmaker disassembles the movement, he might find some wear or damage with parts that need to be replaced. So it's really not possible to know exactly in advance. That's just the way it goes for vintage watches.

 

My guess as to movement designation would be cal 560, from '64 - '66.

Best,

Art