The watch is 30 years old and has served me very well. I purchased this watch on a US Navy base in Guam in 1986. Other than normal battery changes and gaskets the watch performed great for my needs. The watch has been sitting in my dive bag in my boat for the past month or so. The dive bag was stored in a very hot area in the cabin and the heat worked it's magic on the watch. The rubber strap is brittle and just crumbles in my hands and the battery is dead. Since the watch is 30 years old I figure just overhaul the watch I ordered new gaskets along with a new Seiko 7c46 movement. I figure it will be more cost effective to just swap out the movement vice having the watchmaker overhaul the original movement. When the parts arrive I will drop the watch off at the watchmaker I deal with to do the transplant. I could do the movement swap but I have no way to pressure check the watch. So I will let the watchmaker perform his magic and do the work on this Seiko.
Just have your watchmaker, install a new battery, change all the seals/gaskets and pressure test the watch. Nothing else is needed if the watch is working when the batteries are replaced.....oh and a new strap. good luck.
Can your watchmaker do 1000m pressure tests ? Mate has one and Seiko in Aus is the only place he can get it done.
Since the movement is 30 years old I feel is should at least be serviced. I ran across a new movement for a very good price. I will have the watchmaker do a movement swap. That way I will have the original movement as a spare. Parts for these are getting hard to find and expensive.
Not sure on what is his limit on pressure testing. I know he does a lot of Rolex Sea Dwellers. When I drop off the watch I will find out.
Good, call have you ever attempted to swap the movement yourself? its rather easy task and rewarding if you have a few basic tools? a challenge?
At the very least the watch should have electrical testing done to determine if the movement is drawing too much current. No point in putting a new battery in if it's going to die within a few months because the consumption of the movement is too great. In particular if you are going to spend money to get pressure testing done. If your buddy can find a place that has an Omega parts account, they should have the equipment to test to this level. They require a unit that will go that high - mine can do 1250 meters and I've tested to 1000+ before.