Well, damn.
It just stopped working. A local jeweler has a C21 certified watchmaker on staff. He looked at it and said that it was simply worn out, and that he could not get parts. He told me that I could send it back to Omega but that it could easily cost $1000+. I am at an impasse. I like the watch, but if I do not fix it it will end up in a drawer forever. I recently saw a very similar globe master (non-working also) sell on the bay for a hefty sum. I've even been looking to replace the whole movement, but in the end I may just sell it or trade it. I just hate to use eBay because it is just a 7 day snapshot. Any advice on where to list something like this? It is a 1952 model, gold capped.
Thanks in advance.

 

Consider buying a cheap caliber 354 watch for parts. Start at $400ish on eBay. Even better, wait for a movment alone. Should be less. Hire a qualified WM to repair.

 

Maybe it just needs a cleaning?

Except for the rotor. Majority of parts can be found in other sweep and small second bumper movements

I'd see another watchmaker. The "just worn out" sounds like he just doesn't want to bother

DON

 

If you can't find a watchmaker to work on it at a price you're happy with, there is always the option of retrofitting a quartz movement inside it. It will save the movement from any further wear if you intend to sell it in the future. Eventually there will be so many parts unavailable for vintage watches that this becomes the only option. Some people may think it's crazy, but if you're okay with the idea then it is probably the cheapest option.

 

Are you kidding, drunk, or just lost?

 

Not everyone's opinion has to be a popular one, thank you very much. I'm being realistic; there are some vintage calibre parts which are simply not available anymore (I'm being general, I'm not sure on this specific calibre) and the aftermarket supply will eventually dry up. You should take a walk outside sometime; the real world isn't everything you want at the click of a button.

 

There's a difference between being unpopular and wrong - there is no need to replace a mechanical movement with a cheap digital one, purely to save cost. This is just lazy.

It's what happened to public clocks in the 60's when the owners of the building they were in wanted a "cheap" alternative to maintenance... except it isn't cheap when every 10-15 years you replace the whole "new" electronic movement, with another one.

With mechanical devices, anything can be repaired, with time, skill, and sometimes funds.

Taking the cheap and lazy route is never, ever, the best option.

So whilst I'm taking a walk outside (which I do more often than not), perhaps you should take your head out of your own backside?

 

Just find a better watchmaker.

 

Get thee behind me Satan!

Please don't follow this advice OP
Sell it to someone who would appreciate it first
Or as others have said find a watchmaker who can repair the watch for you
Best of luck

 

Thanks for all of the thoughts. While I appreciate all of the responses,
much like looking at a bad redial, I would rather sell it as-is than butcher it.

 

Post of the day.

 

Very likely they don't want to be bothered, and I understand where the watchmaker is coming from to a degree.

If everyone put themselves in the shoes of the watchmaker, you might understand why they aren't interested. It's not about being lazy or having a lack of motivation - it's about making a living. Time is money.

Although many parts might be available scattered across eBay and the internet, the fact is when you already have more work than you could ever do, why would anyone take on a watch that needs a bunch of parts that they would have to go hunting for, when they can complete 3 other watches in the same time frame. You can order from a bunch of eBay vendors all over the world and wait who knows how long for it all to arrive, or you could place one order for all the parts needed from one source, and have them all here the next day.

Donor movements? Yes they are a source of parts, but remember they have to be bought, wait for them to arrive, then they have to be taken apart, cleaned, the parts inspected - all extra costs/labour compared to a few clicks of a mouse and having the parts needed in hand the next day. And how many donor movements have to be bought to find one with parts that aren't also worn out? Watches have weak spots, and often the worn part in the watch you are working on will be worn out in all the donor watches as well. Now you've ordered a donor movement, waited maybe a week for it to get here, taken it apart, and found you are no further ahead than you were before. So now what? Find another and risk it being bad also? Eventually you'll have someone asking where their watch is, and being upset it's not done when they assumed it would be.

I recently went through 10 donor movements I had on hand looking for a specific part to replace a worn one on a watch, and all 10 had the same part worn just as badly or worse. Wasted time going through all those, then I had to go find the part anyway after that. All time taken away from actually servicing watches.

None of this means I don't take on watches like the one above, but I take them in a limited fashion, because if those were all I took I would have to triple my prices, or not make any money. There are movements you just know are going to be a bear to get parts for, so when I'm asked to service one, I look at how many of those I already have in the shop, and decide if I can take another.

There's always another side to things like this, so I would encourage people not to take someone refusing your watch personally. You may assume they are lazy, unmotivated, or a bad watchmaker - they may just be a good businessperson that knows what they need to do to stay afloat.

Cheers, Al

 

Archer,
Thank you for the thoughtful response. I am going to go ahead and sell the watch. I may list it here first, it would make a nice addition to someone's collection if they have a movement lying around. Thanks to all.

 

Unless you get special approval, you are about 188 posts short of being able to do that.

 

Thanks, I just saw that, heading to the bay.

 

It found a new home, thanks for the advice!