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Need help learning about my Vintage "meister".

R
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Hello,


I have come into possession of what I am hoping to be a vintage Omega Seamaster "meister" watch with calendar. I have attached a photo (sorry for the terrible quality, I was not expecting to need a better photo of it). The watch is from my grandmothers possessions and was most likely worn by my great grandfather. I would love to restore the piece and wear it myself so I took it to the Omega store in Vancouver to be restored. I paid to have the watch sent to Toronto to be examined by their experts but upon examination they said the watch would have to be sent to switzerland (an extra 800-1000 dollars). Before I proceed with the restoration I would love to know more about the watch. Searching the internet I was unable to find any watch matching its picture. I did however hear about possible refacing that may have taken place to add the "meister" logo. Any information anyone could provide about this watch would by greatly appreciated as I decide whether or not to proceed with a very costly restoration.

Many thanks,

Robert
 
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X350 XJR
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DO NOT SEND IT TO OMEGA FOR RESTORATION!
 
R
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X350 XJR X350 XJR
DO NOT SEND IT TO OMEGA FOR RESTORATION!
They already have the watch in their possession, but they have not done anything other than identify that it would need to be examined by their team in switzerland since it is apparently so old/complex. Why is this?
 
dsio
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Its old but not really complex, most watchmakers could take care of it easily for half the price you're talking about or less, Omega tend to replace everything to make it look "new" again, so you'll get a new dial among other things and it'll never look the same again, knocks the value down to very little as well as taking away from the originality.

If you give them specific instructions to not change the dial, not change the hands and not polish the case they can do a decent job with the movement, clean it and change the crystal its just a lot of money to pay for that.
 
gatorcpa
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X350 XJR X350 XJR
DO NOT SEND IT TO OMEGA FOR RESTORATION!
R Robert Wyatt
Why is this?
1. Omega will charge you more than the value of the watch.

2. An independent watchmaker will be anywhere between 50% and 75% cheaper and will do as good a job as Omega.

3. Omega has very few original parts left for these watches. Therefore, they will do their best, but expect to see some non-original parts when they return the watch.

4. Omega will take four months to complete a service. Even longer in the summer, since the entire country of Switzerland takes most of the month of August off for vacation.

Hope this helps,
gatorcpa
 
R
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dsio dsio
Its old but not really complex, most watchmakers could take care of it easily for half the price you're talking about or less, Omega tend to replace everything to make it look "new" again, so you'll get a new dial among other things and it'll never look the same again, knocks the value down to very little as well as taking away from the originality.

If you give them specific instructions to not change the dial, not change the hands and not polish the case they can do a decent job with the movement, clean it and change the crystal its just a lot of money to pay for that.
I am not particularly concerned about ruining the value of the watch, but would instead like to be able to wear a good looking watch that has been and will stay in my family for a long time. I know it might be blasphemy to want a watch to look "like new" but what would be the best options for achieving a good looking watch while also not sacrificing certain historic value?
 
kyle L
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A crystal polish/crystal replacement and a light case polish will make the watch look way better.
 
X350 XJR
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As gator pointed out a good independent watchmaker is your best option.
 
dsio
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R Robert Wyatt
I am not particularly concerned about ruining the value of the watch, but would instead like to be able to wear a good looking watch that has been and will stay in my family for a long time. I know it might be blasphemy to want a watch to look "like new" but what would be the best options for achieving a good looking watch while also not sacrificing certain historic value?
Keeping the dial and hands keeps the look it had when your grandfather had it, the new dial won't say Meister on it and won't look like that anymore, its called a sympathetic restoration, you replace the seals, the crystal, fully clean everything and service the movement.

Its a very nice dial, I wouldn't risk losing it, especially as its the same dial your grandfather was looking at several times every day of his life.
 
R
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Would they be able to solve issues with the actual functioning of the watch? I did not want to risk damaging the watch when I uncovered it so all i know is that under certain conditions the hands move and stay moving. I was not able to set the date of the watch or observe it changing.
 
gatorcpa
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R Robert Wyatt
Would they be able to solve issues with the actual functioning of the watch?
That's the point of having the watch serviced. You should at least try to move the hands forward 24 hours to see if the date advances at all.

If the date function is not working, a good watchmaker should have no problem at all fixing it.
gatorcpa
 
dsio
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When a watch is serviced the entire movement is taken apart, all parts are cleaned and then the movement is relubricated and reassembled, any worn or damaged movement parts are replaced in that process, so when its back together it should keep time very well and be within original specifications.

A watchmaker doesn't hand a movement back if it doesn't meet its specifications, think of it less as an engine repair and more as an engine rebuild, starting from individual parts making sure all are within tolerance.

These Omega movements of the 50s and 60s are actually very good, which is why there are so many around, its really very rare for one of these movements to be beyond repair at all even after 50-60 years of use.

Functionally when you get it back, either from Omega or an independent, it should run and work as if it were new.
 
ConElPueblo
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Have a look at www.watchguy.co.uk for examples of what normally constitutes as a full service and you'll see that it really is very comprehensive. A skilled watchmaker - and there are quite a few of these - will be able to service your Seamaster easily.
 
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