After nearly a year of search, I finally landed on this omega geneve automatic ref 166.070. I plan to keep this piece permanently in my collection due to its sentimental value, so before I take it in for a full service, I need to make some crucial decisions.

Current condition: The watch is in decent condition, the dial had aged into a cream yellow from its original silver color. The hands are in rougher shape, with clear signs of corrosion. The case definitely shows its 50 years of age, and some minor rust was found around the seal of the case back (however, I was told that this can be cleaned, however, corroded marks will be left visible). The movement is in working order, but it is pretty dirty, I assume this is not an issue after the full service.

My dilemma:
1. I bought a NOS case for this reference to replace the worn case, but I'm not so sure that's a good idea anymore. Will this be a "Frankenstein" if I used a new case?

2. If I keep the old case, which can be cleaned, should I polish the case or leave it original? Keep in mind, resale value is not really a concern and I do plan to wear this in rotation.

3. I do plan to keep the original dial, so I'm not sure if I should change the hands as I feel new hands on old dial will not match well. However, the existing ones do look pretty worn.

Your vote:
1. Keep the old case?
2. Polish the old case?
3. Change the hands?

 

See my comments. You have a reasonable Genève that should look very nice after a service/crystal polish and on a nice leather strap.
The Genèves seem to be overshadowed by the more famous Seamasters, but quite often the only difference between the two was the model
name on the dial, same cases, same movements, same hands etc.

Good luck with it and we expect some pics when it's done.

 

I don't see what's wrong with the old case. I think it looks good and just a little bit of polishing will make it look great (provided you don't like the way it looks now).
The only thing I would do is replace the hands with ones that are correct for this model and then just get the watch cleaned, and, of course, serviced.

 

What I would do.
Don't touch the dial, hands
make a light polish of the case.I say light! with micro mesh pads for instance. don't mak it with a lower than 800 grit

 

Case looks pretty sharp and just scratched. I vote leave as is. Have it cleaned up, Live with it for a while and the reassess.

 

Yes the angles look rather sharp. That is why I say use micro mesh to make a nice finish. 12 different grits should be good. I use these :
http://rebornpipes.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/micro-mesh_soft_touch_finishing_pads_sm.jpg

 

I would caution the OP against polishing the original case with anything other than a soft cloth and silver polish.

Unless you have skill and experience with polishing techniques and materials, the result can be nothing more than a shiny damaged watch.

Especially if they own an eight inch buffing machine, just look at eBay for the results.

 

Yes it takes some experience to have a decent result, I agree with JiminOz

 

I don't believe the OP is thinking of polishing it by himself. If it does get polished, I'm reasonably confident in the skills of the person who is likely going to be doing the work.

 

Thanks for the inputs.

I do plan to keep the hands as I think it is original to the watch. I will see if the watchmaker is able to clean the hands a bit. However, if the integrity of the hands are questionable, I might have to change them.

As for the case, I'm leaning towards keeping the old case for been original to the watch, however, the new case is actually slightly different, which coincidentally to be the same dimension as the watch I was looking for... Basically, the diameter of the flat part of the case back is a smaller circle compared with the new case, which is the one I wanted. I'm torn between keeping things original or replace with the case that was more "true" to what I was looking for.

As for polishing, a professional omega certified watchmaker will attempt the job, so it is a matter of polish or not. I think I like the polished look better, but again, something about the aged look is kind of nice.

Still thinking......

 

Do the hands look, like if they have been lacquered black? And some pieces of paint have been falling on the dial?

 

Yes, the hands came with black lacquered indices as oppose to lume. As for the paint on the hand, I have no idea what it happened to them.

 

For me (and this is only my cautious opinion) it looks like, if someone has taken off the hand for some reason (missing lume, or pieces of paint inside Hand) and overpainted them totally black. Somebody correct me please, if I'm wrong, but on these models I've never seen complete black hands.

From here, you can find various hands:
http://www.ofrei.com/page_146.html

 

Btw... my opinion is

- keep the case, like it is (many NOS cases already have traces from storing), for me it looks brave
- keep the dial like it is, maybe let a watchmaker try to clean of the particles of paint
- get a new gasket and a new crown to minimize water sensitivity
- search for the perfect pair of hands. If the insert of them is already black paint, then this will not be a big difference to your existing dial

 

Sorry to dig up an old thread, but I finally had this watch serviced by Omega.

Long story short, I ended up replacing the case with a NOS and original style hands and crystal. I kept the dial as is. While the original dial had a silver sunburst effect, the current "not so well" aged dial does give the watch an unique character.

Given the sentimental value this watch has to me, it will be in my collection forever.

Took a couple of shots just now.

Cheers

 

Looks great! I recently bought the same omega and doubting wether to get the case polished/brushed:

 

Thanks and congrats on getting yours. Looks to be in superb condition. I had no intention to ever sell mine, so I was not concerned of the resale value and as such I decided to "refresh" the case. However, in most cases, I'd try to keep the original state as unpolished if I may sell in the future.

The watch is in great shape. I'd keep it as is and service it if needed.

Enjoy

 

Thanks for your advice. i think I'll get it serviced and maybe a new crystal and keep it unpolished.

 

Guys you are killing me. I am looking gornthe same watch for some time. I am jealous congratulations to both of you. Excellent choice.

 

Oh my I wish you messaged a day earlier, there was a very clean example just sold on EBay. Check that every week and you will find one. Took me a year to find one that worked for me.