New Here - Servicing Query

Hi All,

I’m very much new here and I’ve just bought my first vintage watch. It’s a 1962 Omega Seamaster 30. It’s in great condition overall, but the crown is a little tight to wind. I contacted the seller and he reassured me that the movement was cleaned, checked for worn parts and oiled before sale. He said he bought it off a guy who barely wore it and that the teeth on the gears could need using... The case still has its natural chamfered edges on the lugs, the dial is in wonderful condition due to a lack of heavy use and the only thing on the watch that was not original was the Crystal.

To cut a long story short I contacted a local watchmaker in Dublin (who had a lot of positive reviews). I asked him about the crown and he said it wasn’t a major point of concern. I got the impression on the phone that he hadn’t a lot of experience with the 286 movement in the watch.

While I was on the phone I asked about a service and he quoted me a flat rate of €300 (£257). I don’t know if this is standard. Is this the going rate for a service? What should I be looking out for when servicing a vintage piece? Any advice or guidance would be much appreciated. He also said that if I wanted to replace the Crystal and was lucky enough to find a genuine Omega part it would be another €100.

Thanks for reading.

Thank you Dan! I’ll have a look now.

Thanks a million!

He should have explained his T&C as part of service. Not seeing the watch means that price is a min cost.

I'm in Ireland also and could not find a watchmaker that had extensive experience handling vintage watches and Omega movements in particular. Therefore, I have always sent my watches to UK for servicing.