Hello all,
I'm new to this forum having only just come across it. (If I had found it before I suspect I would have saved myself a lot of money).
My latest Omega is a family heirloom, although I think it only dates from around 1980. It is a DeVille with a cal 1332 movement and was working after a fashion. The second hand was jumping forward a couple of seconds at a time until it stopped completely.
I had a new battery fitted to no avail, and the quotations I've had to repair it run up to £500 or more, based on the fact that everyone thinks it needs a new movement.
I can't justify, (or afford for an heirloom), this amount of money so does anyone know where I can obtain a used cal 1332 movement, or can they be repaired even?

 

You can always give ebay a try. They can be repaired but the quote you got does not surprise me to be honest

 

Ok, that quote does surprise me - it seems very high. While not a watchmaker, the description you gave (second hand showing battery end of life, then gradually stopping and a new battery not helping, watch now 30 years old) sounds more like a watch just slowly grinding to a halt due to dirt/ lack of lubrication and in desperate need of a service than anything terminal. I'm assuming from the pound signs that you are in the uk - I suspect the issue is more that you need to find someone that actually wants to service a 30 year old quartz...

I don't have a direct recommendation, but try Googling for 'vintage quartz watch service' and your area and see what pops up. A full service on a mechanical (non quartz) watch should be around £120 plus parts (usually around £30) and I'd imagine a quartz would be about the same - if no movement parts are required. Does this help?

If all else fails, used movements can be picked up on ebay, but you'll still need a watchmaker to swap hand, dial and movement, and you may well wind up servicing the new movement anyway....

 

Without knowing what work and parts were identified as being needed, it's difficult to judge if the price quoted is reasonable or not. If the battery leaked and damaged the circuit, the circuit is no longer available and when that happens, the prices for these parts shoot up rather rapidly. Same with coils - easily damaged by someone inexperienced swapping a battery (easy to slip and nick a coil on most watches) and no longer available, so would be expensive to find one I expect.

Buying a used movement might help, or it might also be pooched. Bit of a crap shoot with that one. Sometimes the answers aren't easy - I would say take your time and find a good working used movement on eBay, and go from there.

Cheers, Al

 

Thanks for info, and I couldn't believe the quotations I was getting. My thinking was perhaps it would be even cheaper than a mechanical service, less moving parts???

I'll just keep Googling Mothra, it seems that the independent repairers don't want to know Omega watches and the larger chain store repairers send them back to Omega for repair and then add a big percentage on the already high original price.

I've been trying ebay etc but the only cal 1332 movements I've come across are - not working! I'll just keep at it but thanks anyway

 

The labour should be cheaper, but again with the very few details you have given, we don't know what parts the watch might need. 500 pounds might be a bargain, or it might be a complete rip off. No way to tell with the information you are providing (or lack of it).

Cheers, Al