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CM6411
·Hi all, long time lurker, first time poster.
I was recently gifted my late grandfather’s rather obscure late-1970s Omega Quartz Digital (1616). He wore this during my early childhood, until the local jeweller could no longer source batteries (or so the story goes), in the mid 2000s. Very sadly, he passed away in 2012, without a chance to reinstate his beloved Omega. Since then, it had sat in a drawer, which, over time, has caused the case buttons to seize up.
Upon receiving the watch as a gift from my grandmother a couple of years ago, I took it to a local jeweller to have the batteries replaced and have the seized buttons seen to. Luckily, the circuit board and internals were fully functional after two new batteries, including the internal incandescent light! However, the buttons were proving to be stubborn and didn’t want to come free. The watch has accumulated some wear to the gold plating and especially to the crystal, since my grandfather wore it constantly for many years.
Since this watch has significant meaning to me, earlier this month I decided to take it to Omega Boutique in Martin Place, Sydney, to see if they could assist me. To my delight, a representative by the name of Sam, swiftly organised for my watch to be sent away for a full diagnostic and service procedure. He, and the other staff, commented on the obscurity of this model and that they had never seen one before. I was quoted a 10-12 month turnaround time, and a base charge of approximately $800. To me, the price is worth it, as the watch is a tangible and sentimental reminder of my grandfather and the time we spent together. No amount of money can bring him back, but I will gladly spend an amount to restore this special sentimental piece. I’m sure there are many members here who would share my view.
According to the information on Omega CIS (which I have checked every 20 minutes, like a madman!), my watch was sent to Omega/Swatch in Victoria, for assessment. From then on, I was requested to approve outsourcing. It appears that it has now been sent to Omega HQ in Bienne. The comments state that the band and case cannot be restored due to the gold plating, so I am curious to see if there is an option to replace them or perhaps have them re-plated as part of the service.
I will provide updates as my service progresses.
Has anyone here had their 1616 serviced/restored by Omega before? I would be very curious to see the end result, and any other examples, as the gold plated versions seem to be very uncommon.
I was recently gifted my late grandfather’s rather obscure late-1970s Omega Quartz Digital (1616). He wore this during my early childhood, until the local jeweller could no longer source batteries (or so the story goes), in the mid 2000s. Very sadly, he passed away in 2012, without a chance to reinstate his beloved Omega. Since then, it had sat in a drawer, which, over time, has caused the case buttons to seize up.
Upon receiving the watch as a gift from my grandmother a couple of years ago, I took it to a local jeweller to have the batteries replaced and have the seized buttons seen to. Luckily, the circuit board and internals were fully functional after two new batteries, including the internal incandescent light! However, the buttons were proving to be stubborn and didn’t want to come free. The watch has accumulated some wear to the gold plating and especially to the crystal, since my grandfather wore it constantly for many years.
Since this watch has significant meaning to me, earlier this month I decided to take it to Omega Boutique in Martin Place, Sydney, to see if they could assist me. To my delight, a representative by the name of Sam, swiftly organised for my watch to be sent away for a full diagnostic and service procedure. He, and the other staff, commented on the obscurity of this model and that they had never seen one before. I was quoted a 10-12 month turnaround time, and a base charge of approximately $800. To me, the price is worth it, as the watch is a tangible and sentimental reminder of my grandfather and the time we spent together. No amount of money can bring him back, but I will gladly spend an amount to restore this special sentimental piece. I’m sure there are many members here who would share my view.
According to the information on Omega CIS (which I have checked every 20 minutes, like a madman!), my watch was sent to Omega/Swatch in Victoria, for assessment. From then on, I was requested to approve outsourcing. It appears that it has now been sent to Omega HQ in Bienne. The comments state that the band and case cannot be restored due to the gold plating, so I am curious to see if there is an option to replace them or perhaps have them re-plated as part of the service.
I will provide updates as my service progresses.
Has anyone here had their 1616 serviced/restored by Omega before? I would be very curious to see the end result, and any other examples, as the gold plated versions seem to be very uncommon.
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