Omega 1990 constellation service

Hi all,
I took my Omega 1252.10.00 to an Omega boutique for a battery replacement . They shipped it off quoting £190.
2 weeks later they have come back with this :


« Following a diagnostics carried out on your timepiece, the Watchmaker has determined that a Complete Maintenance Service is required to bring your timepiece back to full working order.

A full service currently has an estimated lead time of 18 weeks, dependant on your approval. »

they are asking for GBP450.00 quoted on their website (fine I agreed) but are now requesting a £18 fee to ship it back to the Omega London store. Is this normal ? Surely with a £450.00 this includes shipping.

moreover this is an inherited Watch and my first luxury watch… is 18 weeks normal…? I know im a very impatient person but 18 weeks? Seems a bit over the top to me.

any help is much appreciated!
Thanks 😀

Thanks! I’ve never serviced a watch . I was baffled but having looked around seems pretty normal. I wonder what takes so long…! I’d be curious to know if it’s just waiting for parts or if the process actually takes long

Is there not a good watchmaker locally that can do the work instead of omega? Generally they are cheap we and do not remove parts for the sake of it like the boutiques.
I have a local guy in Sydney who is ex breitling and has his own watchmaker business. Been using him for years and have developed a good relationship. He always looks after me and services anything I bring him within 2 weeks depending on parts arriving etc.

Look for one of these guys.