Omega Genève TV Dial - Looking for Info

Hi Everyone,

First time poster here. I also know very little about watches. I recently inherited an Omega Genève from my father. He hadn't worn it for probably 10 years although after I picked it up and adjusted the date and time, it seems to keep decent time for the first hour that I paid attention. I wore it for about three hours during the evening and by the morning, the watch had stopped. The second hand moves in a smooth fashion and not like a quartz watch that jumps one second at a time. The lume works, although it's quite weak.

My mom recollects that she perhaps bought it some time in the late 70s as a present for my dad. Gooling around for pictures, it would appear there are two dial versions. One with the words "SWISS MADE" closer together made in the early 70s and one with those same words farther apart made in the late 70s. The copy I have is the one with "SWISS MADE" farther apart. Further googling indicates this style is called the "TV Dial" and that the movement is "1012".

I also brought the watch to an expert today who put the watch on a machine and told me the watch is 5-10s slow, but not a big deal. If I wanted to have it serviced, it's $250CAD for internals and crystal buffing and another $50 for polishing the case and links. I didn't go ahead with it.

I'm hoping those that know more about this watch can help me with the following questions:
- Is my googling correct, that there are two dial versions? And that mine is from the late 70s? If so, from what year to what year was this watch produced?
- What is the "1012" movement? How long do I have to wear it each day for it to last overnight? What's the maximum time the watch can run without being worn?
- Would you recommend servicing this watch after it's been sitting in a drawer for a decade?
- What material is the crystal made out of and is it prone to scratching? I'm unsure that I want the scratches buffed out as those scratches indicate that this watch was well loved and well worn by my dad. In fact, it was the only watch he wore for decades until he became too frail for a watch this heavy and switched to a cheap quartz watch with leather straps.
- Could this possibly be a fake? My mom was always concerned she purchased a fake although she does remember paying a good amount of money for it at the time.
- Finally, are there any special precautions I need to take to make sure the watch runs well into the future?

If you've gotten this far through the post, many thanks and I look forward to hearing your responses.

Nice watch, looks in honest condition

Yes, you will need to get it serviced fairly soon, but in order to get it fully wound, you will need to give the crown 40 turns to load the main spring. After this, just wearing it for 8 hrs a day should maintain power.

i suggest try this - set the time accurately, wind 40 times, wear 8 hrs a day for 3 days, and record accuracy - and after 3 days, put the watch down and ask here for recommendations for a good local watchmaker in your region ( county and county, or state if in usa is normally accurate enough)

it will make a Very nice watch to remember your dad by

Oh it's definitely genuine and I think your quote of around $250 to service her up is fairly reasonable. I would skip the buffing of the case and bracelet though if it were me. Good luck with it and try not to wear and run the thing for long before you have it serviced. As already mentioned, the oil might be degraded.

Thanks for this information. I didn't realize the watch can be wound automatically and manually. Although if I think back now, I do remember my dad usually winding his watch before bed. The watch has been running for 24 hours now and is about a second slow compared to my solar Citizen watch.

Thanks to MtV and janice&fred as well for your helpful information.

As for a good watchmaker, what would people recommend for Ottawa, Ontario, Canada?