I inherited a cracking Omega 1966 Constellation in a 18ct Gold Dennison case from my father 2 1/2 years ago.
I sent it to Omega in Bienne to be serviced and they asked me if I wanted the crown, dial and hands replacing.
Naively I said yes!
Watched returned looking to my eyes great ( albeit with a non hidden crown that was corrected ).
I went on to buy a 1965 105.003 Speedmaster and I am now looking out for a 1965 105.005 Gold plated Seamaster.
Having realised my mistake 2 1/2 years ago I contacted Omega asking if the parts could be returned to me ( not expecting good news ).
I had an e-mail today informing me they have located the replaced dial and hands and are sending them to me by secure delivery.
It may be argued that the parts should have been returned to me 2 1/2 years ago, however I must admit to being impressed!
Now i'm looking out for original bezel etc for the Speedmaster!

 

Great news that you can get your old dial back. Hopefully it hasn't been scratched or damaged in any way. Sadly, the redial they placed on your watch is not very good and has the incorrect Constellation lettering. If your old dial is in reasonable condition (one of the reasons why Omega would have offered dial replacement is possibly only because of lacquer powdering on the original) I would have a respected local watchmaker put it back on the watch.

I know it would be like rubbing salt in the wound, but if you could take a high res picture of the dial and post it I think it would represent a very good argument for not sending vintage Constellations and Seamasters to Bienne for service. Omega is not the only Swiss company with a vintage service regime that is antithetical to vintage collecting standards. These companies seem to have little sympathy for the number one collecting rule - keeping a piece as close to factory original as possible.

So, while I have seen some good restorations of Omega tool watches by Bienne where they still have inventory of dials and other parts, most restored Seamasters and Constellations I have seen have compromised both the value and collectibility of the watches.

Regards

Desmond

 

They usually just toss it all in a baggie, so I'm guessing there might be damage - hopefully not!

A bit surprised they still have it after 2.5 years!

Cheers, Al

 

Arrived today as promised!
Definitely the original dial - compared it to photographs I took before sending it for the service.
The original dial had a "vertical grain" to the face rather than the grain radiating out from the centre.
Hands also the original ( lost a small amount of ? ebony insert )
No damage - Desmond is right in that the only blemish on the original was minimal powdering of the lacquer.
Worthwhile letting others know that even after 2 1/2 years you may be able to get your original parts back!

 

Very good news.
We will be happy to see pictures of the watch with the original dial when you have it done.

 

It sounds interesting.
Maybe better wait until the next service in 2-3 years, and then decide what to do there.

 

1965 105.005 on its way from Mexico......hopefully!

 

I am amazed Bienne still had the parts to return to you.

Surely didn't think they'd keep all the dials, bezels, and various parts from all the watches serviced there??!!

 

I am familiar with Rolex practice, which is why they'll never get one of my vintage watches to service. Not sure I'd use Omega service for a valuable vintage either, based on what I have read here and on other forums.

So, back to their practice... Omega will return all replaced parts, and that's great . I would expect the parts to be returned along with your watch once the service is done.

Are you saying they'll keep your old dial and broken mainspring, crown, etc. all stored and cataloged in case to you want to collect them (in this case 2.5 years) later?

Doesn't seem a sustainable business practice.

 

I suspect that they start a job packet for each piece and it was pure luck that they hadn't discarded tjm's parts. I know that if you ask for parts return they are more than happy to do it.

Cheers

desmond

 

Maybe a bit surprising but i believe these used parts or left overs are sold after a few years.

 

If you have proof please post it - otherwise you are just making shit up again...

 

C'mon Al, we need a dedicated troll. Let him keep digging that hole!

 

No (physical: ie - invoice) proof, of course, i'm talking about stocks of used or nos parts available like 10 years ago and maybe even longer.
I cannot confirm if Omega sold the parts, though, i can assure you i have the right information.

 

Uh huh.