Hi all,

as some of you may remember from my previous post, I have a vintage seamaster in all original condition, the only thing that had been changed was the crown. So I ordered a genuine crown with the omega emblem from Cousins. It arrived today and id like to fit it myself if possible. Can anyone tell me if this is something I could do myseIf? The watch has the 565 calibre movement with the quick date crown.

Regards,

Declan

 

Declan

Do you have a case-opening tool for an Omega screw-in back? Do you have a set of watchmaker's screwdrivers? Do you have a good-quality pin-vice?

 

Step by step procedure:

1) put new crown in pocket
2) put watch on wrist
3) drive to watchmaker's shop
4) hand watch and new crown to watchmaker
5) leave and wait for watchmaker to call saying it's finished
6) drive back to watchmaker's shop, pay him, and enjoy the watch.

Voila!

 

Hi,

i do have a set of watchmakers screwdrivers but unfortunately I do not have the case back removal tool or a pin vice. I was unsure on how hard the crown was to remove as I read somewhere that it could be as simple as pushing the new crown into place. But your comment suggests otherwise. Thanks again

 

Declan - sorry, I was not trying to take the piss. But yes, it does involve opening up the watch, removing the stem and crown from the movement, removing the crown from the stem . . . well, you get the picture. And things can go wrong, if the two crowns are different, and the length of the stem suits one but not the other.

Which is why the Dennis Method is by far the safest bet!

 

Thankyou for the input and no worries, i was never under the impression that you were taking the piss. As I said I was just under the impression that the new crown could just be pushed into place. But clearly that's not the case so ill take it to a watchmaker over the weekend and have it done.

 

Went to the watchmakers today with new crown in hand. So after a 2 hour wait and coming back £100 lighter, the new crown was finally fitted! Sorry for the bad picture, haven't had a chance to get a better one yet so this was just a quick one with the iPhone 5.

 

Declan

Many thanks for the update. Does the £100 include the cost of the crown, or was that for the fitting alone?

 

The £100 was for the fitting alone. I don't think I'll be going back there again. As I said I had to wait 2 hours and before the crown was even fitted they were questioning me on how I knew that the new crown was the correct one for that watch and how I managed to buy just the crown by itself without having to send it to omega. Clearly they've never heard of Cousins.

 

Holy sh*** No wonder you wanted to have a go at fitting it yourself . . .

 

Haha I know! As soon as I was told that the case had to be removed etc I knew it was going to be expensive. The first watchmaker I went to wouldn't even touch it 'because it was an omega' haha so I was lucky to even get it fitted. So shouldn't complain really

 

Visegrips man.... worked on my Timex!

 

Haha don't think I'll be going anywhere near any of my watches with visegrips anytime soon!

 

The movement didn't have to be removed. The case back had to be removed so he could get to the crown stem on the movement etc. But even with this work it doesn't justify the £100 bill. As I said in my earlier post I will never go back there again but you learn from your mistakes, and the crown is now fitted so I shouldnt really moan. I'm just happy that the new crown is fitted

 

100£ for fitting a crown is completely abusive.
For this money, you can get a complete service of a manual wind omega.

Let me recomend you stefan in London, or ask here for another WM in your area.

 

I know tell me about it and I guess i look like a bit of a mug for paying it. But what's done is done and I now know not to go there ever again. I'm in Berkshire, can anyone recommend a good WM in my area? If not I'll happily use Stefan in the future.

 

I also payed a premium on my first visit to a watchmaker

Let other members to recomend you other options.
But as far as I know, Berkshire is about an hour from London. I wish I had such a WM an hour from my house. I send my watches to Stefan from Spain.

 

Yes an hour is about right. From my house I'm around an hours drive from Central London depending on traffic. So Stefan could definitely be an option in future

 

Now I think is time for looking for your next watch