Repurposed Omega

Tigeranteater · Oct 31, 2019

Ok, yes I know it’s not collectible. In fact, it was downright fugly. This 351 bumper had been redialed. It had hideous green lume. We have seen examples. The redial was old though because it was radioactive as hell. I had a plan for this watch, picked it up cheaply and sent it off for a $69.00 relume job. I picked aged lume. It’s not worth anything but I just couldn’t let a good movement die and it’s fun as heck to beat around wearing. Plus the feel of a bumper on your wrist is sublime. Anyway I’m sure purists here will take shots at it but I like wearing the damn thing as an everyday work watch and I actually like the looks. Believe it or not, it gets more compliments at work than my Sub.

Canuck · Oct 31, 2019

I share your enthusiasm for salvaged watches. I too have a bumper that I salvaged. It came to me with a bad dial, a distressed gold filled case (looked like it had been vandalized on purpose), but a decent movement. I went through my stash and found a steel case and a better dial. I serviced the movement and put a new crystal, replaced the hour hand, crown (not Omega), gasket, and mainspring, and I fabricated a “dogs leg” case clamp for it. It is an excellent runner, and I enjoy wearing it.

View attachment 864072

jove14 · Oct 31, 2019

Hi.
Please upload photo's rather than links.
All the same its a nice looking watch, wear it with pride.
Joe.

Tigeranteater · Oct 31, 2019

Canuck

I share your enthusiasm for salvaged watches. I too have a bumper that I salvaged. It came to me with a bad dial, a distressed gold filled case (looked like it had been vandalized on purpose), but a decent movement. I went through my stash and found a steel case and a better dial. I serviced the movement and put a new crystal, replaced the hour hand, crown (not Omega), gasket, and mainspring, and I fabricated a “dogs leg” case clamp for it. It is an excellent runner, and I enjoy wearing it.

View attachment 864072

Sometimes you just have to save something just because... nice looking watch.

Canuck · Oct 31, 2019

jove14
Hi.
Please upload photo's rather than links.
All the same its a nice looking watch, wear it with pride.
Joe.

I uploaded one photo of the watch, but I found a better one. I went back to my post and added the second (better) photo, and deleted the original one. So, in effect, I didn’t upload a link. The link showed when it popped up in the edited post, and I don’t know if the link can be deleted.

JwRosenthal · Oct 31, 2019

Great looking salvages. I hate seeing good watches go to the parts bin.

Tigeranteater · Oct 31, 2019

JwRosenthal
Great looking salvages. I hate seeing good watches go to the parts bin.

I did the same with my first road bike. It was trashed but I just couldn’t throw it away. So I had it repainted, changed the components and now it sits proudly in my office and goes on lunch rides.

mydeafcat · Oct 31, 2019

Tigeranteater
I did the same with my first road bike. It was trashed but I just couldn’t throw it away. So I had it repainted, changed the components and now it sits proudly in my office and goes on lunch rides.

Nice ride - and award collection! And a great restoration that will realize full completeness with a Campagnolo groupset 😗.

Tigeranteater · Oct 31, 2019

mydeafcat
Nice ride - and award collection! And a great restoration that will realize full completeness with a Campagnolo groupset 😗.

Lol. I have always ridden Shimano. Don’t know why but just always have.... but if you think that’s a nice ride, check out my racing bike. Trek Speed Concept 9.9 custom with DI2

padders · Oct 31, 2019

Bravo. It’s easy for hard nosed collectors to snap back ‘redial, no collector value’ but you went about it logically and viewed objectively the result is attractive. It’s a nice thing, yes it makes me and many like me grind our teeth at first sight, but you make a convincing case for it to exist and to have as an inexpensive daily wearer.

JwRosenthal · Oct 31, 2019

Tigeranteater
Lol. I have always ridden Shimano. Don’t know why but just always have.... but if you think that’s a nice ride, check out my racing bike. Trek Speed Concept 9.9 custom with DI2

I would expect to see a Flightmaster on your wrist in that shot 😉

Tigeranteater · Oct 31, 2019

padders
Bravo. It’s easy for hard nosed collectors to snap back ‘redial, no collector value’ but you went about it logically and viewed objectively the result is attractive. It’s a nice thing, yes it makes me and many like me grind our teeth at first sight, but you make a convincing case for it to exist and to have as an inexpensive daily wearer.

Well said and you summed up my goal.

Tigeranteater · Oct 31, 2019

JwRosenthal
I would expect to see a Flightmaster on your wrist in that shot 😉

That’s perfect

TimeODanaos · Oct 31, 2019

Tigeranteater
Lol. I have always ridden Shimano. Don’t know why but just always have.... but if you think that’s a nice ride, check out my racing bike. Trek Speed Concept 9.9 custom with DI2

But your Bianchi... Mmmmm! 🥰

Tigeranteater · Oct 31, 2019

TimeODanaos
But your Bianchi... Mmmmm! 🥰

Bianchi green... alone or on something else it looks funny but put it on a bike and you instantly know it’s a Bianchi. Watches, bikes and fountain pens.... I need cheaper hobbies

Tigeranteater · Oct 31, 2019

mydeafcat
Nice ride - and award collection! And a great restoration that will realize full completeness with a Campagnolo groupset 😗.

My best award... my Ironman World Championship racing bib from a couple weeks ago. Blood, sweat and tears went into that.

Canuck · Oct 31, 2019

How is it that a hint of a watch not being absolutely pristine/original is more important to the person that doesn’t own it (but wouldn’t mind if the price was right, do you get my meaning 😁?), than it is to the owner. Sometimes the “repurposed” watch (or bicycle, or what have you) is the one with the most interesting story? Several watches in my collection that most others wouldn’t give a second look at, are (to me) my most interesting artifacts. Nothing wrong with rescuing an item from the scrap heap.

mydeafcat · Oct 31, 2019

Tigeranteater
Lol. I have always ridden Shimano. Don’t know why but just always have.... but if you think that’s a nice ride, check out my racing bike. Trek Speed Concept 9.9 custom with DI2

That is one sweet ride. I’m not involved in the world of triathlon or Ironman yet I see a lot of participants out on the road. And this rig blows many of their bikes away.

Is it ok, however, if I say I’d prefer that Celeste green Bianchi hanging in my storage locker along with my steel frame Colnago and my De Rosa?

VetPsychWars · Oct 31, 2019

padders
Bravo. It’s easy for hard nosed collectors to snap back ‘redial, no collector value’.

Canuck
How is it that a hint of a watch not being absolutely pristine/original is more important to the person that doesn’t own it (but wouldn’t mind if the price was right, do you get my meaning 😁?), than it is to the owner. ... Nothing wrong with rescuing an item from the scrap heap.

Hard-nosed collectors really need to get over themselves sometimes. On a 1911 pistol forum, the subforum for military pistols, some jackhole said, "this is the forum for collectors!" My response? The hell it is! Nowhere in the name or description does the forum does the word "collector" appear.

It really makes me mad when someone has a watch she really likes and some collector poops all over her enthusiasm. Congratulations, jerk!

Everyone should be welcome in this tent, from people like me who do wear Omega because of styling and quality and care zip about collectability (except when you people price things out of my market) to those who have plenty of money and plenty of expensive old Speedmasters.

Tom

Tigeranteater · Oct 31, 2019

mydeafcat
That is one sweet ride. I’m not involved in the world of triathlon or Ironman yet I see a lot of participants out on the road. And this rig blows many of their bikes away.

Is it ok, however, if I say I’d prefer that Celeste green Bianchi hanging in my storage locker along with my steel frame Colnago and my De Rosa?

Absolutely!

Repurposed Omega

Tigeranteater

Canuck

jove14

Tigeranteater

Canuck

JwRosenthal

Tigeranteater

mydeafcat

Tigeranteater

padders

JwRosenthal

Tigeranteater

Tigeranteater

TimeODanaos

Tigeranteater

Tigeranteater

Canuck

mydeafcat

VetPsychWars

Tigeranteater

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