Greetings fellow Omega fans!

I'm trying to decide what to do with this vintage Seamaster, so I'm making this post to solicit some opinions.

My father acquired this piece from an estate sale a few years ago and gave it to me because I like watches. It still runs, and keeps good time, but the seconds hand and the minutes hand stick together around the 8 minute mark. I'm not sure if that's because they're bent, corroded, both, or something else. Regardless, I don't want to wear this watch until it can do its job the whole day through, but I do want to wear this watch because it's beautiful.

I took the watch to a local shop to see what they could do. They gave me an estimate of $800, but I wasn't able to talk to the watchmaker to find out what his plan was, so I asked them to get back to me with more information. I did make it clear when I dropped off the watch that I wanted it to restored with a light hand, not completely overhauled, e.g. I don't want the case polished and definitely don't want the dial touched.

As far as I can tell, the watch is still in original condition (please correct me if I'm wrong about this), so I'd like to keep it as close to that as possible. There is a crack in the crystal between 12 and 1, so I've been assuming that the crystal will need to be replaced, hopefully a match for the original can be found. More important to me are the hands, though. The hour and minute hands have some corrosion, which I don't mind, and the lume on the hands is a nice orange, not black like I've seen on others, and it matches the lume on the dial perfectly. The seconds hand is more heavily corroded though. I'm not sure what the watchmaker plans to do about the hands, and I'm not sure what other watchmakers would be able to do about the hands either. Are there ways to remove some of the corrosion and/or straighten bent hands so they wouldn't stick anymore, without having to replace them? How would collectors feel about the watch if the crystal and the seconds hand were replaced with matching parts (and would these parts be harvested from other watches, or is there another source like new old stock)?

I'm not planning on selling the watch if I go through investing in some restoration, because I'd like to wear it. If it can't be restored without replacing the original hour and minutes hands, I wouldn't go through with the restoration. If it could be restored while keeping those hands, I would probably do it. I'm just curious what others think, especially about replacing the crystal and the seconds hand, and if anyone has experience with similar hand issues.

Thanks for reading!

And now for some pictures (sorry about the quality):






The hands stuck:

 

Congrats on the nice watch that was passed down from your Dad. Based on the serial number, the watch appears to be from around 1951-1952 time frame. The movement is a 354 caliber bumper automatic which appears to be in good shape. As for repairs, I would get a few estimates. Don't send it to Omega for repairs. I can't speak as to the hands, depends on the individual if it decreases the value. If you like looks of the hands them keep them. I would definitely get a new crystal and a good service to the movement and wear it proudly in good health.

 

For a sympathetic refresh including service and a new crystal $800 is ridiculous, depending on where you are located $300-350 is more in line.

The surface rust should be fairly easily removable from the second hand and the interference of the hands should be resolved during service.

 

Not ridiculous here, and you get what you pay for.

My opinion is to try to find new hands.

Tom

 

Nice watch, certainly worth wearing even if it weren't your dad's... but for $800 you're most probably being ripped off... unless you live in Montecarlo. It needs a full service and a new crystal, and some "brushing" of hands. Shouldn't be much more than 350 anywhere in the civilized, honest world.

 

Unmagnified, this Seamaster looks charming and rather amazing - I like it and I want one Looking on a zoomed image though (and perhaps & hopefully this is just cracks in the crystal distorting things) but at 18sec 27sec and 57sec, are the minute markers looking like a redial? In person you could tell better.

 

Again, I would like to find where you guys are getting your service, unless perhaps you don't have parts replaced or care about timekeeping?

Tom

 

Completely agree with you. This is the price of a good Italian Watchmaker

 

Parts replacement is not part of a service, that's totally extra. And still I have to get a lot of parts replaced to pay 800 for servicing a similar watch, it would be almost the whole watch replaced.

 

$800 for a service - even including parts - is absurd. The watchmaker I've recently found charges $250 excluding parts. Does excellent work.

 

Do they accept international customers?

 

I'm keeping the lid on this one, sorry

 

Yeah, I really like the configuration of this dial, the color and the breguet numerals. I think what you’re seeing is distortion from scratches in the crystal. The dial is in really good shape. There is some discoloration coming out from the center towards 8 o’clock where the hour hand stopped for who knows how long.

 

We resolve issues with hands fouling (which it appears to be) all the time. This should be within your service cost.

Try to find a watchmaker and not somewhere where you can't talk to the watchmaker (which sounds like a jeweller) as you'll get a bettter service without a middle man. Find someone who works on vintage watches, preferably.

These are not the easiest calibres to service so not everyone will do them. Good luck.

Regards, Chris

 

I was surprised at the $800 estimate too. I’m still waiting to hear back from the watchmaker about what that includes. I’d like to get some more quotes, any recommendations for service in western PA?

 

This has been an issue much debated here and I err on the side of rational pricing. There are fine watchmakers (with Omega parts accounts) who don’t charge insane prices, and for those who say “ you get what you pay for”, I say BS. A smart consumer does their homework and find the most qualified tradesman at the best price. Just because some charge $200 for a service doesn’t make them a hack. My watchmaker charges me $150 for a 3 hand and $250 for a chrono if it’s just a CLA. I have also been a customer of his for 20 years and he hasn’t raised the rates on me so that may not be a fair valuation, but a hack he is not.

This would be akin to taking your car to a certified mechanic and letting them charge whatever they want without question and saying that if they are charging you more, they must be better.

 

To clear the sweep hand. minute hand just needs a small downwards push near the end. Doesn't look 100% horizontal, so catching the sweep.

Corrosion appears to be on the plating. If you try and remove. Going to expose the brass material and yours looks bad. My old refinisher replated hands, but need to remove the luminous to do that

Could try to find replacements, but finding ones with matching luminous is not going to be easy

Movement is in very nice condition.

Haven't had a watch cleaned in 10 years, but $800 way too much

DON

 

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. It's good to know there's hope for salvaging the hands, and it's good to know that I can likely have this in working order for less than $800. I'm going to do more research to see if I can find other watchmakers locally to get some other estimates, and if that doesn't work I'll find someone not-so-local and ship it off. I'll be sure to post updates.

 

In that case, is it better just to stabilise the rust chemically?

 

I would look for a better sweep hand. That has the most damage and either look for somewhat nicer aged hands or leave them as is.

I never stabilized. I restored for resale, so hands either got replated or I purchased new hands to match the refinished dials

DON