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Seamaster - can it be 'restored'?

A
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Hi,

I have my father's Seamaster from about the late 50's or early 60's. This was his watch as far back as I remember. He died in 1987 and the watch has been in a drawer since.

I wound it up and it's keeping time but losing near 2 minutes per day. Needs a band and one of the pins.

Can a watch repair man adjust it so it will maintain time more accurately?

Can the crystal be replaced? It's not terrible, but it is scratched a bit. I saw a video[1] of a fellow replacing an Omega crystal with a polycarb (or some such) "crystal" - I assume 3rd party.

Suggestions for Laval or Montreal repair shops?

Thanks!
Alan
Edit: put in photo where the watch is in focus instead of the table ...

View attachment 1364625
Seamaster.jpg

[1] YouTube channel: Wristwatch Revival
Edited:
 
Duracuir1
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It sure can be fixed. And it will be worth a lot to you since it was your father’s. Check out Precision Horology near Ottawa. Ashton did a great job on mine and came recommended by Archer, who will need no introduction once you spend a bit of time on this Forum. Ashton is also a forum member. @ATracyWatches

Enjoy the watch and this Forum.

Late entry. Ashton sent my watch back with a factory crown, crystal and even a nice Omega box.
5A52ACF0-55B8-4A73-826A-EABF817FB1CC.jpeg
Before and after.
E47D5552-5FE0-44D0-88AC-06C0B9A51F77.jpeg
 
A
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Duracuir1 Duracuir1
It sure can be fixed. And it will be worth a lot to you since it was your father’s. Check out Precision Horology near Ottawa. Ashton did a great job on mine and came recommended by Archer, who will need no introduction once you spend a bit of time on this Forum. Ashton is also a forum member. @ATracyWatches

Thanks - I've found a few places around Montreal, one not too far. Waiting on replies or for them to open today or Monday[1]. I'll keep Ashton as a backup - it's about a 2 hour drive to Ottawa (when there isn't a massive trucker protest going on ...).

[1] I'm assuming the guy who is closed on the weekends is probably going to be "the right guy" for this. Other side of the city of course ...
Edited:
 
Dan S
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Just to be clear, the watch needs more than an adjustment. The watchmaker will likely suggest a complete service (a.k.a. "overhaul"), which includes complete disassembly of the movement, cleaning, and reassembly with proper lubrication. During the process, sometimes it is determined that worn parts need to be replaced. Unless there is a crack I'm not seeing, acrylic crystals like your can easily be polished to remove the scratches. If you prefer, a replacement is not expensive. A collector would recommend not polishing the case, since in the process of making it shiny, the nice sharp original edges of the case will be blunted and rounded over. You can buy a generic strap anywhere. You just need to measure the distance between the lugs to get the correct width (probably 18mm).
 
A
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Dan S Dan S
Just to be clear, the watch needs more than an adjustment. The watchmaker will likely suggest a complete service (a.k.a. "overhaul"), which includes complete disassembly of the movement, cleaning, and reassembly with proper lubrication. During the process, sometimes it is determined that worn parts need to be replaced. Unless there is a crack I'm not seeing, acrylic crystals like your can easily be polished to remove the scratches. If you prefer, a replacement is not expensive. A collector would recommend not polishing the case, since in the process of making it shiny, the nice sharp original edges of the case will be blunted and rounded over. You can buy a generic strap anywhere. You just need to measure the distance between the lugs to get the correct width (probably 18mm).

I agree. OTOH, I'm not about to plow a lot of cash into the watch. I don't think it's an acrylic crystal - but could be wrong - I was referring above to replacing it with such. I like the case's patina as is ... Dad put that there over time ... I bought new pins for it a couple years ago. Of course I've lost them.

Heresy follows: my daily watch has a fruit logo on the back ... but for social events I'd happily wear the Ω.
 
amcclell
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Ashton is halfway between Ottawa and Montreal. His prices will not be cheap but his work is impeccable. He has done several watches of mine and is overhauling a couple of them right now. If this watch has sentimental value and you will be keeping it for the long haul, Ashton will bring it back to excellent working condition. If you are not looking to spend much on it, just be careful who you take it to as the quality of service varies greatly from shop to shop.
 
A
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amcclell amcclell
Ashton is halfway between Ottawa and Montreal. His prices will not be cheap but his work is impeccable. He has done several watches of mine.

Thanks. Based on your experience with Ashton, what do you guess would be a likely 'bill' to overhaul the watch as I've described it? (I won't hold you to it...).

What town is he in?

(I'm sending him an e-mail presently)
 
Dan S
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A AlanTheBeast
I agree. OTOH, I'm not about to plow a lot of cash into the watch. I don't think it's an acrylic crystal - but could be wrong - I was referring above to replacing it with such. I like the case's patina as is ... Dad put that there over time ... I bought new pins for it a couple years ago. Of course I've lost them.

I'm pretty sure the crystal is acrylic, not sure what else it could possibly be on that watch. As I noted, if you're looking to save money, just polish out the scratches. That's a normal thing to do for minor scratches like yours. Spring-bars are a trivial cost. The watchmaker will provide them.

Having the watch serviced properly will generally cost at least a few hundred currency units. It's the price of owning a mechanical watch. By the way, the site has a private messaging system, which can be used to ask questions discreetly.
Edited:
 
A
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A AlanTheBeast
Thanks. Based on your experience with Ashton, what do you guess would be a likely 'bill' to overhaul the watch as I've described it? (I won't hold you to it...).
(I'm sending him an e-mail presently)

So I wrote him an e-mail (after looking over his website) and he replied promptly. Clearly he is a devoted professional who only does things "right". The quote for the basic overhaul (which I assume is extensive) is already outside the range I'm willing to put into the watch - and he warns that parts could easily add up to be a substantial amount more.

I love the man who owned the watch - the watch itself is not that important to me. Edit: My father was an engineer and businessman. He'd tell me to put the money elsewhere for sure!

Thanks everyone, I'll see how it goes with local lower tier repair for at least the crystal and get the timing right; perhaps clean the points and lubricate. But that's the maximum extent of what I'd put into it.

Cheers!
Edited:
 
precisionhrlgy
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A AlanTheBeast
So I wrote him an e-mail (after looking over his website) and he replied promptly. Clearly he is a devoted professional who only does things "right". The quote for the basic overhaul (which I assume is extensive) is already outside the range I'm willing to put into the watch - and he warns that parts could easily add up to be a substantial amount more.

I love the man who owned the watch - the watch itself is not that important to me. Edit: My father was an engineer and businessman. He'd tell me to put the money elsewhere for sure!

Thanks everyone, I'll see how it goes with local lower tier repair for at least the crystal and get the timing right; perhaps clean the points and lubricate. But that's the maximum extent of what I'd put into it.

Cheers!

I will add, which I tried to express in the email, is that if you want the watch to run right - cleaning some points and lubricating areas - won’t have the watch running right. Timing adjustments aren’t mutually exclusive, everything is intertwined. Honestly, if you don’t want to put money into servicing it, just don’t service it. Leave it as is. You will just be wasting money.
 
nkhandekar
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The watch has lasted some 60+ years. Look after it properly and it will outlast you. Surely your father who was an engineer would appreciate doing the job right...cut corners now and you pay down the line and it will become a pain in the arse. Look after it right and it will be a pleasure.

I've just had my 21 year old daily-driver serviced, which cost way more than the car is worth. Its the most reliable car I have ever owned and I have no problem paying to keep it that way...maintenance and selling price are two different values, often confused but certainly not the same.
 
A
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precisionhrlgy ATracyWatches
I will add, which I tried to express in the email, is that if you want the watch to run right - cleaning some points and lubricating areas - won’t have the watch running right. Timing adjustments aren’t mutually exclusive, everything is intertwined. Honestly, if you don’t want to put money into servicing it, just don’t service it. Leave it as is. You will just be wasting money.

Thanks - I'm sure that's fine advice. OTOH, if it can be made to lose less time per day, then I'll be happy with it for some years as a man-about-town watch. This isn't up to to your high standards in watch care, but workable for me. IAC, I still have to hear from the only reputable looking place that I've found locally.

My theory is that just sitting there, the lubricants have outgassed leaving sub-optimal lube. If that can be removed and new lubricant added; timing adjusted, it may be okay. It was stopped for over 30 years (well I did run it for a day a few years ago), so no 'wear' was happening in all that time. Barring corrosion ...

In the end I might not do anything at all with it - I may even sell it as is.

Cheers and thanks for your follow-up here.

PS: not to quibble or pick a fight, but what you write above is actually not how you put it in the e-mail. No need to reply to that.

nkhandekar nkhandekar
The watch has lasted some 60+ years. Look after it properly and it will outlast you. Surely your father who was an engineer would appreciate doing the job right...cut corners now and you pay down the line and it will become a pain in the arse. Look after it right and it will be a pleasure.

Pessimist: the glass is half empty.
Optimist: the glass is half full.
Engineer: the glass is the wrong size.

That last line exemplifies my father's view of things. While my father had his joys in life (aviation and owned his own plane, multi-IFR rated, etc.) and took those pursuits very seriously (a well maintained airplane does not quit on you at precisely the wrong time) and happily, other things he looked at more pragmatically.

That said, it occurs to me that I'll reach out to my sister for her view on all this - she is 7 years older than me and may know more about my father's Ω story.

Cheers,
Alan.
 
Dan S
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In my experience, a half-hearted attempt to regulate the watch and/or add oil without a proper cleaning will likely provide a temporary improvement at best. It might seem to help for a few weeks or months, but then you will be back in the same situation and out the money you paid. Wasted money, which may be what Ashton is thinking. Adding more oil without cleaning out the old residue and debris is simply not effective. Be aware that some really cheap watch repair places will perform a type of service that cleans the movement (and adds some lubricant) without disassembly, which can actually be worse than doing nothing, although again it may initially appear to have improved performance.

Being budget conscious is fine, but in your place I would be looking to find someone who can do a complete service to preserve the movement against further wear and tear, while perhaps saving money elsewhere, by re-using parts that are not necessary to replace, for example. I would certainly polish the crystal myself, and perhaps you can do without replacing the mainspring, etc.
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Donn Chambers
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A AlanTheBeast
My theory is that just sitting there, the lubricants have outgassed leaving sub-optimal lube. If that can be removed and new lubricant added; timing adjusted, it may be okay. It was stopped for over 30 years (well I did run it for a day a few years ago), so no 'wear' was happening in all that time. Barring corrosion ...

In the end I might not do anything at all with it - I may even sell it as is.

The lubricants have not outgassed in 30 years — they have become a viscous gunk. This is why the movement needs to be completely taken apart, the pieces cleaned, then lubricant reapplied. One can’t simply just squirt some oil into a few places after opening the back and get it to work properly — doing that will likely make it worse.

If you don’t want to spend a few hundred dollars for a complete overhaul (which is understandable since you are not into mechanical watches), then I wouldn’t waste any money on a half-a**ed “regulation” and just sell it as is.
 
A
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Dan S Dan S
add oil without a proper cleaning will likely provide a temporary improvement at best. /// Adding more oil without cleaning out the old residue and debris is simply not effective.

What I wrote: " If that <old lube> can be removed and new lubricant added; timing adjusted, it may be okay."

Donn Chambers Donn Chambers
The lubricants have not outgassed in 30 years — they have become a viscous gunk.

How do you make viscous junk? Let the lube outgas. The lighter fractions go; the heavier fractions remain.

I'll be back on Monday (maybe) with an update.

Cheers
 
Archer
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Donn Chambers Donn Chambers
One can’t simply just squirt some oil into a few places after opening the back and get it to work properly — doing that will likely make it worse.

It's very effective if you want to make grinding paste out of whatever debris is already there...

A AlanTheBeast
What I wrote: " If that <old lube> can be removed and new lubricant added; timing adjusted, it may be okay."

The only way to clean the movement of old oils is to fully disassemble it. It's then cleaned, assembled, lubricated, and adjusted. That takes time and money. There are no short cuts.
 
Dan S
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A AlanTheBeast
What I wrote: " If that <old lube> can be removed and new lubricant added; timing adjusted, it may be okay."

Take a good look at an exploded view of a watch movement and you will quickly see that this can't be done without disassembly.
 
A
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Archer Archer
It's very effective if you want to make grinding paste out of whatever debris is already there...



The only way to clean the movement of old oils is to fully disassemble it. It's then cleaned, assembled, lubricated, and adjusted. That takes time and money. There are no short cuts.

Never said there were short cuts. I'll be talking to two local places on Monday. I'll regale you with the tale then.
 
A
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Dan S Dan S
Take a good look at an exploded view of a watch movement and you will quickly see that this can't be done without disassembly.

Couldn't agree more. Where the difference may lie is a service that accomplishes such while not being as to the ends of the earth as Ashton proposes. That is his business and I'm sure he does well at it. If I can get a "lower level" of service that accomplishes the goal, then that's where I may go. TBD. To be sure, armed with what I've learned here today, I'll be able to ask more pointed questions of the watch repair fellow that I find.
 
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