Hi all. I have an early 2000s Seamaster Pro 2252.50 in great shape keeping great time, except that the crown suddenly lost available purchase to screw down. Almost like the tube was pushed in to the case, but I'm just guessing, the thread might have stripped, despite me treating it very carefully and never having this issue with any of my older divers. I recently asked an independent watchmaker to fix it but it probably needs a new crown tube, which I now know is a tricky press in job best left to Omega. Does anyone have a ballpark for the price of this repair and will Omega fix this without a complete service which was just done? Or am I better off just paying for the complete service if that repair is included? I would think it shouldn't be too expensive on its own. Any advice? Thanks.

 

If you just serviced this watch with Omega, the crown and case tube would have been replaced - it's a standard part of the service.

If the threads are stripped, then you should get both the case tube and crown replaced again. Omega will likely want to service it, because debris from the stripping of the threads can get into the watch - here are threads inside the case tube as they should be:



And when they are stripped:



Note that the case tube for this specific model is a screw in type, so it is the easiest of the options that are out there to replace. Of course whoever does this would have to have access to new parts, plus know how to do the swap.

It's not a big job on it's own, but you would have to find someone who has the required parts and knowledge, and who will agree to a partial repair.

Cheers, Al

 

Hi Al

Thanks for the quickly reply, knowledge and great photos. I made an error in choosing an inexpensive watchmaker who advertises widely on the web, and claims mich experience with Seamsters. The crown was not replaced previously, at least since I have owned it. So I made the mistake of going a cheaper route, which I now regret. He told me that the crown tube fitting to the case (not the crown) is a push in type and that they are really difficult to replace. So this is wrong if I understand you. I'm asking him to refund the service charge, but will be sure to note that the crown work will necessitate another full service due to the crown work. I guess that is why ( duhhh) it should all be done at the same time. And I'll bite the bullet and get a full Omega service.