Seeking advice...

J jungian

I have three vintage Omega watches:

1. ~ 1944 18K rose gold, manual wind, two-tone silver dial with large sub second hand, raised rose gold markers and rose gold hands. The case is 37 x 43 x 9.5 mm (case w/o crown, lug to lug, and thickness. Movement 30T2, 15 jewels.

2. ~ 1958 14K gold Seamaster Date with black dial. Case is 34 x 42 x 12 mm. I have the original receipt on this watch, bought in Wiesbaden, Germany on November 14, 1958. I also have the signed guarantee card and manual. I had the original box but have lost it. Reference #2849 Cal. 503, 20 jewels. The movement s/n is the same as on the receipt - so original movement.

3. ~1969 14K gold cap Seamaster Day-Date with" sparkle dial". Case is 36 x 41.5 x 11.5mm. Movement is 750, and the inside of the back case is stamped 166.032.

All run well. The Seamaster Day-Date was recently serviced at a whopping cost of $475 (for a watch that was running perfectly and keeping good time). The other two are ready to be serviced but run well without any issues. All look great on my wrist. I have owned the Day-Date for over 30 years, the 30T2 for about 15 years and the Seamaster Date for a time in between the other two.

I am thinking of keeping only one. I ask the age-old question "if you could only keep one, which would you keep and why?"

X350 XJR

Keep the day/date, the other two have refinished dials.

It's also the most versatile of the bunch, dress it up or down can't go wrong.

A Andy F

My order is just as you have them photographed, 1, 2, 3.

What I find interesting is the comment to the effect that $475 was a lot of money for a service on a watch that had nothing wrong with it. If it took a full day to disassemble the movement, scrupulously clean the parts, clean the DNA off the case, reassemble the movement with proper lubrication, install it in the case, and then calibrate it (without a trace of ever having been inside the watch) that would be $60 an hour. If done in half the time, $120/hour. Had you asked your local mechanic to remove the cylinder head on a four cylinder car and reassemble it with a new head gasket, it would have cost three times that for the same amount of time spent. I guess its hard to appreciate the effort and skill that goes into wristwatch repair unless you actually do it yourself.

J jungian

Y

I have always been told these watches should be serviced every five years. Is that still the recommended service interval?

Flip

Calendar, day-date, jumbo
I’d keep the Calendar over the others personally

Dan S

No, you don't want to get involved in spending any money on the 30T2 or the black one. I assume you are going to sell them, so just sell them as-is. Much of the value is in the gold.

If you decide that you absolutely want to keep one of them, then we can advise you how to repair it if that's what you want to do.

A Andy F

My order is just as you have them photographed, 1, 2, 3.

What I find interesting is the comment to the effect that $475 was a lot of money for a service on a watch that had nothing wrong with it. If it took a full day to disassemble the movement, scrupulously clean the parts, clean the DNA off the case, reassemble the movement with proper lubrication, install it in the case, and then calibrate it (without a trace of ever having been inside the watch) that would be $60 an hour. If done in half the time, $120/hour. Had you asked your local mechanic to remove the cylinder head on a four cylinder car and reassemble it with a new head gasket, it would have cost three times that for the same amount of time spent. I guess its hard to appreciate the effort and skill that goes into wristwatch repair unless you actually do it yourself.