Hello everybody, Long time lurker, i have just joined the forum after acquiring my first watch. Now i would like to pick your brain on how to decide where to service it. The watch is an Omega Seamaster Deville automatic with date and a gold case. I got it locally from a guy who did not have much knowledge in watches.It is not in mint condition but it was the exact model i was chasing and the price was better than any other option i have ever considered. Now the watch works but needs a serious service. I have studied a few options and met with some shops in Zurich, the two best alternative so far are: - Omega official service - starting at 650chf, comes with an official warranty, not transparent, risk they restore the watch too much, long leadtime - Send to a friend of a friend of a friend - who is a passionated watchmaker with experience - starting at 350chf, no guarrantee, risk on how he can open the case (weird gold case), more transparent, more open to discussion if needed, shorter leadtime Local watchmakers in Zurich seem very knowledgeable but a bit greedy. One already warned me about possible rusted part that might require replacement, rare parts, high prices, a lot of time, ....$$$$ I tried to consider the plus and minus of both options but i cant decide between a local passionated amateur and the super luxous spa treatement... What are your thought on this? Thanks
bump up I am considering trying the "passionated amateur watchmaker" rather than the official Omega Spa. Reason: i want to keep the watch as original as possible - only minimal service. Risk: no guarrantee + fear on how he will open the watch (weird threaded case/plexi) Your opinion would be appreciated Cheers
What do you mean by "weird" case? Could you ilustrate? Anyway, to answer your question: I'd consider any option except Omega official service.
Front loader case. Your in Switzerland Take it to omega head office and ask for a chat with a watchmaker. ( tell him you want it serviced and cleaned with hands dial and case untouched ) I would if I was in Switzerland
Front loader case isn't weird at all but pretty common. Any watchmaker can open such a watch easily, even without the special Omega tool.
Watchmaker was too busy. Have seen my mate who is a boat mechanic do this heaps of times to new clients if he's busy
First you say he's experienced, and now you say he's an amateur and there are no guarantees? Find a watchmaker who has experience with these watches. A good service will cost you good money - there are no short cuts here to get a proper job done. I'm also sure that your friend has some "red flag" customer language that will cause him to be too busy even if he actually isn't. I get the feeling that might be happening here...
Thank you all for your feedback. Front load caser = not the easiest to open in 2min for a direct control. None of the local watchmaker i met took a chance. Amateur experienced passionated watchmaker = he has enough experience but it is not his full time job. Hence "amateur" aka "not professional" I will try specify clearly what i need and take my chance with this "friend of my friend". If not ok, i could still send the watch to Omega. In Switzerland, I am pretty confident there is enough knowledgable people so i am willing to take my chances. I will let you know if i found a useful ressources for all of your Omega's needd :-D