SERVICE/REPAIR 17 YEAR OLD SPEEDMASTER AUTO CHRONO

In 2004, I and my Omega Speedmaster had a close encounter with a rocket in Iraq. I was OK, and as best I can recall, my Omega never left my wrist, and was not banged into anything. But, it has never worked right since. The sweep second hand won't return to 12. The watch will not run for long periods. I have had it in a box since and now would like to repair it, maybe restore it to like new and pass it along to a nephew. I would appreciate any suggestions for the best place to have it repaired and made to look nice again. I have it on now and it's working but it will not work for long. Thanks for any recommendations.

Near Missoula, but I will ship to the best place.

Re: You'll find some differences of opinion on that, here.
If by "looking nice" you mean cleaning up/replacing the crystal, cleaning the watch itself and its band, virtually any watch-maker can do this quite inexpensively. If you mean polishing and removing scratches from the case to make it look shiny and new- almost any watch-maker can do this as well but the near consensus from the community of collectors would be NOT to do that.

Polishing removes metal and it rounds the distinctive and unique sharp edges of the case design. It can make logos look muddy. It can dramatically decrease the resell value of the watch. It can also make the watch look prettier. Only you can decide what the fair balance is between the two. If you think your nephew might someday come to be a watch collector, I suspect he will someday appreciate if you didn't have it polished or refinished. The scratches and dents and bruises it obtained while fighting a war add to its character.

If that's unlikely, (and you know your nephew far better than we do) and you think he'll be more impressed and grateful for a shiny, "new" looking watch- go for it. Any watch-maker can do it; its not rocket science, even if your watch has already endured the abuse of "rocket science" in the memorable past.

You might tell the collectors to get bent on this one and send it to Omega. Your watch is by no means vintage. That would cost you $750. I have had Omega service before and my experience has been unusual for sure.

That said, I just sent my 2254.50.00 Seamaster Professional to Nesbit's in Seattle. They are factory authorized. They are also required to follow Omega's guidelines to retain their factory authorization.

As mentioned above, it is your watch and your money and your choice.