I recently became an Omega vintage watch owner.. maybe not the best watch, but not to bad for beginners.
I was looking at it thinking about putting a nice strap on it when I spotted a small thread of cotton on the dial, so i wiped it off.. nothing still there. I took a closer look and found the small thread was under the glass, at the six o'clock position..



Damn need to sort this out.
so I took my watch to town where there are a few well known, reputable jewelers.
First one I entered explained the situation-
''oh'' the guy said,
'we can't do that, it will have to be sent away'.
That will cost more than the watch is worth I thought. So I thanked him, and made my way to the next jewelers.
'Yes sir we can do that, but we will insist on a full service too'
'How much'.. I asked
'We can't say sir, its like opening a can of worms we don't know what we'll find'
'But its been serviced this year' I said
'Sorry sir, we need to service it, we can't just clean it, it may be about £100-£200 depends if it needs work doing'.
'OK.. I thanked him and walked out'..

Then today walking around my town, I saw a little shop tucked away, a sign saying 'we buy gold'
Then above the window I saw another sign...''watch Maker'
so I entered,
An elderly gent greeted me. I showed him my watch and told him the story of the trapped piece of cotton.
Hmmmm... come back in 15 minutes, he said.
so I walked about for a while thinking..'he's going to say he can't do it, or it needs sending away.. or a service ??..
15 minutes past, I made my way back to the little shop..
'Any good' I asked ?
'Yes all done... that will be ......£4 !!
£4...?? I said
'yes' he replied
I thanked him, gave him a £5 note.. keep the change.



It's worth shopping around ..
Result !!..

 

Remember that guy when you buy your next vintage watch. A good oldschool watchmaker is your best find in this hobby.