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Should I have Omega service these vintage chronographs?

_HONDO_
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I recently picked up these two Omega Seamaster Chronographs. The one on the left is ref 145.018? with cal. 861. On the right is ref 105.004? with cal. 321.

Is there a good place in the US to have these serviced and also have professional casework done? The cases are in decent shape, but I would like to bring them back to factory original... if possible.

ALSO... a side question, what is an estimated value on these?
Thanks in advance!
IMG_2230.jpg IMG_2231.jpg
 
Dan S
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_HONDO_ _HONDO_
The only advice was Pauls Watch Repair, and as I mentioned they do sketchy work- so ill pass. But thanks?

Ahhh ... ok. Maybe you'll get different advice this time. If not, you can just keep posting new threads. 👍

Searching the forum is another option, since this question is asked ad infinitum. You will be able to collect more suggestions than you will get from just one thread. There are a handful of the usual suspects that are often mentioned.

Better yet, find some members with Omega chronographs and establish relationships with them by PM, maybe you will be able to pry the names of their watchmakers out of them that way.
Edited:
 
_HONDO_
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Dan S Dan S
Ahhh ... ok. Maybe you'll get different advice this time. If not, you can just keep posting new threads. 👍

Searching the forum is another option, since this question is asked ad infinitum. You will be able to collect more suggestions than you will get from just one thread. There are a handful of the usual suspects that are often mentioned.

Better yet, find some members with Omega chronographs and establish relationships with them by PM, maybe you will be able to pry the names of their watchmakers out of them that way.

Thank you, I will try that- I’m still getting used to “forums”, they are not easy to navigate.
I tried searching “Omega Service” and others, but I seems like the search looks for those words individually, so I did not find any threads with advice.
I’ll keep digging….
 
Dan S
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Try using google and limiting your search to the omegaforums.net domain by using the site: operator. That is almost always superior to using an internal site search function, unless the site is not publicly searchable.
 
Revo
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Slightly odd question but are they 18 or 20 mm lug widths?

Beautiful watches by the way.
 
nicks
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Sorry I can’t help with a recommendation. Just wanted to say that I like the case on the right in the first picture; maybe leave that case alone? Light hand polish, perhaps.

The one on the left looks to me to have been very vigorously polished and so I suspect you’d need laser welding etc to put it back to original condition.

If you check recent sold listings on eBay you can get a good feel for what these sell for. They are desirable, and you have good ones.
 
_HONDO_
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nicks nicks
Sorry I can’t help with a recommendation. Just wanted to say that I like the case on the right in the first picture; maybe leave that case alone? Light hand polish, perhaps.

The one on the left looks to me to have been very vigorously polished and so I suspect you’d need laser welding etc to put it back to original condition.

If you check recent sold listings on eBay you can get a good feel for what these sell for. They are desirable, and you have good ones.


Thanks for the reply, interestingly enough the one on the left came out of the factory with a highly polished case, as seen and explained here:


Thanks for the recommendations.
 
nicks
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_HONDO_ _HONDO_
Thanks for the reply, interestingly enough the one on the left came out of the factory with a highly polished case, as seen and explained here:


Thanks for the recommendations.

Thank you for sharing that video. I stand corrected, and happy to learn.

If it were mine, I would first try a hand polish to get rid of some of the scratches. If I sent it out for professional work, I’d want to be 100% certain that whoever was going to polish it absolutely understood that the original edges had no chamfer at all.

I hunted for a year before I found mine, from 1958, and big chamfers. Without a doubt it is my favourite watch, and you have two real beauties there.
 
duffy7
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Unfortunately I can't help you with a watchmaker recommandation for the US but I would like to congratulate you on those beauties.

I hope I am the first - DIBS on your 105.004
Cheers
 
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