Hello everyone! First post here so I'll try my best to provide as much info as possible. I've recently acquired my very first Omega (145.022-69 DON) and have some service related questions. This would be my first experience servicing a watch for reference.

Issues:

The chrono hour does not run although the chrono minutes and seconds functions as it should. Chrono minutes roll over right one cue. Also, the time stops periodically even with a full wind without chrono running. This seems to happen around the 35minute mark most commonly but not every hour. If I advance the time even half a minute, it will begin running again for some time. When running, the timekeeping is pretty accurate. I'm assuming these issues are not uncommon for a 47 year old watch that hasn't been serviced lately? On that note: the caseback shows watchmakers marks above the reference number and the movement looks clean so I'm curious when it was last serviced. Any experts able to chime in?

Based on feedback I've read, Nesbits is a frequently recommended for servicing. I explained the above issues with Jan who was very polite and knowledgeable. Without inspecting the watch she believed it could be a dry lubrication issue and said they would perform a full movement service in addition to replacing the acrylic, crown and pushers at a minimum.

Dilemma:

After I sent photos they said they would also have to replace the hands due to condition of the lume and possible future lume degradation pieces damaging the movement. Obviously I want to retain as much original pieces as possible. I'm concerned replacement hands will not match the overall patina and also hurt the value. Nesbits seemed pretty firm in having to remove the hands (I suppose for the service warranty). What are your thoughts on having the hands replaced?

Everything else appears to be in good shape to my amateur eye. Not shown in the photos are the spacer ring and dust cover. They are intact (not photographed) however the case clamp and screws are missing. Regarding the case: could someone comment as to if they believe the case has been polished before? To my very untrained eye I would guess it has not been polished.

Any other general comments/questions/pointers are greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!

 

It’s a nice looking watch! Don’t send it if they’re adamant in replacing hands, find another watchmaker locally or here on OF. In the meantime, I wouldn’t wind it to prevent any further damage.

 

Search "nesbits" here to see feedback. I saw this there which may be helpful.

https://omegaforums.net/threads/6k-ed-white-who-got-it.57004/page-4#post-769853

 

Thanks for the help! Very informative read. Glad to have a couple other places to look into. I really prefer to leave everything original including crown, pushers, and acrylic. Sounds like there's some good places out there to honor that request.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I'm an inexperienced vintage collector (this is my first vintage piece) so it's nice to hear someone else's thoughts.

 

IMO, never replace the dial or hands. For the pushers, crown and crystal, the replacement are quite the same. the crown and pushers wil be gently scratched rapidly. For the crystal, be sure to take a black tension ring. Another possibilité for the pushers is to change only the inner parts if the buttons are not dammaged.
The movement needs service and should run great. I don't see real risks for the tritium to get into the movement as the dial section is reaaly well isolated from the movement but it's just my opinion