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Southpaw
·I recently inherited an early model Speedmaster from my father who was its sole owner. He wore it almost continuously, except for the times he was having it repaired.
It appears to be a 2998-61, based on the case back and the dial.
I have not yet met with a watchmaker to look at the movement to confirm whether it’s a 321.
He had it maintained/repaired several times. At least (or maybe only) once he had Omega do it (I remember because he complained about how long it took). On other occasions, he had one or more watchmakers perform repairs. I think the last repair was maybe 8 or 10 years ago.
I understand from the Forum that some of of the seemingly mismatched parts (e.g., hands and bezel), may be a result of Omega’s factory repairs.
The case back shows a model 2998-61. It also has several etchings on the case, a couple toward the top left-hand side (possibly “3066x3”), another couple on the upper right hand side, and some initials and possibly 2-year notations, e.g., “03” and “06.
It has a few working-order issues:
My questions for you amazing aficionados and pros are these:
Thank you for your thoughts and wisdom.
It appears to be a 2998-61, based on the case back and the dial.
I have not yet met with a watchmaker to look at the movement to confirm whether it’s a 321.
He had it maintained/repaired several times. At least (or maybe only) once he had Omega do it (I remember because he complained about how long it took). On other occasions, he had one or more watchmakers perform repairs. I think the last repair was maybe 8 or 10 years ago.
I understand from the Forum that some of of the seemingly mismatched parts (e.g., hands and bezel), may be a result of Omega’s factory repairs.
The case back shows a model 2998-61. It also has several etchings on the case, a couple toward the top left-hand side (possibly “3066x3”), another couple on the upper right hand side, and some initials and possibly 2-year notations, e.g., “03” and “06.
It has a few working-order issues:
- The chronometer is not working. The top button will not start the sweep hand.
- It seems to be retaining some moisture. The crystal will occasionally cloud.
- The winding mechanism “hitches”. It will wind smoothly sometimes, and seem to catch and wind more loudly and with a less frequent “click”
- It doesn’t reliably retain power through the night – though some nights it does
- In the mornings, after having stopped, a simple shake of the watch will get the second hand dial started again – without a wind
- Otherwise, when it works, it works well, though it seems to lose about a minute a day – but hard to say for sure.
My questions for you amazing aficionados and pros are these:
- Do I repair it and if so, given the issues, should I use a watchmaker or Omega?
- If the recommendation is to use a watchmaker, any recommendations on watchmakers – or, if you are one, available watchmakers who’d like to offer their services?
- Should I try to procure certain original replacements – e.g., correct hands or a bezel? Or do I use newer OEM parts that are somewhat more compatible with the model (e.g., the FOIS anniversary model)?
Thank you for your thoughts and wisdom.
