Hello!

I'm new to the forum, so I'll introduce myself. I'm Ignacio from Mexico. I recently found an Omega watch sitting in a drawer on my grand mother's house. I took it home and have been using it since. I really like it but some parts need to be replaced! The watch just went under basic maintenance and had the crown replaced. The watch shop said it's authentic.

I want to know first off if it's real or fake? Where can I get original replacement parts, particularly the crystal and dials which seem to be worn out and scratched. I found these crystals on eBay but i'm not sure whether they are original since it's cheap (75 bucks), what do you think?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Om...TACHY-Crystal-Glass-Ref-176-009-/301526649466Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

I'm posting some pics so you can help me out. If you need more pics with specific details please let me know. It's a Speedmaster Professional Mark II. I plan on keeping the watch.

Thanks!!

 

It's a nice looking watch. I wouldn't change a thing. A few bumps and bruises but all in all looks good. Great watch.

 

Yeah, looks nice the way it is. Good decision to have it serviced. As long as the innards are well taken care of, the outside should stay vintage looking.

 

What about it's authenticity?

Btw the bracelet got polished to eliminate scratches and bring it to original state.

 

No question about authenticity. Looks to be all original. Don't touch anything else. Service would be recommended but if it is keeping time, wear it with pride!

 

Thanks!

Please help me out a bit since i'm new to this. I understand that leaving the watch as it is gives it a more vintage esque look and thus makes it more interesting, but does leaving the watch with original parts make it more valuable?

 

Imagine.

Two guys, Bill and Tom, bought one watch each in 1970, exactly the same as yours.

Bill wore it on his wedding day and then put it in its box with all papers in a drawer for the next 44 years.

Tom wore his every day, it got scratched and worn, and the sun faded the dial and hands. He broke the crown and replaced it, the crystal was cracked and the bracelet was a bit stretched and he never had it serviced and never kept the box and papers.

Bill's watch would command a very high price due to originality, a "full set" and "condition condition condition".

Tom's watch would command a lesser price due to the need to fix parts, as to how much would depend on how badly a buyer wanted it.

Both watches would need to be serviced, so that also affects the value.

The more "original" the watch and all of its parts, the greater the value.

 

The crystal on Ebay is for the Mark IV not the Mark II . I am not sure but i think you could buy it from Cousinsuk for half that price .Not sure about the shipping cost to Mexiko. https://www.cousinsuk.com/
Maybe Ofrei is better http://www.ofrei.com/ .
Ebay is always expensive .
Really a nice watch you got .

 

I agree keep it as is. I'm not sure what you mean by "basic service" but if it has not had a full service, which includes fully disassembling the watch and movement, cleaning everything, assembling and lubricating, that needs to be done before you wear it too much. "Keeping time" is not a reliable indicator that the watch does not need servicing, so it could be keeping time and the movement oils could have completely dried up, and this will cause damage over time.

Cheers, Al

 

By basic service I meant exactly that. The watch was opened, cleaned, lubed, etc. The crown as well as some seals or gaskets (don't know the term used in watches) also got replaced.

According to the shop the internals of the watch are in mint condition.

As side question and that may apply to all watches: I have another watch and it has a small piece of debris inside, right beside the date marker (it's annoying since the date gets magnified as well as the debris). I went to the store where it was bought and told me that in order to open the watch and remove the debris, the watch must also undergo a service with a "certified" shop. Long story short I would need to pay around 700-800 bucks to get a debris removed (and receive service of course). The watch was bought in 2009.

I took the Omega to an authorized service shop and paid around 350-400 usd. So here's the question: Do you recommend going to other watch shops to get service or should I go to the authorized seller and pay full price?

The obvious is going to the retailer so the warranty can apply, but what about older watches, or in this case my 2009 watch?

 

I get your point, which is completely valid and true. But what about "restoring" the watch a bit.

I know it's comparing apples vs pears, but when you buy a vintage car, some people decide to restore certain aspects of the car, for example the upholstery, wheels, paint, and other engine or transitional internals.

Do you think the watch would loose its "genuine" touch if I replaced the dials and hands? I could always keep the old set..?

 

I restored one of these, but the one I had was in rough shape.. yours is beautiful! If I had found one like yours, I would have kept it as is..

Of course, the decision is always yours, but it will lose some value if you restore. Preservation is always preferred.

 

I guess you guys being experts know more than I do, so i'll keep it as it is, plus I like the "vintage" look of it.

Although out of curiosity I searched on eBay and found a Mark II all beaten up (more than mine) and it goes for around 500-600 USD
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1970-OMEGA-...457?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27f8dd2a89Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

Then I found this restored (or at least I think it's restored since it looks mint!, help me out) version that goes for 3k +
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Ome...763579670?pt=Wristwatches&hash=item5d4f5eed16Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

I know that there are hundreds of reasons as to why the 500 USD Mark II is selling cheap, but it seems restored versions are going for at least 2k.

 

That first one has 5 days left to go. It will go for more than that.

Also, these are asking prices, not sold prices.

I have seen nice condition mark ii prices rising since the reissue came out last year... in any event, your watch will be worth more as it is than restored... it also looks better that way. You've got a great watch, enjoy it!

 

I doubt either of those watches will end up at the prices currently shown - one will certainly go higher, and the other is IMO way overpriced. Also note that the racing dial does add a premium I believe.

In the end, it's your watch, and you can do with it what you want. Many here prefer original patina, but if you don't that's fine too. As long as you don't do anything that can't be reversed, then you should be fine...

Cheers, Al

 

Thanks!

I guess I'll take your advice and keep it as it is. Until something breaks or absolutely looks way too bad, i'll replace it.

Thanks again!

 

ofrei is better, but you need to snoop arund a lot...

 

Hopefully in the 3 years since this post the OP has found it