Some months ago I purchased a 150th anniversary Seamaster. I think it may have been manufactured in 1998 or 1999 as that's 150 years after 1848. The appearance was as if new. Even with a 5x glass there were no signs of a single scratch. I'm guessing she was almost never worn. It currently keeps good time at about a half second +-/day.
I have been reading that after ten years it should be lubricated as the oils have decayed. I've also read it's OK to just leave it alone till timekeeping changes. This school says it won't add appreciably to the cost to replace a couple things when finally servicing. I believe (from reading here) it's time to check waterproofing and or replace gaskets. So, any thoughts, postpone or service.

The other half of my question is where. There is a little watch shop a few miles away in Millville, NJ that is not an Omega dealer but has a shop. Do little shops typically have access to Omega parts, pressure testers etc? I'd like to give them my business if possible. I presume an AD would cost more but have no idea if that would translate into quality.

 

I'd get it serviced. Can't help you on your second question, but I'm sure someone else will. Personally I'd just have Omega service it.

 

IMHO as a professional-
Now it is best to look for an "OWME" - a watchmaker that has passed the Omega exam for a spare parts account. Just do some searching and you will find someone close to you I am sure.
I recommend 5-10 years from manufacture, and every 5 years after that. You can establish a relationship with a watchmaker and have the water-resistance tested every few years or when you notice a bit of damage to the case/crystal/crown that might be an issue.
Whether to service it or just set it aside as a museum piece is another discussion. When it would start accruing value is a bit of a guess.

 

With a watch of that age it more than likely will have a standard ETA movement in it. Thus most good watch makers could service it. Most generic gaskets are available for the watch so that should not be a problem. It is usually the price that makes the difference. A good watchmaker would charge about 50% less than Omega. Omega will polish the case which a lot of people dislike.
Hope this helps

 

Yes, and to Omega directly.

 

A professional watchmaker doesnt generally charge any less than Omega does, they just buy parts for a lot more than Omega. I basically charge what they do and I have plenty of owners that prefer an independent at any cost.
There are only about 500 watchmakers in the USA population 350,000,000 and of that only about 200-300 can get Omega parts. I am #021 for the OWME certification in 2015.

 

I'll ask my local guy about that OWME. I intend to wear it to death so value appreciation isn't a consideration. It's a numbered piece, they made 1848 to commemorate the founding year. I've learned here that "editions" are common for Omega. Perhaps a 150 year anniversary is a more legitimate reason than most. Thanks again.

 

Thank you to all the members who responded. The information is valuable. I guess I'll put a few bucks into her. I just hope the accuracy doesn't go down. She's actually gone three weeks and stayed within a second although mostly it's about a half per day.

 

That's an interesting statistic, you're one out of a million. Damn I was a teenager when the news reported we crossed 200 mill mark. No wonder the roads are so crowded! There are only about 300 working saturation divers as well.

Steve

 

It's keeping good time and has always maintained that accuracy.
I am all for regular or timely servicing.
But I would wait for the timekeeping to start going off, and enjoy the watch in the interim until you can find a watchmaker that can fulfill your needs with a parts account.
The movement should be straight forward to service so find a reputable watchmaker.

A service will give you the peice of mind in terms of maintenance and possibly yield less accuracy.
Whilst accuracy is certainly a highly desirable attribute of any watch, it's not be be all and end all.
Precision is more important and your movement has it in spades. I say leave it be for a while longer. You still have time on your side until timekeeping goes off.

 

Although the Omega 1120 uses a base ETA movement, there are some fairly extensive modifications. From a FAQ on Timezone:

“In addition to polishing the components and adding the Geneve Wave decor, Omega replaces the rotor with an Omega Specific (only) rotor that rides on a small ball bearing. They change the automatic bridge with a their own gear-train and endshake corrector. Which in turn, reduces the height difference between the auxiliary reverser and rotor. This also allows the oscillating weight's gear to mesh more precisely with the click wheel. This modification reduces the rotor's play during movement, and also prevents friction against the plate. On a standard ETA ebauche, a metal seating is used to hold the barrel in place. Omega replaces that, and uses two jewels to hold the barrel in place. This improves the constancy of the force flow and ultimately produces a more accurate movement, and adds about 2 hours to the power reserve. And to top all that off, add pure gold inlaid engraving for the writing."

So make sure your watchmaker has an Omega parts account in order to get the proper parts.

 

That is very interesting, thank you. I knew the Omega 1120 was based on ETA 2892-A2 but no further details.

 

That is a shockingly small number that I am struggling to accept. An average of only 10 per state. I would have guessed there were at least 10 times that many. There are at least four in my county with a population of 150,000.

 

wonder if they are all concentrated within 50 miles of 'major' cities....

 

service

 

In addition, I will guess that the distribution of said 10 per state, is not even. Not to pick on any one state, but good luck in ND.

 

If it keeps the time, do nothing except waterproof check. Do not do a service prophylactically, only if it is really needed. Saves money and reduces the minimal risk of a service (e.g. scratches).

 

Not sure where that poster received that information from, but the USD Dept. of Labour estimates there are approx. 2600 watchmakers and clockmakers in the US as of May 2018.

https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes499064.htm

500 is a number that doesn't make sense, given just what the brand service centers across the US would have...

Cheers, Al

 

Timekeeping is not a reliable indicator for the need to service from a pure technical point of view. The decision if/when to service is a complicated one and there is no "one size fits all" solution, as it depends on your approach to taking care of posessions, who you are using for the service, and the nature/age of the watch.

Cheers, Al