1971 Omega Seamaster
Discussion
Hi,
I have a few Watches, TAG, Breitling and couple of Omega.
The one in question is a 1971 Seamaster which was left to me by my grandad, Its in excellent condition, All paperwork, Box etc but it hasn't been worn in about 15 years. Although it does still work its not holding the time and needs a good service. I sent it to Omega and they have quoted me £540 for the service and new glass. Seems a bit steep to be honest. Can anyone recommend a company who will be a bit cheaper?
Thanks
I have a few Watches, TAG, Breitling and couple of Omega.
The one in question is a 1971 Seamaster which was left to me by my grandad, Its in excellent condition, All paperwork, Box etc but it hasn't been worn in about 15 years. Although it does still work its not holding the time and needs a good service. I sent it to Omega and they have quoted me £540 for the service and new glass. Seems a bit steep to be honest. Can anyone recommend a company who will be a bit cheaper?
Thanks
RichB said:
He's just serviced my Breitling - very communicative and a quick turn-around. And much more reasonable than sending it back to Breitling (no doubt for several weeks...).Just note that you can pay by cash, cheque or bank transfer, but he doesn't take cards (not sure about Paypal).
For vintage Omega, many would recommend STS - http://www.swisstimeservices.co.uk or alternatively Genesis are getting rave reviews on TZ http://genesiswatchmaking.co.uk
Riff Raff said:
For vintage Omega, many would recommend STS - http://www.swisstimeservices.co.uk or alternatively Genesis are getting rave reviews on TZ http://genesiswatchmaking.co.uk
STS are the UK Omega service agent; therefore, they will probably be the source of the original quote the OP wanted to better. Personally, I have had VERY mixed experiences with STS and would not use them again. Instead, I send any vintage piece to Omega in Bienne.If it is a simply service, a good local UK chap (some suggested above) should be able to do that; however, if the case needs refurbishing (only Bienne have the correct machine) or you need Omega replacement parts, it can get a little tricky. Also, and this is model dependant, having an Omega service is a nice piece of history and keeps the value (IMHO).
PS - for reference, Omega Bienne did a full restoration and service on my 1971 Speedmaster 'Racing Dial' and the price, including insured post both ways, was £435. The watch came back looking like new and with the benefit of not only service papers but also an Extract from the Archives (certificate of authenticity) which states all the serial numbers on the watch and manufacturing date. Quite nice to have, esp as your watch is one with a lot of history and sentimental value.
I strongly agree with the above. For a piece such as this, for which you still have the original box and shipping group, never mind the family connection, Id always be dealing with Omega in Bienne if I was looking for more than a service.
Either argument is convincing too: access to original parts / finish / features, or simply the keener price, let alone that this is for a better service.
Either argument is convincing too: access to original parts / finish / features, or simply the keener price, let alone that this is for a better service.
Lightningman said:
STS are the UK Omega service agent; therefore, they will probably be the source of the original quote the OP wanted to better. Personally, I have had VERY mixed experiences with STS and would not use them again. Instead, I send any vintage piece to Omega in Bienne.
Err, no.Omega have their own service facility, down on the south coast somewhere. I can dig an address out from paperwork I have. I assume that is where this quote came from. STS do the vintage stuff. If you send anything modern to them, they just send it off to Omega UK. I have experience of this. I don't know if it works the other way round.
Sending the piece to Bienne may be an option, but it is not likely to be cheaper than Omega here in the UK.
Riff Raff said:
Lightningman said:
STS are the UK Omega service agent; therefore, they will probably be the source of the original quote the OP wanted to better. Personally, I have had VERY mixed experiences with STS and would not use them again. Instead, I send any vintage piece to Omega in Bienne.
Err, no.Omega have their own service facility, down on the south coast somewhere. I can dig an address out from paperwork I have. I assume that is where this quote came from. STS do the vintage stuff. If you send anything modern to them, they just send it off to Omega UK. I have experience of this. I don't know if it works the other way round.
Sending the piece to Bienne may be an option, but it is not likely to be cheaper than Omega here in the UK.
However, as we are talking about a vintage Omega I didn't believe it was necessary to state that point.
As for Bienne being cheaper, I doubt it but as stated above, if the OP can afford/justify the cost, it would seem to make sense to send such a sentimentally valuable watch to the best place possible. Anyone who has sent a piece to Bienne will be familiar with the work they carry out and the excellent of it. OP, you should also know that sending a watch to Bienne may mean in a longish delay in getting it back (this isn't always the case and they will usually give you a time scale with the quote for the works); shortest time I've had on a piece is just under 6-weeks and longest was circa 6-months. For some of the calibres they only have one chap who services them.
PS - there was (not sure it is still the case) a suggestion that a lot of the work Bienne carry out on vintage pieces was done at near cost, simply to build brand loyalty and to keep the watches in circulation. I do not know if this is true but it was mentioned to be by someone who was an expert in vintage Omega pieces.
I don't want to labour the point, but the Omega UK Service Centre service vintage watches.
Here's the link. No mention of STS.
http://www.omegawatches.com/customer-service/watch...
Here's the link. No mention of STS.
http://www.omegawatches.com/customer-service/watch...
Thanks for the help everyone i will have a look in to it. I did originally take it to Beaverbrooks were i get my watches from then they sent it to Omega and then they sent it to their vintage department/shop so im presuming its the place mentioned.
I think it just needs a service to be honest not a complete overhaul, It does need a new glass as its a little scuffed although it isn't too bad but id rather get it all done in one.
I will ask my dad to get some pics of it as im on holiday at the moment.
It is a special watch to me as i was really close to my grandad and it has his name engraved on the back with the date he received the watch, He got it off a large company he worked for when he retired. I believe he was with them for 20odd years and this was their gift to him.
I think it just needs a service to be honest not a complete overhaul, It does need a new glass as its a little scuffed although it isn't too bad but id rather get it all done in one.
I will ask my dad to get some pics of it as im on holiday at the moment.
It is a special watch to me as i was really close to my grandad and it has his name engraved on the back with the date he received the watch, He got it off a large company he worked for when he retired. I believe he was with them for 20odd years and this was their gift to him.
Riff Raff said:
I don't want to labour the point, but the Omega UK Service Centre service vintage watches.
Here's the link. No mention of STS.
http://www.omegawatches.com/customer-service/watch...
And, here is my link: -Here's the link. No mention of STS.
http://www.omegawatches.com/customer-service/watch...
http://www.swisstimeservices.co.uk/
Look at the splash page - they could be using the statement "The UKs Approved Omega vintage service centre" falsely but that isn't my understanding.
And I quote, again, from their site: "Swiss Time Services has been the United Kingdom’s approved Omega service centre for vintage Omega watches since 1993. Occupying purpose built premises of 7,000 square feet, we employ 30 staff and cater for virtually all vintage Omega models and calibres.
During the course of a year we receive in excess of 18,000 Omega watches, most of which are over 20 years old. Omega is one of the world’s most well known premium Swiss watch brands and we take pride in being able to cater for all of our customers’ individual needs."
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