My Dad's Watch.

[billybek]

My Dad has an old Omega Speedmaster Professional that has been well used and has spent many years in a desk drawer.
It has a cracked crystal a well worn outer ring and one missing function button. I don't know if it runs or not. Probably not.
Anyone know about how much it would cost to refurbish such a watch?
I remember playing with this watch as a kid, starting, stopping and resetting the timer. He must have picked it up in 1968.
Thanks in advance

[Chocaholic]

Can't help with a cost estimate...but since it was your dads for all those years, why does the cost matter? Restore it and wear it proudly. It'll make you feel great whenever you check check the time. Hard to put a value on something like that.

[pwd72s]

About all I'd suggest is contacting a good watchmaker, a person who services old watches. Cindy spent more than the watch is worth getting her mother's old Ladies Hamilton going again. It involved having a goldsmith make new links for the band as well as having the watch refaced, the mechanism cleaned & lubed. But...for nostalgia reasons it was worth it to her.

The guy who did the refacing and servicing is in Corvallis, Oregon...
Back In Time
Watch and Clock Repair
Art Fish, Watchmaker
590 SE Lilly Ave.
Corvallis, OR
541-760-3829

Cindy wears this watch on special occasions, or just when she feels like it. It functions well. The old mechanical movements are pretty amazing, thinking about it.

(edit) I should warn you...the entire process, from the watch being taken it to getting the links made took about a year.

[MRM]

The old Omega Speedmasters are a very collectible watch, in addition to being very cool and having sentimental value. They are also a piece of history. The Omega Speedmaster was picked to be the watch for the first moon landing after a competition that some suggest were rigged so that they could win. Bulova's Accutron also won some NASA supply competitions because it was the first battery operated watch and used tuning forks to regulate the timer. Coincidently, my dad's watch is a 1968 Accutron. It's on my dresser as we speak.

Anyway, the Speedmaster has been in continuous production, and the current model isn't all that different than the current model. Back then all the Speedmasters were mechanical. There were manual wind and "automatic" winding watches. Both are very robust and lend themselves to repairs and renovation. You can don mail the whole watch back into the factory and get it completely overhauled for no more than $500. In good shape, it will be worth anywhere from $1,000 to maybe $2,500, maybe more if it has some unusual feature or is particularly collectible. So the repairs will be worth it, even without the sentimental value. Once it comes back, it will be as good as a new watch and will keep time to COSC accuracy. They can replace the bezel, missing buttons, and any worn out internals. These things can last forever.

Omega doesn't keep its technology shrouded in as much mystery as Rolex, so it is easier to find authorized repair shops and independent repair shops who can do the job cheaper and probably as well. As I said, this is an established technology that is very robust and easy (for a trained expert) to work on. There are even do it yourself web sites for people who think they're up to repairing their own mechanical watches. The best bet is to just go to your local Omega dealer and ask them for an estimate. If they can't do it on site, they can tell you what it will cost to have the factory do it.

You really should get it refurbished. It's not quite like finding a 1972 S in the garage and wondering if it's worth refinishing the sports seats, but it's at least like finding a 1973 E in original shape and wondering if it's worth fixing it up. Fix it and wear it like you shot the moon with it.

[Tishabet]

Can't really give you an estimate on how much it would cost to repair, but the Pelican Parts of the watch world is www.timezone.com and I have used it as my watch resource for years. Also a good place to find references on watch repair shops.

[ramonesfreak]

the quote from omega i got just to do the tune up on my speedmaster to get it running on time was about $700, so i would count on at least that much

[Cornpanzer]

I just had my 69 Speedy serviced and cleaned for $350. I love mine. You can wear it with jeans or formal wear. Its classy without being garish.

Without a doubt you should restore it as it will only get more valuable. Or, sell it to me....

[VincentVega]

Nothing wrong with sending it to Omega, but it's not rocket science. A good watch guy should be able to get it running for half that.

My pop gave me his old Heuer of similar vintage. I'm glad I fixed it up, it's a great piece.

[billybek]

Thanks for your responses, I appreciate them.
I think that I will send it to Omega to be refurbished. You are right, Mike. What does it matter how much it will cost for such a powerful childhood memory and a link to my Dad.
My Dad was a weldor, and he wore this watch to work for many years. A testament to its durability. He is now in his 80's and very proud of his new 50 year union watch.
The outer ring (tachymetre) is badly worn away at the top and the numbers faded in others. Do you think that would be replaceable or repairable?

[TimT]

The outer ring (tachymetre) is badly worn away at the top and the numbers faded in others. Do you think that would be replaceable or repairable?

Of course that is replaceable...but who uses those functions....really?

And if replaced it will be a brand new shiny sparkly piece on the body of a watch that has patina..

I'd have the movement repaired, the crystal replaced...

And wear that watch every day... and think about dad every time you glance at it ;-)

that's just me though.

[RPKESQ]

Omega factory service will refurbish the watch to look like new. They have all the spare parts on hand and will offer a total warranty. I highly recommend this route.

[id10t]

[jhynesrockmtn]

I wear and old Seamaster from the 60's almost daily, great watch. Sounds like a great family heirloom and a classic worth restoring to a high standard. Congrats. It's getting harder to get work done like this outside of the factory route due to all of the swiss brands pulling back on parts availability but a good local watchmaker might be able to do it without sending it to the factory. I sent an old Jaeger-Lecoultre to the factory and paid a mint to have it redone but it came back looking like new.

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by RPKESQ

Omega factory service will refurbish the watch to look like new. They have all the spare parts on hand and will offer a total warranty. I highly recommend this route.

Mark the date and time, we agree.

An old man told me the things you regret are the things you fail to do, not the things you do. Get the watch restored.

[billybek]

Just a quick update.
I have sent the watch back to Omega for a restoration.
They will get back to me in a few weeks with a quote for the repairs and some options to consider.
Thanks for your input.

A before picture.... It looks really rough due to the scratches showing with the flash, it looks better in person.

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by id10t

I thought of this scene IMMEDIATELY when i read the thread title.

[vash]

that is going to back brand new looking. did you get a quote?

[tangerine911S]

What are the general thoughts about refurbishing vs replacing original parts? To make that watch look perfect, it looks as though the tachymeter ring, crystal, face, and hands would need to be replaced. Will that affect the monetary or sentimental value or is it common practice?

[Carrerax]

I would keep the old parts (ask Omega to return them) and wear it for the next 50 years! I also have a speedmaster that Ive worn for 10 years and plan on another 10! Awesome watches not to mention it was your fathers!

[pwd72s]

Cool...I know Cindy really enjoys wearing her 1957 Vintage Hamilton. How do we know the year? The inscription on the back...from her dad to her mother.