The London Lounge

I recently picked up a 50s era bumper wind Omega Constellation that I had returned to Switzerland. I received the watch back in stunningly beautiful condition, with a bag full of parts showing me that perhaps the majority of the movement had been replaced. The dial, while left original, must have been cleaned and each of the faceted broadarrow markers were clearly polished; whether they were removed and polished or done on the dial, I don't know, but they positively sparkle.

This is the second time I have sent a vintage Omega to Bienne for service and the second time I received something back that exceeded my expectations (the first was a Speedmaster 125). They previously restored a gold dress tank, which my grandfather gave to me, having received it as a gift from his younger brother some 30+ years earlier.

While the Omega marque may not command the same respect as other brands popular among watch aficionados and consumers, it certainly commands my loyalty.

Dopey,

I have an early 60s Omega that was my fathers. I have had it repaired three times now (last two in London at Watches of Switzerland) and still it quickly resorted to gaining an absurd amount of time.

Would you mind posting the details of where you sent it to in Switzerland? It is not a particularly expensive watch compared to other Swiss brands but it does have sentimental value to me and I quite like the simplicity of the design.

Medusala

medusala wrote:Dopey,

I have an early 60s Omega that was my fathers. I have had it repaired three times now (last two in London at Watches of Switzerland) and still it quickly resorted to gaining an absurd amount of time.

Would you mind posting the details of where you sent it to in Switzerland? It is not a particularly expensive watch compared to other Swiss brands but it does have sentimental value to me and I quite like the simplicity of the design.

Medusala

This time, I went through the Omega boutique in New York City, which sent it to the factory in Bienne.

Previously, I went through the Omega service center in Pennsylvania who forwarded the watch to Bienne for me.

If you are in the US, I would start with the boutique in New York. If you are in the UK, see if there is an Omega flagship boutique in London. The watch may not need to go to Switzerland, depending on what needs to be done and the availability of parts locally. The point is to go to Omega, or, at minimum, an Omega authorized repair center, and not to a watch repair place. You will probably pay more than if used a regular watchmaker, but you will get back a watch that is pretty close to original factory condition. Omega keeps a vast hoard of NOS parts for their movements and you would be surprised at what they can do. I was a bit surprised they would even deal with a bumper movement, but they completely rebuilt it.

medusala wrote: I have had it repaired three times now (last two in London at Watches of Switzerland) and still it quickly resorted to gaining an absurd amount of time.

Watches of Switzerland is probably the most annoyingly over-priced shop in London, and competition is pretty tough...

My wife had the battery on her Vacheron changed there recently - alright, anathema already in the eyes of the watch connoisseurs... does it help if I say I have the same model but with mechanical movement, the pair was a wedding present, and the ladies' model apparently only came with a quartz movement? - ... anyway, WoS charged GBP70 for this service.

That is GBP70 for a new battery and about 3 minutes work. Have I lost touch with modern times or is this just absurd?

dE

Medusala, I recall that there is an Omega shop at the Royal Exchange although I do not know whether it is a directly owned and operated shop or a franchise that is actually operated by the likes of Watches of Switzerland. There might be other locations as well. I also seem to recall that there is a dealer in the Burlington Arcade that specialises in vintage Omegas. Worth a look, I think. You might actually try contacting Omega in Bienne, explain the problem and ask them for possible ways to have it resolved. The Swatch Group is a very well managed group and will take these sorts of things very seriously.

dE, I agree that 70 quid is a bit much albeit I am not sure if the charge was actually all that unusual. The daft thing about many of these quartz watches is that every time the battery is replaced, the gasket also needs to be replaced if the watch is to retain its original water resistance. The process requires a relatively expensive piece of equipment, so the shop needs to recoup the capital cost of the silly compression equipment, and make a sensible operating profit. Furthermore, VC might be charging a healthy price for these gaskets, which are made by a third party supplier. It doesn't help that people at WoS are not particularly nice to deal with.

Just as a general comment, whether in NY or in London, Wempe (Fifth Avenue and New Bond St) is very reliable and pleasant to deal with, whether for purchases, servicing or referrals.

s

There's also an Omega shop at the bottom (i.e. Picadilly) end of Bond Street.

medusala wrote: I have an early 60s Omega that was my fathers. I have had it repaired three times now (last two in London at Watches of Switzerland) and still it quickly resorted to gaining an absurd amount of time.

Medusala,

I had recently purchased a restored vintage 1957 seamaster (see here:http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.ph ... ost3057566 ) from a watchmaker based in Worcestershire (and I'm living in London). I am very impressed with the quality of the restoration, and the overall service. Send me a private message if you would like their details.

I also am a fan of Omega, and I have a few vintage pieces, all of which have needed a decent amount of work to get them back to true. I sent off a '71 non date Dynamic, which took almost two years and cost double the purchase price of the watch through Omega in Bienne, but the work is fantastic and the watch is all but new. A year later it is still keeping perfect time, and I do not regret the time and cost involved. Receiving the parts back was also a nice change, as many friends who wear Rolex have had their original dials kept by Rolex in Switzerland and have ended up with old watches sporting new dials and hands that have non of the character or patina of the originals.
That being said, Sydney has two very good Omega specialist watch makers, and my last two purchases have been repaired in Sydney. Although not necessarily much faster or cheaper, it is nice to speak to the man doing the work. I have had completely restored a '68 transitional speedmaster that was incorrectly cased and in poor running condition, so that it is now like a lovingly kept original.
I must say, Omega gets a bad wrap from anyone who doesn't wear them, and absolute loyalty from anyone lucky enough to have had one! I am unashamedly an Omega man, despite what anyone might say of them.

desu

Good to hear that Omega still provide service for their older watches. I have a 1950 Rolex, my late grandfather's, that the official Rolex Centre refuses to service. I have since received excellent service at a very reasonable price from Ching Kuok Watch Service in Tin Hau, Hong Kong http://antiquewatch.com.hk .

this is one of the problems with mechanical movements

i have a breitling that was in the shop 3 times in five years...when it was new, it was always losing time...after 3-5 months it was extreme so i sent it in and they repaired it. overhaul to the movement.
when it came back it always gained time. for well over a year then it became worse and eventually died. i sent it in and another movement overhaul

after two overhauls it ran perfectly, losign no more than lets say 10-15 seconds a week (a quartz watch does better generally)

then suddenly it died again with no warning.
in for repair again now

i may have gotten a more problematic watch than most, but my brother had similar problems with an ebel and i believe there is great variability from one watch to the next

thats the thing with hand made

My wife gave me a lovely silver 1912 Omega trench watch for my birthday (which I'll probably alternate with the IWC which is my daily wear). It was unfortunately gaining time at the rate of approximately 4 minutes/hour, so I've taken it in to the Antique Watch Co. in Clerkenwell (which was recommended to me by friends). Unfortunately, they're not sure if they'll be able to get parts, as it's such an early movement. I'm glad to hear these reports, therefore! It gives me hope that if I do end up sending it to Bienne, there's a good chance that they'll have the parts.

-Brendan