Just drug an Omega watch from my Dad's stuff at his home. He's got it put up, since it belonged to my grandfather. It's a simple, wind up watch with Roman numerals, oyster colored face and gold band and surround on the watch. No date or anything else. My grandfather received it in January of 1971 when he retired from Reynolds Metals. Has an inscription on the backing stating it was give to him then. My question is, are these watches good quality? Any idea on value without opening it up and getting a serial number? Would never consider getting rid of it, but would like to get some use of it. I wound it up, and it runs like crazy. Don't know much about watches, other than the fact that I like 'em when I see 'em. Thanks in advance; MickeyD, I know you really like pocket watches, do you know anything about this old wrist timepiece that I've got to wind the old fashioned way?

I'm not a watch expert but an Omega is a good watch. There are a number of good watch forums with knowledgeable folks who can give you a good value. I have an old Hamilton wristwatch and entered the brand and model name in a Google websearch and turned up some good info on current sale prices. You can likely find a lot that way on the Omega.

I really don't know much about Omegas, but they are very high quality watches. You might want to start with the forums on timezone and watchnet, I'm sure if you post some pics, someone can tell you what you have.

Watchnet Vintage and Fine Wrist Watches
TimeZone: Public Forum

It would probably bee a good idea to have it serviced if you want to wear it, an excellent watchmaker to deal with is Bob Ridley, he has a great reputation and primarily deals with older watches. I'm not sure if he works on Omega, but I have had him service and repair several Rolex's of mine and can highly recommend him.

Watchmakers International

Ijust happen to have a vintage Omega collection. Yes, vintage Omegas have value and collectability. Model and condition mean every thing. Can you provide a pic? You'll have to remove the back to get the movement number (serial number) and movement model. A watch maker can do that in a jiffy. Mechanical watches do need service. There are two schools of thought --- once every 5-7 years (cleaning and lube) or when it ceases working properly (repair, cleaning, and lube). It's best to opt for the first alternative as parts for some vintage Omegas (depending on movement model) are getting harder to find (the movements extant in 1971 haven't been made for some time now).

I suggest you take it to a reputable/competent watchmaker and get it serviced. He can tell you the model and value. I'd not take it to a jewelry store as they'll most likely just farm the work out to a local watchmaker, and you'll pay the watchmaker's price plus the jewelry store's cut. Where are you located?

If you don't know the last time it was serviced, I'd just let it run down and not rewind it until you've had it serviced. You may be running a dry movement. Best case is the lube, if any, is no longer properly distributed if the watch has just been sitting in a drawer for a long time (still ought to service it).

I bought a Rolex Submariner in Norway in 1974. I am wearing it now. It has never been serviced and seems to function well. Maybe not quite as accurate as when new, but accurate enough. I have been hesitant to have it serviced because I do not know how to find someone qualified without, of course, sending it to Geneva.

In the 1970's Rolex and Omega were considered the best of the generally available mechanical watches. There was a story that two guys got drunk in the Mandrin hotel in Singapore and got into an argument as to whether ones Rolex or the others Omega was the better watch. Story has it that each threw his watch out the 14th floor window onto the parking lot below. The Rolex survived but the Omega did not. But, out of good will Omega replaced their customers damaged watch.

Call ROLEX in New York City ask for service.. they will send you a return kit..basic service is about $350.00/$400.00 should be done about every 4/5 years.. after 23 years, and three regular services, I had mine reurbished last year.. New Face ( My Choice), Back, New Crystal, cleaned ,oiled etc.. ran about $1100.00 total.. but it came back as new.. I figured where could I buy a new one for that much..
The service was great and it's done by ROLEX.. with a guarantee.

ROLEX
665 5th Avenue
New York, NY 10022-5342
(212) 758-7700

Regards
Sal

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SWCA #2306
DAV in honor of POP

You really should have it serviced, like any other mechanical device, it needs routine maintenance. Rolex has several service centers throughout the country, and any of them can service it, but I would HIGHLY recommend sending it to Bob Ridley, a link to his site is in my previous post. I take my watches to him and the Rolex service center in Dallas is less than ten miles from my house. Google is name and you will learn that his reputation is impeccable and many folks, myself included, believe he will always do a better job than an authorized service center. If you need any parts replaced such as a dial, hands, etc, Rolex USA will simply replace those parts with new parts, Bob could do that, but will also find the correct vintage parts, Rolex USA will not. That is a neat old vintage watch and any collector value would be killed if, for example, the dial was replaced with a 2010 vintage dial. It may not need anything more than a simple service, but it really should be serviced.

Try to find a COMPETENT local watchmaker, else you'll pay out the rear. I pay less than a hundred bucks for service of time-onlies to a local watchmaker first trained at the old Bulova School. Parts are a different matter all together. My watchmaker charges me $10 bucks more for an automatic than for a hand wind. One of the stores that farms their work out to him charges their customers twice what he charges the store.

The fall in accuracy is an indicator it is NOT functioning well.

That Omega is a quality watch, without seeing it and knowing it's model or condition the watch could fetch from $300 to $1800 in an auction for a standard model. As with S&Ws something rare and special could fetch many times that. If you could get a good picture of it I could probably give you a model and a better estimate for your insurance.

Mechanical timepieces need service regularly, generally every 3-5 years is what most makers call for. A full service includes a complete teardown and cleaning, replacing any worn parts, fresh oil, and regulation. A full service can run over $500 on a Swiss watch. I recomend you contact Ron Stoll and have him service and restore your Omega. If I had a vintage Omega he would be one of the few folks I would let crack the case on it.

Stoll & Co. - America's Watchmaker: Main Page

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Regards,
Guy-Harold Smith II

I to have a Rolex Submariner I purchased in 1976. I was told the the Dallas service center no longer services this model since it has not been made for years (no parts available).

I have only taken two watches to local shops for service. Both were FUBAR after the "repair" and then were shipped to factory service centers to FIX the local repairs. One was a Bulova Accutron and the second was a Meylan stopwatch/timer.

Contact factory for service information. Either send to factory service center or deal with a factory authorized service shop. That way you will only pay ONCE and the service will be done correctly.

INCOMPETENT watch repairmen, like INCOMPETENT gunsmiths, abound, and neither is a recent occurrence. Mark Twain wrote about incompetent watch repairmen in his story "My Watch". The story is short and worth reading.

My Watch by Mark Twain: An Instructive Little Tale

Bekeart

Ditto about incompetent repairmen.

My Dad has a Rolex he bought in 1948, and he had serviced somewhat regularly. It quit on him last year. He tried to get it fixed and discovered that a part had been damaged by the last guy who serviced it.

The watch is so old that there are no longer any parts available and he can't get it fixed. His advice to me was to just let my watch run until it quits, then repair it. The odds of a repairman damaging it are higher than just letting it go.

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Common sense isn't so common.

To both Retired LTC and johngalt, these vintage watches are not an issue for someone like Bob Ridley, he has tons of old parts and get your older watches up and running. I don't even think the guy advertises, all of his work come from word-of-mouth and he is always backlogged.

A friend of mine has a '50's vintage manual wind Rolex that was giving him problems, he took it to Rolex Dallas. He got it back, it ran for a few months and stopped, took it back with the same result, the third time he took it back they told him they no longer worked on vintage watches. He threw it in a drawer and forgot about it. A few years later I learned about Bob, who is local to us, and told my friend after I had Bob service a watch for me. My friend to his watch to him and it hasn't given him any trouble since.

A good watchmaker that enjoys his work is like a master gunsmith it's great when you find a good one and they can often work wonders. This may sound like paid advertising, but I just can't tell you how pleased I have been with his work and how much better he is than a Rolex authorized service center; after discovering Bob, I'd never take a watch back to Rolex unless it was for warranty work and since I don't buy new watches, that's a moot point.

I'll try to post a pic or two if I can get my hands on my wife's camera. The face has the word "automatic" on it right under the Omega logo. Not sure what that means, since I had to wind it up.

Assuming everything is in good order, you should only need to wind it once, when you put the watch the movement of your arm will keep the watch wound. If you don't wear it for several days it will eventually stop and would need to be would again before wearing it. Not sure about Omega's, but Rolex's usually have a ~45 hour power reserve, I would think Omega would be similar.

Over fifteen years old, no service, accurate twice a day...

I have collected watches for 25 years. I agree it should be serviced the lube gets thick and dry causing all kinds of trouble that would not happen under normal wear. Omega is one of the best. some feel that they are better than Rolex except for resale value. these days there has been so much incorporation between watch companies that it is sometime hard to tell who really makes the brand. Omega belongs to a conglomerate that also owns Concord, Hamilton< and a few other brands but the original Speedmaster winder is still one of their best known and most loved and you actually have to wind it every day. It was the first watch authorized for space. Back then quartz gave of a signal that possible be picked up in space environment on electronic instruments and auto winds would not wind due to lack of gravity, so the winding speedmaster was it. Even the Russians bought them for cosmonauts....Get it lubed! They were one of the best and in my opinion still are.

For absolutely great and expert service contact RGM, Lancaster Pa. They have a web site and they are making the first mechanical American made high dollar watches in over 20 years. they do excellent work on vintage watches. Roland Murphy is the brains and principal owner of the company and they are really first rate and like I said make their own brand of high end collectible watches.

I have a Rolex which I bought in 1971, it has been worn daily except when in for service. I have had it serviced regularly, at intervals of 4-5 years. Generally when it needs service it will start to slow or not self wind enough when worn 5-6 hours a day.
I would check with Rolex before I believed that one of their watches was no longer serviceable. A friend of mine has Rolex that he bought at the PX in the 1950s and he gets his watch serviced.
If you call Rolex they will give you a list of approved service centers. I had mine serviced for many years by a place in Chicago, but there is an approved center near here that turns them around a bit faster, so I use them.

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Ipsis Rebus Dictantitbus

If I didn't have a 2000 16610 Submariner, I'd have an Omega. Here are the addresses of the two Rolex service centers in the USA.

Rolex Watch U. S. A. Inc.
Rolex Building
665 Fifthe Avenue
New York, NY 10022

and

Rolex Watch Service Corp.
Rolex Building
2651 North Harwood
Dallas, Tx 75201

Mine will be taking a trip to New York this summer for its tenth anniversary. It was my 25th anniversary gift from my wife. I have wanted a Rolex since I saw them advertised in National Geographic in 1962 - 63.

I wish I had Pop's Bulova Accutron, but brother-in-law has it. I do have his Bulova pocket watch that Mom gave him as a wedding gift.

Russ

I have an Omega Constellation from the mid 1950s with the 505 movement that I've used for daily wear for most of the last decade after having it serviced. It's accurate for a mechanical watch and has been trouble-free.

I've got an Omega Speedmaster Broad Arrow (self-winding), and have had great luck with; it's a very good watch. I had considered getting a Rolex, but liked that the Omega was top quality, but a little more 'under the radar' than the Rolex; for some reason, that was important to me...

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NRA Life Member

The last time I had my Submariner serviced, new face, crystal, etc., it cost me $760.00.....
It sits in one of my gun safes now, I'll give it to my son when I croak.

Rule 303...

Wore a Submariner for 30 years, never off the wrist except for 2 services....never a problem. Realized how much the thing was worth these days and replaced it with an Omega Seamaster Pro. Both are great watches that will serve you well. Now I really like the Omega better, sits flatter on my wrist. Try 'em you'll certainly like one of them...

Without seeing it or knowing the model and condition there is NO WAY to know its value.

RGM is ridiculously expensive.

Another vote for Ron Stoll. He completely rebuilt my dad's 50's vintage Omega. Completely disassembled the movement, replaced the crown, crystal, buckle and strap with "new old stock" parts. Returned the watch looking like new and running like a champ. $200-250 if I recall correctly. It has been 5+ years.

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Dave

I had my Seiko cleaned and repaired by this man Ken Setser - Golden Isle Watch Restoration he did excellent work and according to his web site he works on the Omega brand.

I'm going to try to post pics, here goes, may give some of you a better idea of what this watch looks like. The band is a new alligator Speidel that I bought from a local jewelry pusher. I felt it was a more "retro" look than the stretchband that Grandpa put on it over thirty three years ago, before he died. This thing runs great and has sat in a fireproof lockbox since June of 1977.

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MARK

Do you know which movwement yet?

Not yet; all I know is it's automatic. Nobody seems to want to open the case on it, and I'm not going to try it; don't want to damage it by mistake.

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MARK