Reply With QuoteI wish I wish I wish... i had one of those! Well done... you must be pleased with the outcome.
This isn't your typical "I bought an old watch and had it restored" thread - this is about the watch that came to me through three generations of my family and which started me down the slippery slope we all are on.
It was bought new by my father in the early 1970s (I am not sure precisely when), he wore it for a year before giving it to my mother's grandfather, who wore it for the final few years of his career as a coal mine's blacksmith.
It then went to his son, my mother's father, who wore it for about the next twenty years in his job as a painter at a shipyard, until he retired in the early 90s. It then came to me, aged 12, in 1993 and I wore it myself (in rotation with an original Tag F1) through six years of high school, camping, travel, fishing, sports, learning to fix my car… you name it.
During all this time the only maintenance it had received was a battery change every couple of years and the occasional cleaning with soapy water and a nail brush.
By 1999 it was in a very sorry state and when it stopped working I put it in my desk drawer and forgot about it. In 2007 I "found" it again and curiosity about the model is what brought me to the world of internet watch forums; some of the first posts I made here were concerning it, and looking for information on having it restored.
It went back into my desk until May 2011 when I fished it out and sent it to Omega in Bienne whose estimate to bring it back to life was almost more than the cost of buying a brand-new Seamaster. I declined. It went back in my desk again until the end of last year when I decided to send it to STS. For various reasons, it languished with them for another few months before I authorised the work. Today, at long last, I received it back.
For this restoration I paid several times what the watch itself is actually worth. I felt that it's a little piece of my own / my family history, so it was worth it to me. No, it's not very original any more, but this was done with a view to making it last another few decades, not selling it. I shan't be parted from this one, and it's now firmly back on my arm where it belongs. It's good to be reunited.
I'll let the photos do the talking. STS, as usual, did a sterling job. Gentlemen, I give you my old Seamaster:
BEFORE:
http://ams.dslr.it/~colin/tz/omega_s...300_before.jpg
AFTER:
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/963wve4ui38ejs0/I89coWCTBS
I wish I wish I wish... i had one of those! Well done... you must be pleased with the outcome.
Perhaps the only thing I'd take issue with is the 'f300 Hz' font.
Lovely, Colin.
I had a Speedsonic that went to STS and I was similarly impressed with the results. Great that you've kept a family heirloom serviceable :)
Thanks, chaps. I'm delighted to have revived a family heirloom. And I'm trying hard to overlook my dislike of that font. The finish everywhere else is so far beyond what I expected, it really is fantastic.
Fantastic story and result Colin, well worth it IMHO
Cheers
Simon
Ralph Waldo Emerson: We ask for long life, but 'tis deep life, or noble moments that signify. Let the measure of time be spiritual, not mechanical.
Wow, that looks great! I'm not usually a fan of those case styles, but that's a great looking piece.
A great story and it looks great on the wrist.
Why you say it's not original, what did you have done?
Not that it matters as repairing a family watch is part and parcel of owning a watch for so long.
The case was skimmed and re-finished, the glass was replaced, the dial was replaced (the original one was just too far gone). The movement was serviced and various parts replaced, the bracelet was also refinished and had all the dings ironed out.Originally Posted by jegger
It's not original any more, that's for sure. But it was in very, very poor shape. I'm mainly glad that it was at least repairable, and who knows, maybe one day I'll give it to my son (if I ever have one).
- - - Updated - - -
Looks like they kept the original hands though.
They sure did a great job.
Wear it in good health.
Nice one Colin - the history is always the most important part of any watch for me, and I love stories like yours :)
I had a F300 cone once with that same "Shrek" face, but sold it on. I'm wishing I'd had it restored now
Guys. I don't like the font they used on the f300 Hz at all. I'm struggling with this. Am I being too picky?
Just enjoy it for its very personal family connections, overlook your dislike of the font style. Not too many of us can document a watches history as you can with this piece.
That is lovely & great story behind it.
Can see what you mean on the font, but I don't think it's a big issue; I'm happy to wear it for you if you struggle too much!
I'm sure the more you wear it, the less you will notice it.
I imagine that the old dial came back too. There is always the option to put it back. I am sure sts would do that for you as a courtesy if you asked nicely
Nice watch with a nice history, reminds me of the Roamer Chronograph that my mum gave me that belonged to my father.
After a service and a crystal polish, it looked almost like new.
Great story, I think the font gives it character.
Yet more sorcery from STS !
Dials with the original font are TMK still available.
K
Well, I've worn it regularly for the past five weeks and it was keeping increasingly bad time, until this morning when it stopped altogether and won't come back to life. Off to the post office to send it back to STS now, I hope it's not beyond repair :(
Such a shame, because its a lovely looking piece.
Not a great indictment of STS service... that and the ropey dial.
Hope it all gets resolved. Personally I loved the previous aged dial - if you got that back from STS (which you should have) I would see if you can send it off independently to a dial finisher and see what they can do. If they could stabilise it but keep the patina that would be *awesome* :)
The dial was beyond repair; the surface was coming off and you could see the metal of the dial through it. They sent it to a dial refinisher who stripped it and redid it, the original one is lost forever :(
I sent it back to STS in July with a note concerning the dial lettering as well as the fact that it had broken down already (when I wrote the above post) and today heard back from them.
The movement has been fixed, though despite repeatedly asking what's wrong I have yet to find out what happened, or how they fixed it. Regarding the dial, I was told, and I quote:
I'm not really happy at all with these options, but I think leaving the misprinted black dial on rather than taking a silver one (I don't even like silver) is the lesser of two evils.We have been unable to find a way round the font on the restored dial, as the one that has been used is the only available option. In order to provide an alternative we have sourced an original silver dial from our own stock. We are able to offer this dial free of charge. I would be grateful if you could indicate your preference from the following options:
1. Leave restored black dial
2. Fit original silver dial
:(
Colin
Yes! You need to take a reality check on this one. The dial refinishers do their best to get close to the original font, but sometimes it isn`t possible. You were absolutely right to have the watch fully restored; it's still the same watch but it now looks as it was supposed to do when new.
Unless a genuine new dial can be sourced there will always be minor differences between a refinished one and the original. I think it 's something we have to live with. Strongly advise you to stick with the refinished dial; swapping to silver is a no-no in my opinion.
The watch looks fabulous; using STS was absolutely the right thing to do on this one. I`ve done a few nice Omega restorations myself but I couldn`t get the case finish correct on this style, or source the movement parts, so I would recommend STS and decline a job like this myself. Parts supply for these watches is a problem and STS have clearly corrected the fault, which was probably due to a failed component. People have to accept that parts for these movements are dwindling and the only way to keep them running is (in most cases) to use second hand parts. I don`t think STS should be criticised over the watch going faulty, they can only work within the constraints of the possible and they've honoured their warranty. This is one of the problems of owning an electronic watch that was manufactured in the 70s.
Great watch, great story. Don`t beat yourself up over loss of 'originality'.
Paul
Last edited by walkerwek1958; 6th September 2013 at 17:19.
Latest and final (hopefully) update.
I sent it back after it had stopped, this was some time in early July. On 6 September STS wrote to me (as above) and then followed up by phone. Simon, the service manager, agreed that the F300Hz font was far too large, and of the wrong type, and said he had a second dial restorer that he could send it to to be reprinted at no extra charge. I agreed.
I got it back early last week and it's been running fine every day since then, and while the font isn't a 100% accurate reproduction of the original I am MUCH happier. They also did a far better job with the lume pips on the batons. Here it is, earlier today. What do you think, chaps?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/c035p5p7ml...2014.20.37.jpg
(Sorry for the fingerprints on the glass)
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