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Thread: Grandad's watch is back from restoration ...

  1. #1
    Master
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    Grandad's watch is back from restoration ...

    You may remember this thread: http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...Vintage-Omegas or not ...

    Anyway; the watch has been off to Paul Walker (aka walkerwek1958) and now looks fantastic; as good as the day Grandad put it on his wrist 50 years ago.

    Thanks Paul for sorting this out for me :-)


  2. #2
    Master
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    That looks excellent, Paul's done a great job there

  3. #3
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    Congratulations!

  4. #4
    Grand Master Mr Curta's Avatar
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    That now looks as it would have done in the shop all those years ago! Really lovely and it must be a nice reminder of your grandfather when you look at it.

    And thanks for the follow-up - have you done anything more with the square faced watch?

  5. #5
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Montello View Post
    You may remember this thread: http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...Vintage-Omegas or not ...

    Anyway; the watch has been off to Paul Walker (aka walkerwek1958) and now looks fantastic; as good as the day Grandad put it on his wrist 50 years ago.

    Thanks Paul for sorting this out for me :-)

    Now THAT is awesome. Looking for something like that at the moment, but I'll wait until I see the right one. Hope you enjoy wearing it.

  6. #6
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mr Curta View Post
    And thanks for the follow-up - have you done anything more with the square faced watch?
    Thanks; the square one is untouched; I don't ever recall seeing my Grandad wearing it and I doubt I'd wear it so it is back in the drawer.

    I joined this forum to find out about this watch which I was wearing whilst my Zenith was at STS for service; since then I have bought an Explorer and had this done ... and bought the wife a vintage Omega that will be going to Paul.

    Mum was choked when I showed her this; speculation is that nan bought it for the 30th wedding anniversary based on the date of the watch from the serial number.

  7. #7
    Master
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    That looks superb! Paul has done an excellent job and something to cherish for years to come.

  8. #8
    Craftsman
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    That is an excellent job, looks brand new...........

  9. #9
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bluetorric View Post
    That is an excellent job, looks brand new...........
    Yep; a 1965 watch that looks like it has just come out the shop.

    The case has been replated, new crown and the strap is new. Dial, hands & "glass" are original.

  10. #10
    Terrific, i love seeing vintage watches revived.
    Well done

  11. #11
    Grand Master
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    The nice thing about this one was the condition of the dial, hands and case. Although it's plated, the case was in good condition apart from some flaking of the gold on top of one lug. It's 40 micron plating, and the thicker the gold the more risk of it 'flaking' like this one. This was likely to get worse so the bullet had to be bitten and the case was sent to Adam Phillips http://www.watchcaseworks.co.uk/.

    Condition of the dial and hands are vital when choosing a vintage watch, and this illustrates that point perfectly. Apart from very light patina/fine spotting that's only visible under a loupe, this dial's excellent and original. It's nice to keep the originality and it's also nice to avoid spending £80+ to get it refinished!

    The movement on this one was very clean, but suffering from typical Omega 550/560 problems. Fortunately the rotor bush and post were good but the spring barrel and reverser needed replacement. Both parts are costly they have to be right if the watch is going to perform as it should. It was nice to see that whoever worked on this one in the past had ben careful and done a good job......but I suspect that was a long time ago!

    A new crown and caseback seal were fitted and the watch is now waterproof again. That's important for everyday wear and I always do my best to get a watch sealing correctly. Fortunately this one was quite easy.....some aren`t.

    Paul
    Last edited by walkerwek1958; 2nd July 2015 at 00:14.

  12. #12
    Master
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    Thanks again Paul; very happy with this :-)

  13. #13
    Master
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    Lovely watch, great work from Paul as always

  14. #14
    Master NenoS's Avatar
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    Wonderful.
    I know that feeling. I have been delighted when mine SM (very similar, but manual wind) came from restauration.
    Congrats and enjoy.

  15. #15
    Master Wolfie's Avatar
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    Brilliant job by Paul...

    Enjoy the watch... It looks amazing!

  16. #16
    Master IVK's Avatar
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    What a great job, and it must be brilliant to have your grandad's watch ticking away on your wrist looking fabulous.

    Keep it safe for your grand kids!

  17. #17
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by IVK View Post
    Keep it safe for your grand kids!
    I don't have any kids but my nephew knew Grandad so this will go to him in due course ...

  18. #18
    Master
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    That looks superb, a great job!

  19. #19
    Suberb. If a thing deserves love then it deserves to be maintained. To be looked after.

    Good that a lovely watch like that hasn't been allowed to decay in the name of "originality".

    It looks really good, but then it would - given who did the work on it.

  20. #20
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    Brilliant, great job and thanks for sharing.

  21. #21
    Journeyman
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    Well worth doing and a very nice result. The memories will live on.

  22. #22
    Master WatchIng's Avatar
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    Looks great and very classy! Interesting to see the Seamaster name on what looks like a dress watch: does it have a relatively high (for the time) WR?

  23. #23
    Craftsman
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    What a tasteful restoration.

    Thanks for sharing.

  24. #24
    Grand Master Carlton-Browne's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by walkerwek1958 View Post
    This was likely to get worse so the bullet had to be bitten and the case was sent to Adam Phillips http://www.watchcaseworks.co.uk/.
    Thanks for posting the details on this - I have a case with Adam at the moment for a repair and it looks more and more like he's the right choice.

    Congratulations to the Op for seeing their project through to completion - it's a lovely watch.

  25. #25
    Master
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    just one word; lovely.

  26. #26
    Craftsman workahol's Avatar
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    Just lovely. Well done, and kudos to the OP for preserving this wonderful family heirloom.

  27. #27
    Craftsman
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    Fantastic work and I can vouch for Paul's handy work. Serviced my Omega 2254 and refinished the case and bracelet superbly.

    Glad to see he's spreading his talents around the forum.

  28. #28
    Master
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    Beautiful watch, and what a fantastic condition it's in after Paul's service. I hope you wear it for years with great pride and satisfaction. ATB

  29. #29
    Grand Master Neil.C's Avatar
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    Looks beautiful - a very nice job.

    Paul is correct of course re the dial and hands.

    Cases can be refurbed but originality is all when it comes to dial and hands.

    A nice advert for your quality of work Paul.
    Cheers,
    Neil.

    My Speedmaster website:

    http://www.freewebs.com/neil271052

  30. #30
    Craftsman
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    That's simply stunning - you're very lucky to have such a beautiful heirloom!

  31. #31
    Master
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    Fantastic restoration!

    Looks brand new.

  32. #32
    Craftsman JayGee's Avatar
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    Lovely, really lovely

  33. #33
    Master
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    Thanks for all the positive comments.

    Going through the old photos we have to see if we can find one with the watch in.

  34. #34
    Master Skier's Avatar
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    Beautiful result. Paul's work has been praised on here many times and I can see why.

  35. #35
    Master
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    Another enjoyable side effect of this project has been going through old photos with mum to find some shots of the watch; this has been a nice shared experience all round.

    Bit self indulgent but here are the best we could find; no-one took photos of there watches in those days.



  36. #36
    Master
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    Wow that's a great restoration.

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