Hi there, I've been lucky enough to have been given a mid-size Omega Seamaster (2552.80) by my father-in-law. It was his old watch (superseded by a Speedmaster), and it's seen quite a lot of action in its lifetime. The watch head is actually in pretty good nick, apart from the bezel insert, but I quite like the distressed look and it's nice to have a quality beater that I wouldn't mind adding a few more dings to. I'm pretty sure it hasn't seen a service for a considerable length of time, so I'm going to drop it into my local AD to send to Omega, or try STS for the first time (of which I've heard plenty of good things). My question relates to the bracelet (1502/824). Once I'd scrubbed off decades of crud, I found a very polished bracelet with some broken pins and a few missing collars. It's not usable, so I'm wearing the watch on a NATO (and loving it) but I'm wondering what Omega / STS would do with a bracelet that's seen better days. I'm sure it could be refinished from an aesthetic point of view, buy suspect that the technician might consider it beyond economic repair due to stretch, etc. In people's' experience, how have Omega / STS dealt with tired bracelets? Do they give it a go, or are they inclined to pension-off and sell you a new one? Pending inspection, I predict it'll probably be the latter, which at around £500 I gather, isn't economical considering the value of the watch. Probably lucky I like the NATO strap...
You'll be able to get it repaired and I'm sure there was somebody on here a while back offering this service. I'd guess you'd be looking at £100/150 to have it ultrasonically cleaned and the pins / collars etc changed. You can always Google for such a service - there are plenty around :)
Fixable yes but even pins and collars aren't cheap to buy.
Take a look on Ebay for the bits, don't be tempted to buy a replica bracelet they are rubbish.
You may have better luck with Genesis Watchmaking as Duncan has been known to make parts for bracelets at a reasonable cost.
http://www.genesiswatchmaking.co.uk/
Last edited by TheFixer; 3rd November 2016 at 18:32.
Try here
http://watchpart.co.uk/omega-m-10.html
or here
http://www.ofrei.com/page_146.html
in my experience STS aren't all that keen on intensive bracelet work and as you guessed will offer a new a new replacement when the existing one is stretched badly or has damage on the fixed links. The problem is that the pin and collar sets are circa £20 a pop and there are 8 or 9 on the full bracelet plus the cost of the clasp at around £70 if that needs doing. You may find their price for a new bracelet isn't too awful though, it could be nearer £300 than £500 at a guess. In the picture though, yours doesn't look all that bad to me so it may be possible to save.Originally Posted by mlcamb330
Just seen this thread.
I`ve fixed up plenty of these, but this is probably the roughest I`ve ever seen.
I think you have to decide what you want with this one. If you're happy to accept the cosmetic condition and genuinely treat it as a beater there's little point paying to put a new bezel on it or having the case refinished. The bracelet is probably scrap; I`ve fixed several over the years and contrary to what you're being told the pins and tubes can be sourced cheaply if generic ones are used. Frankly, there's no point in fitting the genuine ones because the tubes will be a very loose fit in the links and the whole thing will still feel very sloppy. Oversize generic ones are cheap but cutting the tubes to fit is a real pain of a job and anyone who's prepared to do this would have to charge for the time involved.
You have to be careful that you don`t throw good money after bad with these bracelets. The problem is the fixed links; the pins wear and there's no practical way of splitting the links to replace the pins. You can end up with all the removable links/pins sorted, plus the end links, but you're still left with the fixed ones which could wear to a point where the pins fail. Don't forget the clasp, they can be quite badly worn too.
If this goes to STS it's likely they'll recommend a new bracelet; a commercial concern won`t spend hours messing around fitting oversize pins etc so (quite rightly in my opinion). Cost will probably be around £400. Even if you do this you've got a new bracelet on a scruffy watch and that simply doesn`t look right or make much sense. I`d put the watch on a leather strap (Cousins do a nice one for £18 that suits these) or a NATO if you like 'em (I don`t). A generic aftermarket bracelet is another option or, dare I say it, a fake SMP off ebay provided it isn`t too dear.
There's always the option of restoring the watch provided the case isn`t badly dinged. A Bracelet will be £400, a bezel is around £220, refinishing the case costs whatever someone charges ( I charged around £40 £60 when I was more enthusiastic to do them), then you've got the crown and possibly pendant tube to think about. Provided the threads are OK the pendant tube will be fine, and the crown can have a new O ring fitted. Likewise the He valve, I used to fit new O rings for a couple of quid. The movement's the least of your problems, a new mainspring/barrel and possibly a new reverser and rotor bearing should do the trick.....that's the beauty of the ETA 2892 (aka Omega 1120).
I`m taking very few jobs on thesedays because I`m concentrating on my own stuff. However, I`d consider this one because I`ve done plenty in the past; PM me if you're interested or if you want more advice. Have a look in H & V and you'll see I`ve got plenty of form!
Paul
Very quick note here to recommend Paul's work very highly, he did a superb job on an Autavia for me, restoring the sunburst finish which had all-but-disappeared!
Before
After
The first question I would ask - is the bracelet long enough for you, or at least do you have all the links you will need? If the answer's yes, then I would sent it off to STS along with the watch when it goes for a service. In the first instance STS would be my preferred choice for a service, rather than Swatch via an AD. Secondly, if the bracelet is serviceable, STS will be the most economical route, as part of an overall service of the watch. In my experience minor missing or broken items are frequently replaced FOC, where, understandably, they would have to be purchased and charged by any other watchmaker. If STS tell you that it will cost too much to sort it out, rest assured it will make no economic sense for anyone else to attempt it. You have nothing to lose by sending it off and see what happens. Worst case scenario, you will get it back untouched. Then you can stick it on eBay with a full description of what's included and what's missing - you may be surprised at how much it will fetch and that could contribute towards the cost of a new / used bracelet.
Disagree, it's not always the case. I`ve outlined in my post how these bracelets can be sorted out and how it sometimes makes sense not to use the genuine Omega pins. I`ve done plenty of work on these so I know the ins and outs. However, there are situations where the cost of replacement parts to someone like me makes it uneconomical, and in some cases sending to STS is the better option. It's swings and roundabouts; I`m willing to put more time into a job because I can afford to do that but I am handicapped sometimes by lack of parts availability.........or having to pay a premium for stuff.
I definitely wouldn`t send this to Omega! Either STS or a cheaper option makes most sense.
I`ve also noticed from the pictures that the bracelet looks short. Are there any extra links? Are any of the links holding the bracelet together actually loose or damaged, the OP's description is somewhat ambiguous.
I`ve offered to help on this one but I certainly won`t be too bothered if it doesn`t come my way. As I said before, servicing the movement's straightforward and by the look the watch it could use some TLC!
Paul
Thank you all for your advice, much appreciated. As mentioned, it was a generous gift, so whatever the outcome, I'm happy at the end of the day. I do have to give my father-in-law some kudos - in the mid-90's this can't have been a cheap watch, and he obviously didn't lock it away in the safe very often. He's a big chap with shovel hands, and at 36.5mm, it would have looked pretty small on him. It's what he was used to I suppose. Myself by contract have small wrists, so it's a comfortable wearer.
It's an interesting question about the amount of cash to throw at it, and you've helped me get a route plan in place. Totally agree with Paul (thank you for your insight) about how far to go with it. I'd like to get the movement serviced and seals replaced to ensure its longevity, and I'm leaning towards getting the case sympathetically refinished, but leaving bezel as-is. A bit bashed-about certainly, but coupled with the aged lume, I do find it quite endearing. From your comments, I'm convinced the bracelet is toast, so will continue on the NATO. I already have a full-size 2255.80 Electric Blue, so I've got the "Seamaster-on-bracelet" box ticked.
I'll let you know how I get on! Thanks again!
Hi again,
Just thought I'd give you an update as to what happened with my watch. If you recall, my mid-sized Seamaster had seen some action over the years in the hands of my late father in law, and was rather cosmetically challenged. I actually quite liked it that way (it had a bit of character and it wasn't the end of the world if I added to its patina), but the bracelet was very tired and I wasn't happy to risk wearing / losing it. The movement required a service too, as I've no record of this ever happening.
Anyway, Paul very kindly offered to take a look and found that the watch was actually fairly good under the nicks and scratches. The case wasn't badly dented, scratched bezel refurbished, the movement was the ever reliable 2892-A2 (in Omega 1109 form I think), and the bracelet was salvageable too. And Paul was happy to perform the work - Good news!
So after a few weeks with Paul, the watch is back in my possession and it's every bit as good as Paul told me it could be. It's virtually factory-fresh, with no obvious clues as to its previous life. The watch head is like new (apart from the faded lume plots, which are quite fashionable now I gather), the bracelet is back as it should be with brushed/polished links rather than the uniform dull/flat appearance before and I'm now confident it won't fall off my wrist anytime soon. And the movement has been regulated within COSC limits. Needless to say, I'm very very happy with the results, and Paul has been a pleasure to deal with. Thank you Paul, I promise to keep it scratch-free for as long as possible!
This rejuvenation has presented me with a couple of problems however. My old Omega beater is now beautiful, and I quite fancy another slightly tired but nice watch, and wearing my only mid-sized watch has convinced me that 36mm watches are spot-on for me size-wise. Anyone got a scruffy DateJust they don't want? ;-)
Before/After:
Can I ask what was done with the bezel insert?
Nice to see that watch back with it's owner.....where it belongs!
It spent too much time on my bench in a dismantled condition over the festive season, it became almost a permanent feature. I`d hoped to get it done before Christmas but that didn`t happen.
Servicing the movement was the easy bit (as usual), refinishing the case, bracelet, bezel and insert took the time. It wasn`t nearly as bad as I'd feared but I ended up replacing most of the removable pins and tubes. The clasp was OK, just needed the divers extension adjusting and a couple of new pins on the hinge.
Glad the owner's happy with it, the case was in decent condition, the bezel insert responded well to refinishing and re-enamelling, fortunately the bracelet was worth restoring.
Paul
Last edited by walkerwek1958; 10th January 2017 at 19:23.
Would be nice to see some pics during, or better pics after if possible?!
That looks lovely, super job.
Looks much better, good work Paul
It looks very good.
Think yourself lucky you didn't need a new bezel. I almost cried when I had mine replaced a couple of years back!
Nice job Paul
It's just a matter of time...
Great job! Looks a different watch.
Hats off to you, Paul, that is superb work.
Ref the bezel, yes, I was lucky that the bezel on the 2552 is polished, and Paul was able to buff out the scratches. He was also kind enough to repaint the numbers/graduations on it too. He offered to finish it with a brushed finish, which some models of SMP have and would have looked very nice, but I decided to keep it with the OEM finish. Apparently you can't just purchase the aluminium bezel inserts - Omega don't supply them; you have to buy the whole bezel assembly - about £225 I think. What a shame the inserts aren't available separately.
I do like the blue Bond bezel, but these are non-repairable according to Paul - I guess you'd have to have your own anodization facility to refurbish these!
Wow that looks fantastic. Great work as ever Paul
Couple more photos taken in daylight that show the detail a little better
That's absolutely top notch!
That certainly was the case when I replaced the bezel on my blue/Bond mid size. The bezel with insert was something like £240!
I've still got the old one (the bezel itself was marked and OCD made me pay the money for a new one), but if I was confident I could swap the insert for the worn/faded one, I'd do it.
Swapping the insert isn`t too difficult, getting the bezel off is the hard part. I have a custom-made tool for the job. Suggest you keep the old insert as a spare, it's usually the insert that gets damaged. The bezel itself can be refinished provided the damage isn`t deep or right on an edge; even if it can`t be completely removed it can usually be improved to a point where it's not obvious. The big danger is losing sharpness on the faceted edges, I have a way of doing them that avoids this but even I can`t work miracles....when the damage is significant you either put up with the refinsher's best efforts or buy a new one.
I use a press and the right size dies to get the insert out after removing the bezel; refitting can be done with thumb pressure.
Don`t waste money on after-market inserts, they're printed rather than anodised and the paint scratches off easily.
Paul
Methinks you may get a few PMs Paul!
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