Reply With Quotebeautiful watch and looks like a great job from Brendan again.
My wife purchased for me a lovely 1960's Constellation for my upcoming 50th birthday, unfortunately the seller was unsure as to when the watch was last serviced, and as it's a 'keeper' we decided to send it of to Brendan (webwatchmaker) for a service.
Initial contact was via text and he replied almost straight away saying he would be only too happy to look at my watch and it should take 10-14 days to turnaround.
I posted it to him on Wed 13th April and was Whatsapp'd the following day to confirm receipt.
He started work on it on the Sunday saying it had probably been 10 years since it had been last serviced and it needed a new crown and glass, the parts were ordered and arrived on the Tuesday by which time the movement had been cleaned and reassembled.
I was sent regular updates and pictures to let me know the progress which was a nice touch.
The watch was posted back to me securely on the Thursday and arrived the next day 9 days after originally posting.
Happy days, the end.
Not quite.....
After having the watch back a few days I noticed it was running somewhat faster than I had hoped (+25)
A quick text to Brendan and the watch was winging it's way back to him for checking, the very next day he confirmed it was indeed running fast and apologised saying he would regulate it and keep an eye on it for a few days (he has put this down to the fresh oil taking time to bed in and possibly sending it back a tad soon)
Fast forward to yesterday and my watch arrived back to me keeping great time, I measured it today (WatchTracker app) and it seemes to be -2
I must say Brendan has been 100% in his servicing, communication and 'after care' I cannot recommend him highly enough to any forum members who need work doing.
beautiful watch and looks like a great job from Brendan again.
That looks very nice! It's always nice to get updates with images regarding the movement and parts, I for one am far too afraid to break something inside to open a caseback in a vintage beauty like that :)
Nice, I like owning and working on these.
Regulation of older watches after service can sometimes be a problem. The phenomena of 'settling down', which I struggle to find an explanation for, is more of an issue with old watches which have a degree of wear on parts. That's my experience, and I`ve known a watch take 7 days of running to give stable results. Trying to regulate them can be like trying to hit a moving target, you think it's right then it alters slightly. Sometimes the amplitude improves after a few days of running and hat can have an effect, but sometimes it's just the rate that changes by a few seconds. I`m currently struggling with an ETA 2824 which has done exactly the same as the Constellation; in this case the amplitude has improved with running it a few days and the rate has altered significantly. I`ll keep monitoring it for a few more days before it goes back.
Much as I`ve tried to get my head around the 'settling' thing, I can`t find a rational explanation. The quantities of oil involved are tiny and I`d expect oil films to stabilise within a few minutes of running..........I`ve given up trying to understand it!
Paul
You can't beat a vintage Constellation! Fantastic job. Looks like the day it left Bienne!
Great read and a beautiful watch
Beautiful watch. I think my first dive into vintage watches would be something very similar too this. What was the cost of the service if you don't mind me asking?
The cost of servicing varies depending on parts needed, a quote cannot usually be given until the watch is dismantled.Originally Posted by Jaacck
Maybe pm Brendan and he will be able to give you more information.
That's a stunning watch, congrats.
What a beautiful looking Constellation.
A great way to mark your special birthday.
I have often thought about getting one, perhaps this will be the push that I need. :)
It was actually my wife's idea.....easier to get her to buy it than explain another watch purchase, I am a lucky guy.
These vintage Constellations are one of Omega's great watches imo. The current iteration does nothing for me.
lovely watch and as expected a top service from Brendan, things can and always will go wrong, its how we deal with it that separates the pros from the amateurs.
Exactly right, at the end of the day it was easily remedied.
First of all POGraham for your post.
Now Paul,
In nearly 50 years of watch repairing no one has been able to give me a satisfactory explanation as to why oil can take some time to bed in.
In my humble opinion it is down to the thoroughness of the cleaning cycle.
I use an ancient Fuji automatic ultrasonic cleaning machine which cleans watches absolutely perfectly.
No matter how heavy the dried in oil is, it is removed.
No need for pegwood or cotton buds !
It is a lot better than most of the new Swiss cleaning machines I have used and is not like them, temperamental, and impossible to access once running.
I believe that my Fuji cleans so thoroughly that it gets right into the molecules of the movements.
Therefore it takes a few days for the oils and greases to get right back to where they belong.
I do think I sent the Constellation back before the oil had reached its place.
I am normally aware of this but wanted to return this well in time for the owners Birthday.
Looks fantastic, my grandfathers 1960 seamaster is just about to go in for service too.
That's a beautiful Omega.
You must be very happy with the work that Brendan has done.
Over the moon, and over the last few days it's been running at -0.7 a day, remarkable results for a 50 year old watch.
What you meant is: 'A remarkable result for a 50 year old watchmaker'!
(And the rest.....!).
I can guarantee you that the cost was far cheaper than a service from Omega itself would have been and the service was many orders of magnitude better. How can an individual watchmaker compete with and comprehensively beat the likes of Omega?
you just cant beat a vintage gold omega,i would be proud to own that one..enjoy OP..
It's impossible to give a reliable quote to service an old Omega automatic owing to the price of parts. If the reverser, spring barrel and rotor bush need replacing it can get expensive. As I`m sure everyone's aware, parts availability is now a problem too. Cousins are still supplying most stuff (at eye-watering prices in some cases) but they'll run out of certain parts eventually. Not sure whether there's a legal challenge to Swatch Group's policy, it's all gone a bit quiet thesedays.
Paul
I have spoken with a Government Lawyer, who shall remain nameless.
He says that the Swiss have certain trade agreements with the UK.
Because CH is not in the EU, EU enforcement rules cannot apply.
If this happened to be the Motor trade, the Government would likely get off their asses and reach some kind of compromise, but since the watch repair trade in th UK is relatively small, any action would not be justifiable.(My opinion).
I need to find out if these rules are Swiss government collaborated or if it is just Companies like Swatch and Richemont who are initiating what amount to restraint of trade practices for their own ends.
Although these rules do not yet affect me personally I am working on it, for the sake of new youngsters wanting to enter this vocation.
Brendan.
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