We receive a huge spectrum of watches through our stores in Lewes and Uckfield, as well as through our postal repairs service. The postal service is fully insured and completely free – Using this we accept repairs from all around the UK. One such repair involved fully restoring this vintage Omega Seamaster Cosmic.
This model (a 166.026) was introduced by Omega in 1967. It’s a monocoque design – so the stainless steel case is all one piece. This design was used to make water and dust ingress more difficult. To access the movement we need to remove the tension ring armoured dome using a special tool, and ordinarily we need to remove the crown, though in this instance it’s completely missing. As you can see from the image, this watch arrived with us in very poor condition. The crown, case pipe (the part the crown fits onto) and outer part of the stem were all missing. This leaves a hole in the side of the case and that meant water and other debris were able to get into the movement. There was also damage to the dial – so this needed restoration work.
The movement used in this model is the fantastic Omega calibre 565. This is an automatic movement with a quick set date function. Omega calibres of this era are generally well thought of and this one is no exception. Inspection of the movement found the damage caused by the missing crown to luckily be limited to the area around the stem. The rest of the movement was still in need of a thorough service plus a fresh mainspring.
To restore this watch we fully disassembled the movement, checked and cleaned parts by hand first, before then using our specialist watch movement cleaning machine. Once everything is thoroughly clean we can begin the rebuild. We fit a new mainspring as well as replacing the damaged inner stem. We were able to clean up the many of the other components, so these were re-used. The dial is taken care of by our specialist dial restorer – it is completely stripped back, cleaned and restored.
Once everything is back together we need to adjust the timekeeping. Setting up these watches is a bit more work than with a standard two or three part case. In this instance we need to adjust the movement, then fit it into the case. Any further adjustment requires the movement to be completely removed from the case again.
Prior to refitting the movement we fit a new case tube to the case and ensure our supplied outer stem and branded Omega crown fit correctly. Now we just need to case everything up for the last time. At this point we fit a replacement tension ring armoured glass using our glass press tool. Now, fully back together and working properly, this watch will provide many more years of reliable service for our client.
Do you have an Omega Seamaster in need of repair? From vintage to modern pieces, we are able to help. Thanks to our fully insured, freepost watch repairs service we are able to accept watches from all around the UK. We also accept repairs through our two stores in Lewes and Uckfield, Sussex. Our business is long established and we are Business Partners of the British Horological Institute, as well as holders of a coveted Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Award. You can be confident when dealing with us.
Yours sincerely
David Clark DGA PJDip PJGemDip CertGA
Managing Director
W.E. Clark & Son Limited