i recently got my great grandfather's gold omega seamaster bumper automatic (late 40s or early 50s) that was a 25 year service watch from his tenure at shell. i need to replace the band but more importantly, the crystal is cracked and needs replacing. is there anywhere in austin that anyone can recommend for this type of service on either omega watches or vintage watches in general? gracias.
I would inquire at some of the fine jewelry retailers in town. Copeland's, Russell Korman, and Bailey Banks & Biddle come to mind.
I have an Omega I bought about 17 years ago. I don't think there's anybody actually in town who has an Omega repair certification. I've always had to take it to Russel Korman's - they send it up to Omega for service & return.
It's not antique but my husband cracked the face of a brand new watch I bought him for our wedding. He sent it to Krueger(?) downtown and they did a great job.
despite the age of the watch, a crystal is a VERY easy general repair. Almost any jewelry store can take care of it. I think Korman and Austin Watch and Jewelry do those repairs in-house so it would be faster to take it to one of those places. As for the band, Austin W&J can probably get you a replacement in the proper vintage. Talk to Joel over there and tell him you are a friend of mine.
I have a 1959 Omega Seamaster that was given to me by my grandfather. Do yourself a favor and send it to Omega for repair. They will register the watch and keep papers on it. If you want the watch to keep its value, you must send it to Omega in NYC. An authorized dealer can send it for you. I send mine every two years for tuneup and their customer service is awesome. Omega loves their watches. This is not a Seiko or Timex watch. Would you take a Ferrari to a Ford dealership?
that's what i'm looking for here as well - not an everyday wearer. can you either post or pm me the contact info you use? i may go that route for the tune-up & crystal and go to crayon's recs for the band.
I take mine to the Tourneau store, authorized dealer in my area, and they send it to Omega. If you are in Austin, Russell Korman and Ben Bridge are authorized dealers and they can send your watch for you. I looked on the Omega website and their repair shop in the Texas is in Dallas. Here's the info.: Time Tech 13140 Coit Road, Suite 519 Dallas TX 75240 T. 972 644 1774 F. 972 644 1775 Omega Watches website Also, Russell Korman or Ben Bridge can appraise the watch whenever you have all the repairs made. I bought a couple of brown/brack croc looking watch bands on ebay that were inexpensive but very high quality.
looks like i'll probably go with a local shop here. the certified omega center in dallas informed me that the "bumper automatic" (if that truly is what this watch is) is no longer serviceable - omega does not make parts or do tuneups. the listed price for service is $750 and the watch itself, according to my research is worth about $900-$1000.
