In for service recently was this classic Omega, having not received any attention for over 15 years the watch was performing less than ideal. The movement was pretty good but there were some gremlins that needed attention first, lets take a look on the inside first. > On closer inspection i find the helium valve is damaged and so water has found its way inside the watch, fortunately the movement ring has stopped it fully penetrating the inner workings. Lets look at the rust damage. > The stem had suffered with rust as well but as it had not broken i could treat it and remove the rust, ideally both crown and stem should be replaced but at cost of £100+ it was decided to keep the original until such time it gave way. The helium valve was also damaged but after a good clean out and use of some silicon grease it would be time to test the watches water resistance, starting at only 30M. > The casing was given a thorough clean and then assembled without the movement, everything snugged down tight it was time to test it starting at a low 30 Meters ( watch should resist 300M ).> The watch was kept under 30M pressure for 15 minutes before releasing the air and from the photo above we can clearly see it has failed. Air escaping from under the bezel is just normal trapped air but the valve despite cleaning and grease could not stand even 30M of pressure. As the cost of replacement parts is high again the valve was not replaced, best i could do was to pack it with special water repellent grease. With the tests complete the movement could be stripped down for cleaning and service, whilst rust was not overly present you can see from photos the movement has some considerable debris inside. > With the movement cleaned and assembled the immediate results looked great, after a few days testing it could be adjusted and sent on home. > With the watch thoroughly cleaned, movement fully serviced and running great, this Omega was ready to return home and go back to working life. Not all water damaged watches can be saved but on this occasion it was sent in just in time, whilst not perfect the watch is very functional and will keep great time for many years. A well maintained watch will last many lifetimes so remember to keep them serviced every 3-5 years :) Next feature will be the Seiko 5717-8990 so if you've been waiting for that one check back soon !
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