Omega Seamaster Pro 300m - Ref 168.1640

​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. >

A bit dirty and not as clean as it should be

Closer look and we see loose debris and signs of rust

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. >
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Rust never sleeps and if left untreated it would eat into the case material

No small amount of rust here , a miracle it never entered the movement

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. >
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Rust visible on the stem but also the seconds hand has corroded, oddly the hour & minute hand have not ?

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 ).> 
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All clean and ready to test !

Bubbles escaping :( Helium valve is too far gone. Bubbles from under the bezel are normal.

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. >
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​With the movement cleaned and assembled the immediate results looked great, after a few days testing it could be adjusted and sent on home. >

Very respectable timing compared to how it was received ( barely running )

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  :)
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All clean and fully functional !

Next feature will be the Seiko 5717-8990 so if you've been waiting for that one check back soon !