zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

Forgot to mention that i have been a jewelry repair person for all of 32 years........and have adjusted thousands of watchbands in that time. So thsi opinion is well proven.

Sometimes a customer would "insist" on a fit different that what i recommended, and often they would be back within a day or two to do it my way......

.........i even went so far as to let them know in advance that i charged by the job, as that is how i got paid. (no hourly) Then if i had to do the sizing again later i would have to charge a 2nd time.......hoping they would allow my expertise to prevail. Somedays it worked, but sometimes they were unwavering in their insistance.....

........but, when they invaribly came back for the re-do i never did re-charge them. I always felt it was better to build customer relations than to say i told you so and charge again.

After all......it took a lot of guts to just come back and face me! LOL

BTW.......i charged the same price for a cheap watch as for a nice one like Omega......$5.00 of which the store recieved half and i the remainder. The cheap watches i made money......the Omega watches not much based on the time alloted. (i always took extra time to avoid scratches and such) But i was averaging and we did a LOT of band adjusts, where it was not uncommon to do 10 or more per day. The vast majority were cheapos, also.

Same way with changing batteries......$7.00 each whether it was a $30 watch or an Omega, Tag-Heuer, or Movado. (i made $2.50 of that)

I know most authorized dealers charge around $15-$20 for the same battery work. Hopefully their employees are well trained and experienced, but not always from some of the messes i've seen.

What i always hated to see was a previous battery change where the case back was not even cleaned prior to opening.......and all the "smutch" fell inside the watch! Never could figure that one out.....

I cleaned everything up prior to opening. Usually i opened a link to get a clear shot at the back, or removed the band entirely if needed to get the waterproof cases in a press. Pre-cleaned the back, used a hand held air ball blower to get lose particles off during the entire proceedure and before closing the back up again. Removed the gasket and cleaned it and the case back.

However, if the gasket was stretched or looking poorly i would direct them to a service center for replacement......

.......for $5.00 they really got a lot, but parts other than an Eveready battery were not included!

Cheers.......

: Sounds like you have a pretty good fit the way
: it is. The watch should not fit so tight
: that there is no movement. It imparts a
: constant strain on the watch pins if worn
: that way, and subjects the pins to breaking
: at the most inopportune moments!

: For instance, when you have a tight fit and
: then flex your wrist........the watch gets
: even tighter. Picture your arm resting on
: the door with the window open while driving
: and you bend your wrist and the pins break
: and your prize goes out the door at 60 MPH!
: Not a pretty sight.....

: Also, you'll find in hot weather the extra
: airspace that a looser fit allows will be
: fully appreciated. Nothing worse than tight
: large watch on a hot humid day! The space
: make it bearable and wearable.

: I used to own the same model as you just got,
: and wore it like you have been and was quite
: happy with it as such. I did sell it to a
: coworker a few years ago as i finally got a
: 1966 vintage very heavy 18K gold
: Constaellation with a separate unusual Omega
: interwoven 18K gold band (not a mesh!
: ugh!!).

: This is my everyday wear watch, and at 140
: grams right up there in weight with yours.
: But oh the feel of real gold! LOL

: Wear your watch as is.......