zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

: I actually came here this morning to ask some
: "cost of ownership" questions. I
: believe the Seamaster 2541.80 (quartz) sells
: for about 85% the price of the 2531.80
: (automatic). Service interval on the quartz
: is probably dictated more by battery life;
: service interval on the automatic is 4-5
: years (per my call to SGUS yesterday).

: Can't seem to get even a ball park for basic
: service on either watch when needed. But, of
: course, the "savings" on
: acquisition cost for a quartz might
: disappear over the course of 15 years,
: depending on frequency of
: "service" and price per service.

: I'm happy to service my Pontiac for $50 every
: 3,000 to protect and extend an investment of
: many, many times that amount. On the other
: hand, if the price per service call every 4
: years on a 15-year watch (per Omega) is the
: price of a new watch, why other than
: sentimental reasons would we do anything
: other than local shop maintenance on watches
: we are buying to wear, as opposed to
: collect?

: By way of full disclosure, I think I've said
: before that I'm more interested in the
: Seamaster as "James Bond's watch"
: than I am in it as an Omega, or as a watch
: preferred to Rolex. So maybe that is what I
: am not "getting" here.

: But, could anyone ballpark maintenance ranges
: and options for the 2541.80 and 2531.80 for
: me in U.S. dollars?

The automatic version will cost about $150-$200 at each service interval, which will include replacement of all lubricants and gaskets, pressure checking it, disassembling the bracelet and polishing it along with the rest of the watch, replacing any worn parts, and checking to make sure the watch is still within COSC specs. Keep in mind that some parts may not be covered under the basic service, so these will be invoiced separately and will add to the cost.

The quartz version only requires battery changes, but Omega recommends a regular service at every other battery change. This will include all of the above except the replacement of lubricants and the COSC spec check. If you let Omega do the battery changes you will pay around $50 I'm told, and the full service will be in the $125 range. However, if you have a local watchmaker who is experienced with high end watches, he can do a battery change much cheaper. The lithium battery itself only costs a few dollars, so you're really paying for the "labor" when you send it to Omega.

This is the best "ballpark" information I can provide. Hope it helps.