zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

: Hey all,

: My grandmother just sent me my grandfather's Omega Automatic
: Seamaster De Ville from - I think - 1975. There is an
: inscription on the back of the watch with the date: 1975. So I
: think the watch if from around that time. Also, the watch has a
: date function.

: I have a few questions about this watch:

: 1. It says Automatic, but is there a way to manually wind this
: watch?

Yes, with the crown pushed all the way in, simply turn the crown counterclockwise. You should feel the winding geartrain engaged. Whenever you put on an automatic watch which has not been worn for some time, you should wind it fully. You cannot overwind an automatic watch, but around 30 turns should do it.

: The crown only pulls out to one position. I've read some old
: manuals that say some Omega's from that time period will pull
: out to two positions, but I don't think mine does.

The crown does have two positions and a "quickset" date setting mechanism (quickset means you can set the date without stopping the watch's timekeeping function). There are two possibilities: it is a push-pull date, or the most common, date in position 1.

Omegas from about that era set the date by pulling the crown out to position two, the pushing the crown back in to position one. The time was set from position one.

Later, Omega began using the method that most watches use today: set the date in position 1 and the time in position 2 (all the way out).:

2. I've also read that winding my watch counter-clockwise will
: damage it. Is that true? If so, how can they expect you to set
: the time and date quickly?

Do you mean turning the hands counterclockwise? It is true that you should not do so to a great extent. However, setting the time should require only going forward past midnight (where you will see the date change) then to the correct time. With the date correctly set, you should then be able to "quickset" the date as above.

: 3. The watch will lose about 4 to 5 minutes of time at night. I've
: only had it for a few days so I was thinking that I need to wind
: it up - if this model has a manual-winding function.

Try the winding first, but the watch probably needs a service, a COA (clean, oil, adjust). Mechanical watches need a service about every 3 to 5 years.

: 4. And anything else anyone can tell me about this watch and model
: would be greatly appreciated.

If you have the watch serviced, get the numbers from inside the caseback and on the movement. We will be able to tell you much more.

: Thanks,

: Andy