Bit of a disaster...

Okay started on a service of this Panerai 091 today, and noted right off that the dial colour was lighter and much more faded than it should be. This photo makes it look darker than it is in real life, and it has sort of a green tint to it in certain lighting - very unusual:



I was actually wondering if it might be a decent quality fake, but when I opened it up, the movement looks genuine - ETA 7750 base:



However, there was a very distinct smell....to paraphrase..."I hate the smell of WD40 in the morning!"

Someone has "fixed" this watch by spraying it inside with WD40 or something very similar (they have a very distinct smell), so I removed the rotor, and the small dark area I highlight with the red arrow is a pool of WD40...



Oh but the fun doesn't end there....have a look at this mess:



Okay red arrow on the far left shows some fibres in the watch, but this is the least of the issues. The one at the jewel shows the Incabloc spring was never set in place properly, again not a huge deal. However the other red arrows on the right show that the balance spring is broken and not in the stud anymore - this watch is going to need some serious work, and parts...

I actually contacted my client to make sure he wanted to go ahead, and he does. I actually wondered if he just bought it and if so, he should be asking for a refund. Although he didn't give much detail, he said it has sentimental value, and I should proceed, so I will. I dread what else I'm going to find inside this one.

This watch was new in 2002, and the condition is very rough. Contrast that to this Dynamic I just finished - the movement is nearly pristine and from 1969...no comparison. It's not the age, but how it's taken care of that matters.



Cheers, Al

Al, I think you've hit the nail in the head as to one of the reasons we love vintage omegas - properly maintained, they age better than us!

Ahh the whiff of "recently serviced" 🙁

Jiffylube.

If we don't have the right filter we'll make one fit.

Damn you do tend to get some fun ones, at least that Speedmaster Pro you rebuilt that went swimming was an accident, this was deliberate :\

Uncommon, but happens unfortunately. People think that if a watch is not working, just spray some oil on it. I bought a watch on eBay that was turned dial side down during shipping. What's the harm you say? Well it caused the 3in1 oil that someone had squirted in there to pour out through the center of the dial. 😜 .
Fortunately I was able to clean off the dial without any damage and the movement as well. Anxious moments

Well I got lucky that the oil had not yet fully reached the dial side. It stopped on the back side of the date indicator, so even that was spared from damage to the paint fortunately.

When I get time I'll post some photos - it was "interesting" inside to say the least...

Cheers, Al

Okay few photos of this thing showing the damage...

First here is where the WD40 stopped - on the back side of the date indicator:



But plenty on the dial side of the movement:



Now on the wheel train side, and more WD40:



These are only a few photos - this thing was swimming in it:



And this one really shows the neglect this watch had - here on the left is a new 7750 reversing wheel, and the one on the right is from this watch - the wear is remarkable:



I've seen the pivots on reversing wheels completely worn away, but it's not often I see the teeth are nearly gone. So not only did someone damage the balance and spray it with WD40, but it had been seriously neglected even before this damage was done.

No matter what watch you have, you need to take care of it - yes even those much loved vintage Omegas. If neglected in the same way this one was, they would also look very bad inside.

Cheers, Al

Indeed - spraying it with WD40 only washed away what lubricants were still there....

I'm sure "someone" thought it was a good idea...

Ah so you read Dennis' autobiography on his teen years too 😉