A sad looking Seamaster in need of some TLC… Some of the luminous compound on the dial markers has come off, and the hands need some attention as well.
The movement is quite dirty as well and in need of a service.
The hands will need some serious attention as well.
I start off by removing the old luminous compound from the dial.
That already looks more civilized.
Time to take the movement apart.
The gear train on the plate.
The hands are ready for the lumionous compound.
The dial in the drying chamber to cure the compound.
I’m very happy with the result.
I’ve also re-painted the second hand, and applied new compound to the hands.
The movement parts ready to be put back together.
A new mainspring for the barrel.
The base movement is back together.
The bottom plate looks very nice again.
The automatic winder bridge is on, and I can now case the movement.
Back in the case.
Not bad if you compare that with the before photo 😉
Hi,
What a great work!!
I have a same watch omega 165002.
But luminous is bad condition too.
I want to do reluminous.
How do you paint beautifully.
Could you teach me?
Thank you and bestregard.
KATO
No problem. Come around to our workshop, and I will show you.
Great work. I have a seamaster with the same case number 165.002, also with 552 cal. And I want to change the crystal but i don’t know what to buy or how to find which one to choose. Can you lend a help on this?
Much appreciated.
I am sure you know what your watch is worth. Why would you want to change the crystal yourself?
I don’t want to change it myself. I will take it to a specialist. But I want to purchase the parts myself. I am thinking of changing the crystal, the hands (and maybe the mainspring).
I found a couple of sites that sell them but just want to make sure. For the crystal i found part 063PZ5028 and just thought to double check with someone who already worked on a similiar watch.
Thank you
Fantastic job, I love the way your cleaning solution makes the movement look brand new and shiny.
With the new mainspring what greases did you use to lubricate it? and what would you use for a manual wind with a steel barrel?
Just interested to know as there are so many greases to choose from.
Thanks and thanks for hosting such a great site too. Tony
New mainsprings come pre-lubricated, so there is nothing to do there. Only automatic barrels will get a very thin coat of braking grease on the barrel wall.
What a great job! Lovely watch.
Beautiful job, the owner must be over the moon.
Great work! A nice restoration job which doesn’t butcher the original design. I have seen too many re-dials done in silly colours like bright red or green which totally ruins what was once a nice watch. Looks like the dial didn’t need too much done to it besides the re-lume.
Nice work as usual, Christian! Do you have any tips you can share about removing the old luminous compound from the dial and reapplying it? I’m curious how you get the luminous compound to fit the hour marker trapezoid shapes. Thanks!
I use a piece of dull (e.g. not sharpened) pegwood to remove the old compound. The new compound is put on using a fine oiler, so you have to paint with that inside the marker space. Takes a bit of practice..
Thanks for the reply. Yes, I imagine it takes a bit of practice and a steady hand. Looks good.
Great work again Christian. Love to watch old watches shine again. What is it with Seamasters really? Are they more waterproof that “normal” Omegas? Does Seamsters have any spescial features prooving them more suitable for water use?
Not really – no screw-down crown, and just a normal tension ring crystal.
The Seamaster name was intended by Omega to be used on watches more waterproof than others in their lineup. Most notably all have screwed case backs and uses gaskets for the crown.
The name first appeared in the late 1940s when waterproof watches was not common.
The Seamaster range has included anything from the basic watches as the one featured here and to helium filled divers watches rated for water depths of >1000 meters.