Omega

The Stories Behind My Dad’s Omega Speedmaster

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I’ve written before about my dad’s Omega Speedmaster Professional, now my Omega Speedmaster Professional, and how he passed it down to me. But before I forget, I want to write about a few of the stories he told me about that watch. They’ve always stuck with me.

When I first got it, I thought he’d bought it in 1969. Turns out that wasn’t true. After some research, the serial number puts it around 1970 or 1971. When my dad was still alive he confirmed that timeframe. Still, an absolute classic.

One thing he told me that always made me laugh was how Omega almost never buys back their old watches, but more than once, when he sent it in for maintenance, he claims they offered to buy it from him. He always said no.

My dad was a physician assistant who worked in trauma and surgery, so the watch saw some things. He used to joke that it had been sterilized more times than he could count, which, considering where it had been, I appreciated hearing.

He told me about one time when one of the links on the band came apart while he was literally working inside someone’s chest, and the watch slipped off his wrist. They had to fish it out, clean it thoroughly, and fix the band afterward. I still have that original band, so I know it got fixed.

I can’t imagine that would be allowed now. I don’t know what the current hospital rules are, but I’m guessing “no watches in open chests” is probably written down somewhere these days, sterilized or not.

When I tell people that story, some of them are grossed out, others think it’s amazing. I’m firmly in the “amazing” camp. It’s history, after all.

Another quirk is the bezel. Instead of the usual tachymeter, his has what Omega called a pulsometer bezel. It’s what I grew up seeing on his wrist, so to me, that’s just what the watch is supposed to look like. When I had it serviced maybe ten years ago, they asked if I wanted them to replace it since it doesn’t rotate anymore. I said absolutely not. The bezel’s part of its story.

Years ago, when I was living in New York, I brought it to the Omega Boutique for maintenance. The guy behind the counter said he’d have someone take a look and disappeared into the back. A few minutes later, an older gentleman, clearly one of their watchmakers, came out excited to see it. He thought the pulsometer bezel was great and said it was a really special piece. He also told me they could do the service in-house instead of sending it back to Switzerland, which was a relief. Apparently if it was slightly older it would need to travel for service.

It was nice seeing someone else appreciate it that much. That old watchmaker was genuinely happy to work on it.

I don’t wear the original metal band anymore, it was always a little loose even when my dad wore it, and apparently that specific band design is rare now. So I keep it stored safely and use a NATO strap instead.

It’s funny how polarizing this watch can be. Some people hear its stories and get squeamish. Others think it’s the coolest thing ever. I’m clearly in the second group.

Every time I take it in for service, it still gets attention. It always starts a conversation. And I love that.

Watch Costs are Relative

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I’ve always found it a little funny when people complain about how expensive an Apple Watch is. For me, the cost has never been the barrier to owning one. Right now I’m wearing a Series 10 46mm. It’s not the cheapest watch I own, but it’s close. The actual cheapest is my Seiko SKX007, which I picked up a couple of summers ago as a knock-around watch for the beach.

I bring this up because my Omega Speedmaster X-33 recently needed a battery replacement. While it was at Omega, they called to say it also needed a full service. Not exactly shocking—I bought it in 2006, so it’s pushing 20 years old, and this is only its second service. It’s had a hard life: I wore it daily for years before I started rotating in other watches, and titanium picks up dings easily. At the last two battery changes they even noted “condition poor” on the paperwork, which felt a little insulting if I’m honest.

So yes, I’ll be glad to have it back shiny and refreshed. What I’m less thrilled about is the price of the service. And yet, it’s not surprising. It’s about what I paid the last time I had another Omega serviced. The kicker? The cost of this service was actually more than what I paid for my Apple Watch.

That’s the point, really: watch costs are relative. The X-33 was the most expensive thing I had ever bought when I got it, and I still love it. But the idea that maintaining one watch can cost more than buying a brand-new Apple Watch puts the whole “Apple Watches are too expensive” complaint into perspective. For now, I’ll just be waiting a few weeks while the work gets done and chuckling at the absurdity of it all.

The photo is of a much younger X-33 right after getting a NATO strap for it, since the titanium band was getting beat up too much.

The Blog Post Were I Write About Watch Straps for Seven Paragraphs

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Can you tell the difference between these two watch straps? Visually there isn’t much of a difference. Holding them they feel pretty similar however there is a noticeable difference between the two. What distinguishes one from the other? If you look closely enough can see that one of them has the word Omega etched into it. That little etching equates to a vast difference in price.

Is the Omega strap better? After wearing  both for a while I would say yes. Is the Omega strap much better even slightly more comfortable than the other one? I would say yes. Is it worth many times more money than the generic one? Probably not.

This is a situation where I’m reminded of the Steve Jobs biography where the author discusses Jobs theory on best versus average of something. I think the used knives for the analogy. The point was do you buy a cheap $10 knife. Do you by a $75 knife or do you buy the top-of-the-line $400 knife? If your chef you might need that extra bit of “better” you get from the $400 knife. In most other cases you’re probably best served with the $75. I think the argument was average were really good to the best ever is only about 10 to 15% in a lot of cases. I know that any number like that is suspect however the sentiment I think holds true.

With these NATO watch straps I think the sentiment also holds true. The Omega one is better. At least in my opinion. It is a much more flexible and comfortable my lawn. It feels more sturdy.The clasp is a bit easier to get on and off. Overall I think it’s a better band.  Using the analogy from the jobs biography however it’s only probably better 10 to 15%. In my opinion it’s not worth the massive price premium I paid for it. I still don’t regret the purchase. I am even considering possibly another one.

Why am I talking about watch straps anyway? For starters I’ve spent a bunch of time in recent months researching and buying a few NATO straps for my watches. Since this is my blog and all I felt like writing about it.

I wore a NATO strap 2 summers ago. I wore one for a few months on my X-33. I liked it however at the time I missed the metal band and switched back to it after a while. In recent months I’ve liked the idea of switching out my watch bands more often. It’s a little bit of extra style and I thought it was cool to be able to do that without having to go to someone to swap out a leather or metal band.

In June I took my X-33 in to have its metal band removed so I can use a NATO strap. At the same time I splurged and picked up the black and green Omega NATO strap. After getting the Omega strap I bought two more straps that were significantly cheaper online so I had a variety. Who cares if you can swap out straps to watch when you only have one of them or in my case two of them that are identical. I purchased a thick nylon band in a gray green. I also picked up a black leather one. After wearing all them I ended up liking the Omega one the best however the leather one is still pretty good. The gray green nylon one is a bit too stiff and I won’t be buying that brand nylon strap again.

After a few weeks of wearing a variety of bands on my X-33 I took in my speed master to also have its leather straps removed so I could use interchangeable NATO straps. I was very tempted to buy the leather NATO strap from the Omega store. The leather strap seemed more reasonably priced in comparison to other nice leather bands however I wasn’t sure if I liked the color so I passed on it for now.

Since swapping out the bands on both watches I have bought another nylon band in a different color pattern. I plan on getting a few more however i have enough of a variety now to keep things interesting for a little while. I am still not 100% sold if I will keep using the NATO straps on all my watches however for now I am pretty happy.

If you are a James Bond fan then yes another cool thing about these gray and black NATO strap is that it looks like the classic James Bond Goldfinger strap. I was surprised when I previously researched that many people pull off nylon straps on my fancy watches in fancy dress clothes such as suits or tuxedos. For me that was the final deciding factor on they will work with any style clothing. Of course that same research yielded me wearing Chuck Taylor’s with khakis and dress pants. The Internet is a wonderful thing.

That Time I Spent Way Too Much Time Reasearhing and Buying a Divers Watch

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In June I read an article that was comparing to classic style diving watches. One from Seiko and one from Citizen. I have been thinking about getting relatively inexpensive watch to use when I’m at the beach or doing outdoor stuff. I don’t always want to be out using my Omega’s. I have almost done damage to my X-33 a few times. Especially in water, the pool or the ocean.

I liked the classic look of both the Seiko & Citizen in the review. I read the article thoroughly and had recalled that I have seen many people have the Seiko as part of their “EDC” everyday carry. Seperatly I have been reading a blog where people submit what they carry on them every day. It’s interesting to see what other people consider essential for their day to day lives. I’ve gotten a few ideas of accessories to get from that blog. I kept seeing the Seiko diver watch and to some smaller extent the citizen one and was curious. They are in the general style of the Rolex Submariner so it catches my eye.

After reading the article I did some more research on the Seiko SKX007. There was a newer model available (SKX009K) however the older SKX007K was more reasonably priced and exceedingly popular. I decided if I wanted an everyday watch that I could take to the beach this diver watch would fit the bill perfectly.

The challenge I had was finding the specific  Seiko SKX007K or even the newer 009K to see in person. I went to the only Seiko boutique in New York and they didn’t have it. Macy’s had some similar models but they weren’t what I was looking for exactly and they were more money. I found out later that the reason I couldn’t find the exact model number is the 007K & 009K are manufactured for everywhere in the world except North America. I ended up finding someone selling the SKX007K on Amazon Marketplace and bought it there. Even before my trek to the store I knew I could get it on Amazon but I really wanted to see it in person if i could first. I also bought a tool to change the watchband out. I bought a 22mm NATO strap and intend to use NATO straps with this watch like I am doing with my other ones.

In my teens and 20s I had cheap Casio digital watches and never understood why anyone would want a nice mechanical watch. Now here I am with the budding watch collection.

I have owned the Seiko SKX007K for a few weeks now. Overall it was a great purchase especially for the money.  Not quite a negitive however something I need to get more used to is that it is pretty heavy even with a nylon NATO strap and not a metal one. Compared to both my Speedmaster and the titanium X-33 I am not used to that extra weight on my wrist. It has done its job though while at the beach and as a general watch I can beat up.  I wore it basically all vacation since we were at the beach most days and I was happy with it the entire time.  I didn’t go diving however timing when we put sun tan lotion on the girls was easy enough with the bezel.  I am happy with it as a solid beat up watch.  Right now it is not likely i would wear it to work often though.

Beyond wearing the new Seiko at the beach, I am also wearing it when I get home from work so I can wind it since it is an automatic movement. I need to buy a watch winding device however I haven’t yet so wearing it for couple of hours when I get home helps me not have to manually wind it.

I am debating expanding my collection further. Next up for me would be something a little bit nicer.

NATO Strap

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A few weeks ago I decided to try getting a new strap for my watch. I am thinking of a new watch and what I want to get has a heavy band. Looking on Pinterest I noticed that the NATO strap with a nice watch actually looks good and is considered pretty stylish. I was originally skeptical, but after my research i was sold on the idea. My Omega X-33 watch’s band is wearing pretty badly since it is titanium so I decided to try getting a NATO strap it as a test to see if I would like it. I went for a black and grey stripped combo.

I ordered 2 bands since the first cheaper one I got was crap and I didn’t even want to try putting it on the watch. Once I got the 2nd band I had to find time to goto the Omega store to get them to make the change for me. I wasn’t going to attempt that myself. Today I found time to get over to the store. Thankfully it was a 5 minute change. I think it looks good. I need to use it for a while to see if I like it better than the traditional metal band.

My Speedmaster Returns

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In early January I was distressed when one night I went to wind my watch one night and felt something give when I started to wind it.  After that there was no resistance when winding it and i knew something was wrong.  I was very concerned because my Speedmaster Professional is over 40 years old and I just had work done on it almost two years ago.  Servicing that watch is not cheap so I was not pleased that it could be expensive to fix.  I took it to the Omega store the next day and thankfully the watch was still under warranty.  That was a huge relief.  On the down side they said it would take up to six weeks to get fixed.  At that point I didn’t care because it was a free fix.

Today I went to pick up my newly fixed watch.  It seems to be working perfectly so I am happy.  it always has a tenancy to run fast so I am wondering if this work has addressed that, but I am not holding my breath on it.

New Watch Band

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After months of waiting I finally got the call that my new watch band is in. Back in December I decided that I wanted to replace the band on the Omega Speedmaster my dad gave me. The watch was 39 (in december) years old and it had the original band. Whenever I used it when I went to work I was scratching the bottom of it when I typed at my desk. Not wanting to continue to damage an irreplaceable piece of the watch (that band was discontinued and virtually impossible to get) or get a new one. I opted for a leather strap and titanium clasp. Back in December they said it would be a few weeks to get. By February they hadn’t shown up yet. I was not happy but figured I it was something that would never come in. I hadn’t paid for it yet so I thought nothing of it.

Fast forward till last week, and I was in the office and decided to check my voice mail. Oddly enough there were voice mails from the jeweler saying the band and clasp had show up, but the VM’s were from March. Now it is important to note that I goto this office once maybe twice a week. Because of that I don’t give out that number to anyone. When I am in the office I sometimes point my Google Voice number to that land line phone at my desk, but not always. Apparently the local voice mail system had picked up a few calls that the Google Voice VM should have caught. I never thought to check the voice mail since my phone doesn’t have a light telling me I have messages.

Once I heard the messages I called the jeweler to see if the stuff I ordered was still around after 2+ months. Yesterday I got a call saying they were and I could stop by anytime to get them. Today after work I headed over there to get them. 15 minutes later and a wallet that was much lighter than when I went in I had my new strap and clasp. The new look makes the watch look almost like a different one. The old steel band is in a safe place and will goto my parents for storage in the near future. My dad was quick to point out that I paid more for this upgrade than he did for the whole watch back in 1969. I still think it was worth it since with this new upgrade I will wear it more. I wore it more last week than I did in the past year!

photo photo

How Tourneau Lost a Customer

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While at Jayson’s my friend Dave pointed out that my watch looked messed up. It turned out he was right. The second hand was jumping 5 seconds all the time. From what I read that meant that it needed a new battery. I had gotten over 2 years out of the current battery so since they usually go 18 months to 2 years I was due for a change. Since I bought my watch at Tourneau, and since they are an authorized Omega dealer I took the watch back their to get a new battery. The lady I spoke to charged me $61 to change a battery. I was a bit annoyed that it cost so much but just wanted the work done so I agreed. 15 minutes later the work was done, or so I thought.

Upon inspecting the watch’s functions I noticed that the second hand was still skipping 5 seconds at a time. I pointed this out to the clerk who was helping me and she took it back to the repair people. 30+ minutes later she finally returned with my watch and yet again the second hand was not functioning properly. At this time I was getting a bit ticked off. The sales lady just looked at me and with broken english said “not battery, must send to Omega”. She didn’t wait for me to say anything and just walked off to get forms to return the watch to the manufacturer for service. At this point I was not happy. I know it was the battery since I read the manual about what the second skipping was for. I was also mad that the so called experts at a watch store that advertised themselves as the biggest in the world couldn’t change a simple battery.

When the lady returned I told her I just wanted my money returned for the failed battery replacement and I would take care of the issue myself since I didn’t believe them. She took my credit card back for a refund and told the guy doing the credit “not battery, does not want us to fix”.

At this point I remembered this wasn’t the first time that I had problems at this store. A few months ago I went in and wanted to buy a leather band for another watch my dad had given me. The sales clerk then also was very rude and not knowledgeable. She originally refused to help me since she could not identify where the serial number was on the watch and Omega wouldn’t let them order anything without one. I tried to explain that the watch was so old that it didn’t have a visible serial number on the outside. It was actually on the inside of the watch. She wouldn’t listen or didn’t understand me. She took my information down and said she would try to do something for me and would call. She never did. I should have taken that as a sign, but I forgot about the incident.

This all happened on Friday. I went home and searched online for other dealers in Manhattan that sold and serviced Omega watches. Dave mentioned a really good dealer on the island but I didn’t want to drive all the way out there for something if I could avoid it. I thankfully found two dealers within a few blocks from Tourneau. I ended up going to Wempe Jewelers.

The service gentleman I spoke to was very nice. He said it would take about an hour to change the battery since they would have to test the pressure seals, etc. I was surprised since Tourneau didn’t mention anything like that. This gentleman also said the charge would be $35. The price was almost half of what Tourneau charged and sounded more reasonable. I took my receipt and walked around the area window shopping while they worked on my watch.

About an hour later I returned to be pleasantly surprised to find my watch to be back to perfect working order. I was so happy with the service I sought out a sales person to discuss ordering the leather band for my other watch. The sales person I spoke with was fantastic. He found the right type of band I wanted along with the right clasp. He said it wouldn’t be any problem that I didn’t have a serial number. He noted the age of the watch and said that my issue wasn’t uncommon with older models. He also answered several questions about servicing the older watch. He also said I was smart by changing bands since the one I had was an original one and not to get rid of it since it was rare. I knew this already but it was nice to get a sales clerk who was honest and knowledgeable about what he was selling. He took down my information and I hope to have my new band in 1-2 weeks.

From this experience I will be returning to Wempe for any future watch work or purchases. Sorry Tourneau, I don’t care how big you are you need to understand what you are selling and treat your repeat customers right. That means good service! I walked off the street for help, and Wempe was helpful and curious from the second I walked in the door.

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Is The Date Too Much to Ask For?

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It is funny how you miss the little things. I have been wearing my new Omega watch for almost 5 months now. The one thing I miss off my old timex is the ability to look at my wrist for the date. I can get the date off my Omega, but I have to hit a button to get it and then cycle through the menu to get back to time. It is a pain so I never do it. Something so simple, yet so difficult. I find myself having to look at my mobile phone or the time preferences on my powerbook to get the date now a days. Bob got a good laugh at me when I commented about the new watch not giving the date, but the $40 timex does. Oh well, what are you going to do?

Almost Famous

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I am not almost famous. Not even close. I am talking about the movie. Saturday was low key. I got up early. Probably from the drinking friday night, so I decided to go get a hair cut.

I met my dad for breakfast after that, and we went to his jeweler. I got back my new (new to me) watch. He was able to find someone who took off 2 links on the band to make it fit on my wrist. I was very happy. I wore it all day Saturday. It was allot heavier than I am used to in a watch. It will take some getting used to.

Alison went to an afternoon movie and dinner with one of her friends so we met late to hang out. She wanted to watch a tape (or DVD). Since I don’t have any old VHS tapes, I decided to bring my Thinkpad over to her place. I hoped to plug it into the S-Video connector on her TV so we could watch a DVD. She does not have a DVD player. Turns out her TV is so old it didn’t have an S-Video connection. We ended up watching the movie Almost Famous on her coffee table. She never saw it. It was a great movie.

They are correct in saying opposites attract. Only I (a big tech guy) would go out with someone who has no DVD player and a TV from 1985. At least it is a big screen from 1985.

I had a good night even though Alison and her friend went to the Outback without me:(