WATCH POP

Hi all:

Longtime lurker and Omega owner, first time poster...

I'm the recent lucky owner of a vintage Ranchero. (Sorry, no pics yet- I lost my camera's memory card!) Anyway, it's a lovely redial with the original 267 movement and 2990 case. The only flaw in my eyes is the crystal, which has a decent chip on the edge where it fits under the bezel. I'd like to replace it soon to prevent dust/moisture from getting in there.

My questions are:

1. Can anyone reccomend a watchmaker in the Chicago area that may be able to replace this for me?

2. There are lots of crystals on a certain auction site that claim to be NOS Ranchero crystals.. are these legit?

3. I've heard that Omega services certain vintage watches...Should I consider this, or does a plastic crystal justify sending my watch overseas?

3a. Since it's a redail, and may possibly have replacement hands, would Omega even service it? I seem to recall reading somewhere that Omega won't help you if the watch has any aftermarket parts on it. This would be good to know if I need to send it for other servicing in the future, and I've had good experiences with their service on my modern Omegas...

Thanks for reading, and thanks for all the knowledge I've gained from this forum over the years!
AK If a watch has a redial Omega will still service it since they don't mind when someone has that done to a watch. I don't think a crystal would justify sending it overseas for repair. If you can get the numbers from the inside of the case back you can try www.ofrei.com to see if they can order a new crystal from Omega for you. If they can, once you get the crystal from them, take it to a watchmaker that you trust to have him/her install the new crystal for you.

Best Regards,

Damon When your watch gets out of order you have a choice of two things to do: throw it in the fire or take it to the watch-tinker. The former is the quickest. -MT The previous owner was not sure when the watch had been serviced last, so I'll see what kind of time it keeps and determine if it needs a full service or not, and go from there.

AK If you're referring to the eBay listings of Australian seller WatchCo, I expect the parts are entirely legit. WatchCo was formerly an official Omega supplier but has been liquidating their supply of parts on eBay. They are not the only source though - you might compare prices from US suppliers like Otto Frei, since if nothing else you'll pay a lot less in shipping.

The restrictions on aftermarket parts aren't as severe on vintage models. They're more concerned about watches modified to imitate rarer/more expensive models or watches of more recent manufacture with "hot rod" customizations like green bezels, modified hands etc. They'll cut you some slack on vintage models that may have had various things done over the years by prior owners. "Mechanical watches are so brilliantly unnecessary. Any Swatch or Casio keeps better time, and high-end contemporary Swiss watches are priced like small cars. But mechanical watches partake of what my friend John Clute calls the Tamagotchi Gesture. They're pointless in a peculiarly needful way; they're comforting precisely because they require tending." - WG
How old is my vintage Omega? - Omega Serial Numbers by Year