So the upshot is that anyone who has a watch with an ETA movement in it, you can now only get it reliably serviced by the OEM in case it needs any bits?! Oh unless it’s older watch from a non-Swatch company, when it might be unrepairable.

That sucks and sounds sort of like the situation where car manufactures were told they couldn’t void warrantees just because a main dealer hadn’t done servicing work.

@fudd Thanks for that. Sorry about the Engrish, automangle made a bit of a mess of it…

So 300m is no more and don’t wear it in the bath…

Isn’t the Crown and Helium valve an Omega part rather than ETA as it’s the case rather than the movement? Not arguing the toss, just curious.

ETA and Omega are both owned by Swatch group and have the same restrictions.

ETA and Omega are both owned by Swatch group and have the same restrictions.

Right. So that being the case, what’s the issue with Omega servicing their own watches? Or is the parts famine applicable to 3rd party repairs/servicing only?

I think I’m probly being a bit dense here – or only have part of the story.

Interested party here, looking at £450 to service my Tag, of which the winding has got a bit stiff (2006 model, never serviced).

Got my 2006 Subby serviced recently. Indépendant watch service. Rolex was too long lead time and too expensive. Was £440.

@sss who did you use please?

@boblo

Ive used Calibre recently after my local Rolex dealer and service jeweller/watchmaker retired.

HOME

Very good service, can’t fault the experience.
Didn’t go to the shop. Used the posted option.
Sends a padded watch case. Fill out the insured form, send it to them before posting. Postage and insurance to get it to you and back included in quoted price.

Right. So that being the case, what’s the issue with Omega servicing their own watches? Or is the parts famine applicable to 3rd party repairs/servicing only?

Pretty much. Imagine you’ve bought an old BMW but you know the local official dealer is a douche never mind the extortionate hourly rate, but at least you’ve still got the choice to take it elsewhere for servicing… BMW would very much prefer to restrict supply of parts to independents and lock you in to main dealer servicing as then they could pick a number out of thin air when billing you for parts, but EU courts looked into that and deemed it anti-competitive and therefore illegal.

Same thing with Swatch; They want to force the customer into official servicing at a price that suits them very nicely, and again we’ve had a court case but this time the court has said that’s fine.

There’ll be many Swiss watch companies who were following this closely and are now breathing easily again.

Aaah OK. Panic over (not that there was one…). I though there wa World shortage of ETA bits for Omegas and mine would be relagated to box queen’s. Happy to have them serviced by Omega themselves.

Thanks also for the Calibre link. Mrs B’s Tag needs ‘doing’ so we’ll give them a go.

My Rolex Submariner No Date 14060. I much prefer the no date versions. Think the cyclops is SOOO ugly…

As worn by the King of Cool Steve McQueen (not a 14060 obviously 😀 ) and other style icons.

As worn by the King of Cool Steve McQueen (not a 14060 obviously 😀 ) and other style icons.

You’ve outstyled them all with your insouciant use of a Nato that’s at least 2mm too narrow.

Agree with your opinion on Cyclops’

Disagree with your choice of too narrow, knackered strap!

So I’ll go with nice head, rather than nice watch. 😁

If we’re doing Christmas gifts can I add the latest addition to my collection?

A stunning IWC gift from Mrs bigG. A Portugieser has been on my wish list for quite some time.

@SSS

Thanks for the Calibre recommendation, they’ve come back with a quote including delivery and a return which is £100 less than Tag.

@BigG, nice IWC there!

@SSS, quite tempted to go for a Sub (as opposed to SubDate) and Deepsea combo. I’ve been ok’d for a Deepsea and I’m sure a Sub won’t be a problem in the fullness of time.

All that’s needed now is funds!

@gaidong Go for it!

When I got my Sub it was a choice between the Sub No Date and the Sea Dweller
There was very little price difference back then but went for the classic Sub as wanted something more recognisable and sought after.

Hindsight. Wished I’d chosen the Sea Dweller when I had the chance and picked up the Sub later on.
I’d really like a Military Sub with the sword hands

@boblo @Kryton57 no worries

My late father’s Omega. Given to him in January 1967 for his 21st. Needed a little work when I inherited it. Now my most treasured watch.

Along side my latest purchase a Timefactors Smith’s PRS-29A.

The Omega is a stunner

The Omega is a stunner

It is, and not a million miles different from the aforementioned one I bought off Wally. You’ve seen this (terrible) photo before but it was some months/pages back. I assume the dial was originally white, but it’s got lovely patina now.

I’d like one of those original Omega buckles for it.

Wally is glad you are still enjoying the Omega. It’s a very original watch and well over 50 years old. Lovely to see that beautiful strap on it.

New one for me, continuing the Omega theme…

Snide Omega buckles are available on Etsy, eBay, banggood, AliExpress and more.

@umop3pisdn That is lovely!

Love the 70s Seamasters in auto and f300 guises.

In a similar vein to shredder’s Smiths, today I had a pang for a Stowa flieger classic

Has anybody any owner experience of Lillenthal watches?

I really like the look of this chronograph model:

50th anniversary Speedy for my 50th?

Can anyone lend me £8000…? Sigh…

@ Kryton57 Just buy it 😀 worry about it later….

Working in an industry where every man and their dog has expensive watches, The Omega Speedmaster Professional is one of the rarities. In fact ive only ever seen 1 Speedy Pro on a wrist in real life.
Probably cos everyone is too lazy to wind it up…..

Rolexes, theyre like a$$holes, everyone has one. Tags abound like Carreras, LOADS of Omega Planet Oceans, IWC Portofino and Portuguesier, Panerai’s, JLC Reversos and Master Controls.

Never actually seen anyone else wear a VC or PP in real life. Seen Loads of AP Royal Oak Offshores and Hublot Big Bangs on wrists.

Only ever seen one Tag Heuer Monaco on someones wrist.

50th anniversary Speedy for my 50th?

Nice idea I thought, and I like the muted tones of that dial…

That Speedy is lovely, go on Kryton, do it 😉

@SSS I’m lucky enough to have the 14060M….obvs more face clutter but still a lovely watch. Agreed about cyclops. The Sea-dweller of the time (2009) was simply too big and uncomfortable for my feeble frame!

My Sub is quite battered….rarely gets warn nowadays as a Garmin normally has first dibs!

That Speedy is lovely, go on Kryton, do it

There are 8000 reasons not too, its above my current affordability and not in my spending priorities. I’d have to really love a watch to buy it at that price, I need to keep looking for the holy grail, there’s plenty of time – no pun intended!

Contrary opinion – don’t do it, the grey looks like they put the primer on and thought “**** it, that’ll do” and the astronaut is beyond tacky.

All these things are subjective but Speedies don’t do anything for me, and £8k is silly money IMO, unless this is an investment thing.

But then my PPL (psychological price limit) for watches is around £1k…

You’ve outstyled them all with your insouciant use of a Nato that’s at least 2mm too narrow.

A close study of single frames in the first Bond movie shows the three-colour NATO strap fitted was about 2mm too narrow as well. It was Cubby Broccoli’s own watch, that he had Connery wear on set, because he couldn’t blag a free one for product placement, as nobody knew who he was, or what James Bond 007 was all about.
I was reading earlier that Rolex have just bumped up the retail price of their most popular models. Q’el surprise.

@shredder

That Smiths is a lovely thing. Are they available only at certain times?

I see it’s out of stock.

Eddie tends to build a few hundred, release, move on, repeat.

… a Garmin normally has first dibs!

This is why I don’t have a smart watch. They make you a slave to the data, so proper watches don’t get a look in.

I do wonder if there’ll be another ‘quartz crisis’, (except it’ll be a Silicon crisis) when millenials stop buying mechanical watches because Apple watches become the default wrist wear.

I do wonder if there’ll be another ‘quartz crisis’, (except it’ll be a Silicon crisis) when millenials stop buying mechanical watches

Careful what you say about Millenials or else you’ll have ‘Keeper of the Millenials’ @Cougar after you. I got a good telling off yesterday for daring to poke fun at the poor lambs… 😀