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From Father to Son
Jun 26, 2022,07:16 AM
It is not the cost but the memories that mattered. This quartz Omega Seamaster 200 is likely worth $1000 on the 2nd hand market, in a good condition.
But what if the watch is quartz, in a bad condition, and the cost to repair it, could buy a brand new Longines Legend Diver? How is one to decide?
It lived a very hard life. It saw the SEA games in Manilla, it saw airforce duty, it saw a life as a struggling property agent, a construction builder, a taxi driver, a chauffeur. It saw me, when I was born. Most of all, it saw poverty, for all it’s life. It saw sorrow and helplessness, hopelessness and loneliness. It saw lots of beer.
It’s been 3 years since I inherited this piece. It was left in a state of decay. My late father wore this daily, and I believe he tried to repair the watch once, on a budget, while he was stationed in Thailand. The entire movement was swapped out, without his knowledge.
The luminous pip on the bezel was lost, and the Omega logo on the deployant clasp had fallen off. The bracelet was stretched and quite likely to break. A new movement was needed.
I contemplated. Should I make a picture frame and keep it on display only? Should I return it to it’s former life, and wear it as it should be worn. I took the battery out, stored it for 2 years, and one day, I went to put a new battery in. The seconds hand was not aligned, and I felt the watch was in a very sad state.
Today I collected the piece from the Omega service centre in Sydney. Their service is top-notch. They under-promised, but over-delivered. How?
The bezel pip was not supposed to be replaceable, as quoted in their service contract. I wrote to them, explaining the sentimental reasons why I wanted to keep the bezel, and they did it. It looks like it should be now. A part of him, it feels to me, lived on.
Bezel pip was replaced. Phew, thankfully it didn’t need a new bezel as the old one holds lots of memories.
New bracelet