What time is it? Watches and horology

Oops , I did. Was meant for @ewanmac

Have been clearing out my Grandad's house this weekend, and was given a couple of things which may or may not interest you lot.

He was in the Fleet Air Arm, this is his HS8. Seems to be running fine which is amazing seeing as it's been in a box unused for nearly 30 years. Any idea what the original strap would've been on this? I'm tempted to put a nice tan leather one and wear it.

And this I can't find any info about anywhere, so any leads would be great. It doesn't work so guessing it might need servicing, I know nothing about watches...

What a pair of beauties!

Also, any recommendations of where to service the Omega? I just checked Omega's website and it's going to cost in excess of £600 to service it, apparently. Or is that worth it?

Omega tend to send everything to Swiss Time Services out in Hockley in Essex. They're not cheap, but they are very good.

@ejay is in the watch game and tends to send everything to them, but I'd imagine he gets a favourable rate.

Everyone on here tends to go to Alsal on the Strand.

As for a strap on the Omega, I'd go for a navy blue leather strap to compliment the hands. Keep the patina and don't restore it to mint condition.

Brill skills, thanks! When I've got some spare cash I'll look into it further. Yeah I'm not planning on restoring it fully, the thing I like the most is the yellowing on the face

No worries.

Ask and ye shall be answered. Unless you're @ChainBreaker...

deffo worth servicing the Omega . B&D right about swiss time services as they are very , very good . if you sent that to Omega themselves they now tend to send to Switzerland and is not only needlessly expensive it also takes forever . send to Swiss Time services and get a quote , you may be pleasantly surprised . keep us posted

Will do, thanks. It's actually just stopped after 24hrs, how long should it run for on a full wind?

^all my old hand wound manuals only last about a day.

Such a dick head that ChainBreaker guy

probably a bit more than that .

Fahkin'ell. That Omega Hydrographic Service watch is a beauty. Excellent dial, so this is worth a lot. Crown is non-original, but there are spares around. I recommend John Senior at Obsolete Watch And Clock Parts; email him. Probably looking at around the £100 mark. The strap may be an original 18mm Bonklip which is valuable alone as they were the original RAF/Fleet Air Arm issued straps.

It is indeed a Bonklip strap, so may well be original. Sadly my Grandad's dementia means he probably won't remember many details about it.
Thanks for the info, is this a 'put it away safe and rarely wear it "worth a lot"'? I'd never sell it but would like to know if I should be wary about wearing it day to day

Watches are meant to be worn. Enjoy it.

Well, it's probably worth somewhere in the region of £750 without the strap, and the strap I'd maybe add another £100. However, these are rapidly increasing in value. They've maybe doubled in prive in the last few years. Only around something like 7000 were made. There is a more common version marked 6B/159 too. Having an heirloom like this is a fantastic thing. I would ask any relatives if they can give you any information about what he did in the Fleet Air Arm. It's a pilot / navigator's watch. They required chronometer-grade watches to help them navigate using astro-navigation.

I would wear it occasionally. The cases are fragile as they were made with a brittle alloy when steel became too expensive during the war. So, don't let the lugs or strap get knocked as the fixed bars get snapped off easily. You could wear on a leather strap if you preferred.

He did all sorts; flew Tiger Moths, worked on carriers as an engineer, helped design the precursor to Blue Streak. He could tell you how to build a missile system, but not if he remembers if it his was his watch, very sad...

Amazing info, thank you, I think I might have seen your name on MWR forum?! I've ordered a leather strap because I would wear it every day if I could, it's beautiful. I'm guessing swapping straps isn't something I can easily do myself?

Junghans Max Bill

Bit more classic. Which Max Bill tho?

Yes, I post over at MWR. It'll most likely have been issued to him if he worked in the F.A.A. Like I mentioned, these are very rare, so would be awfully coincidental if he acquired one after leaving the F.A.A.

When at work, the watches would be handed out and this would be noted in a pilot's/navigator's log book. When people left, then they often took their watches with them, even though they weren't supposed to. That's why there's a broad-arrow o the back to mark it as government property. These were often filed off after being pinched from work.

You'll need an "open ended" strap to suit the fixed lug bars as they are not removable. Alternatively a "pull through" strap like a NATO type is also suitable. These would originally be worn on either a Bonklip or a tan leather strap.

That Omega is sex...

What kind of?

HS8

http://www.arthurjohnson.co.uk/catalogues/catalogues/sale/0707H/cat/S2?pg=1

beautiful patina on some of these

Just noticed that one of the lugs is actually quite worn compared to the others, the bar is right on the edge of it. Might have to limit how much I wear it after all :(

Some crackers in there.

Just popped into a local watch business to get the quick repair to my Seiko titanium strap and enquired about them also polishing the scratched date bubble. They said they can't fix it because it's glass, only if it's plastic. I've googled and there's a few diy kits, are they worth a shot or try another shop? They're quite a big company by all accounts...