I don't have an answer to your question, as I have owned my Omega for 2 months. However, I would like to add to your question. Rolex markets their watches as something that can be passed down to your kids. Are Omegas the same way? Do they Omegas from the 50s still run as great as ever? Will my 2254.50 run the same 40 years from now?

 

This does bring up an interesting distinction between Rolex and Omega. Don't get me wrong - I love Rolex watches - but I think that their marketing is somewhat misleading regarding the longevity of their watches. My oldest Rolex is about 20 years old - and yes - it runs well. The next time I bring it to Rolex for service I'm afraid that I'm going to be told that they either can not or will not service it because it is, in fact, too old and the parts are no longer available.

My oldest Omega is about 20 years old as well. I just brought it to Omega for service. They had no hesitation about servicing the watch - regardless of age. And, if I'm not mistaken, if you are willing to pay the price - Omega will MAKE the parts that they don't carry in order to service your watch.

Is that going to stop me from buying more Rolex watches (no.)

Is it a reason why I will continue to buy Omega watches (yes.)

 

an automatic should last many lifetimes. A quartz may one day die but I think Omega keep their parts for a long long time. So I wouldn't worry, either one should last you a lifetime. Even if you had to restore the entire movement on a quartz at some stage, I estimate it would still be less cost-of-ownership then an automatic due to servicing etc.

Hopefully someone with more knowledge on this will reply.

 

My Constellation (original owner, cal 564) is pushing 40 years old. It was overhauled about two years ago and is running about +2-3 sec/day.

 

25 years thus far!

 

I see very, very few quartz watches from, say, the late '70's come into my store for repair or battery changes, whereas I see many mechanical watches from the '50s and '60s come in for servicing, overhauls, etc. Most brands say that when the quartz movement burns out completely and is beyond repair, they will simply remove it completely and put in a fresh movement, but I personally remain skeptical about this. I suppose time will tell (pardon the pun) whether this will be true or not.
As for watches lasting a lifetime, whose lifetime are we talking, yours or the watch's?

 

I have a Seamaster from roughly 1950 that runs great and keeps great time (better than most my modern autos). I have no idea when it was last serviced... so that has lasted about 60 years, no clue when or if it has been serviced.

 

I have a Casio F-8 digital watch, i had this as a Christmas present
in 1979, it still works fine!!!!!!
If my Planet ocean, which is one year old, lasts that long, i'll be happy. :-!
Of course, i woul like to to last far, far longer!

 

Well.. A lifetime to me is that I can pass down to my chilrden when he grow up into the working world!

 

I have several vintage Omega's from the early part of the 20th century. They all have their original parts. As long as a watch is serviced and taken care of they will last.

 

My boss wears an old Bouliva quartz from the 1970s. He found it in his Dad's stuff, took it to the jewelry store for battery replacement, strapped it on and wears it to this day. It's ugly (goldtone finish scratched and cheapish looking) but it's forty years old and it WORKS.

 

I don't know if an automatic/mechanical watch would last a lifetime if it is worn daily. My late grandfather's Omega still runs. Its movement was produced in 1915. Keeps decent time. I am thinking of sending it to Bienne for restoration, as its silvered dial is very dark now, and one of the blued hands is getting a bit rusty.

 

If you can afford to make the required services and repairs if necessary, sure.

But I don't believe it will last 100 years of regular wear without some form of maintenance.

I don't know this for fact, I assume this:

1. Current modern ETA movements when routinely serviced replace worn parts, or replace parts even if they are not worn. They are inexpensive parts and are made to be replaced to maintain warranties. What better way to guarantee your watch will work fine if many of the parts are new?
2. Good quality vintage movements used better quality parts (hardened), that when properly serviced, do not need replacing. If they are not serviced, they tend to run for many many years, but the parts become worn and need replacing when the watch finally quits working.

There will be MANY exceptions to the above examples.

Quartz, well, the crystal will eventually wear out, probably before the electronics do. Even a quartz watch will not run forever. However, they probably can run fine for many many many years without anything other then a battery change when required. Seiko for example (M4tt loves this) has a high end Quartz movement, the 9F, that has a module that they advertise only needs servicing once every 50 years...

 

Well, I was wearing a 67 year old Omega when I started reading this thread (and it has gained about a second since six this morning) but, I just changed into a 72 year old one just to say I have. (I also just picked up a battered - but still running Lemania - two register Chronograph of a not dissimilar age on ebay yesterday and I'm very very excited because I've always wanted one but have been too cheap to buy one - it's missing one pusher and a rather critical wheel but I'm going to throw a bit of money at it...) (those of you who care will know...)

I also have a SeMP quartz which is about as old as they can be and which I haven't broken yet despite trying really quite hard.

 

I also have a SeMP quartz which is about as old as they can be and which I haven't broken yet despite trying really quite hard.

+1

 

I have some pocket watches from the late 1800's that run as well, I have never actually timed them though. I also have a Hamilton Railroad pocket watch from around 1915 that runs great and is pretty accurate for being that old.

 

I have a mechanical Omega Seamaster De Ville (passed down in the family) that's running like a champ. As far as I know, it went in once or more every decade for routine maintenance, the last one being 2004.

Pictures of the nearly 50-year-old watch here.

I've taken it over since 2007 and wind it up once a month to give it a good blood flow and to keep parts lubricated. I'd imagine that the lower the frequency of use, the longer it should last, but the oil should circulate at regular intervals. It's what I've been doing since 07, and when the movement is wound, the second hand runs like butter -- and it keeps time like a champ. It really is an amazing watch and I suspect any Omega could do the same with regular services.

Best,
Johnny

 

Johnny - you have a real beautiful watch there.. glad that is it still running like a charm after half a century.

 

According to the Citizen repair center they told me that I should expect to replace the movement every three years and that was not unusual. I disagreed and thought that it should not be unusual for a quartz movement to last 10 to 15 years. However, according to the Citizen repair center my watch needed a new movement for the second time in 6 years. Citizen said that if a movement lasted more than a year it reached their warranty and it could last 18 months or 6 years there is no guarantee. Maybe my watch is a lemon, does anyone else have such a short longevity on their quartz movement?

 

I have a Omega quartz from 1976 still running great as well as to Seiko h558-8009 Arnies from early 1980s keeping less than a couple seconds a month.

 

I'd say two things:

1) You are being ripped off by someone - Citizen make bullet proof quartz which last for decades with little more than a battery change

2) You do realise this is the Omega forum and that there is a Citizen forum?

 

I'd say two things:

1) You are being ripped off by someone - Citizen make bullet proof quartz which last for decades with little more than a battery change

2) You do realise this is the Omega forum and that there is a Citizen forum?

1.Yes, I think that I'm ripped off too and it is happening at the Citizen repair facility in Torrance CA.

2. I do realize that and I am looking for answers there too. I'm now looking for another watch and Omega is on the very short list so I wanted to see what type of longevity you guys are seeing to help in my selection.

 

"there is no digital solution to a mechanical problem"

I think that there is a formal mathematical proof that there is:

Church

 

I think that there is a formal mathematical proof that there is:

Church

...Yeah, well - that too! Sadly - I forgot about that. I wrote it - but I also forgot about it.

 

If anyone thinks an automatic can outlast any quartz, the marketing has got you. Typically things will last longer if it has LESS moving parts inside--this applies to watches too. A G-shock can outlast any auto granted you give it new batteries.

Look at Patek's marketing--you are not buying the watch for your self, but for next generation. Unless you are 80 or on your deathbed, that Patek is not going to last for your kid. Once you get over the marketing, Pateks are really very very speical.

 

So what are you talking about? Are you comparing a quartz watch with regular battery changes to a mechanical watch that you will never service? I disagree regardless of what you mean. The moving parts are replaceable when worn. It is often not cost effective to replace electronic components or the crystal in a quartz movement, therefore the whole movement often gets replaced.

And are you suggesting that all those posters here with mechanical watches from the 40s, 50s or earlier are lying?

I seriously doubt that we will find many 60- or 70-year-old g-shocks still operational when the time comes.

I see very, very few quartz watches from, say, the late '70's come into my store for repair or battery changes, whereas I see many mechanical watches from the '50s and '60s come in for servicing, overhauls, etc. Most brands say that when the quartz movement burns out completely and is beyond repair, they will simply remove it completely and put in a fresh movement, but I personally remain skeptical about this. I suppose time will tell (pardon the pun) whether this will be true or not.

This is true actually. I bought my wife a Tag Heuer quartz diver in 1996. A number of months ago it became erratic and stopped, despite a recent battery change (few months previous). Watchmaker said the movement was no longer operational and replaced it with the same or similar ETA quartz movement for CDN$140. So, better than buying a new watch!

Just realized (a little late) that this was a relatively old thread recently resurrected.

 

Typically things will last longer if it has LESS moving parts inside

So which has less moving parts? an Omega 2500 automatic or an Omega 1538 quartz?

Clue, I think (off the top of my head) that there are about a dozen parts in it and both parts counts are over 120!

 

If you kept your Omega Auto in a vacuum sealed chamber it would probably last millions of years (without running). The plastic, luminova and paint might degrade after a few thousand years. If you wore it all the time, serviced it every 8 years it would easily last until the end of your lifetime. After that who knows if parts would be available. 60-80 years from now their might be numberous SMP's around or hardly any.

Quartz.....even if your current movement died, Omega (ETA) or another company will always have an alternative movement that will fit into the SMP case for the rest of your lifetime anyways. I really do not think the swiss watch industry will change the sizes of quartz movements so much that they will not be able to fit one (for the next 50-100 years). But to get the exact numbered Omega quartz movement 30-40 years from now....probably not. Omega might not even make (have ETA put their name on it) quartz movements 30 years from now, but ETA surely will.

 

Note to self: DO NOT BUY AN SMP QUARTZ OFF MATT!! EVER!!

What are you moaning about? it's still waterproof...

Airworthy...

Shockproof

hot spring resistant...

Useful for timing boiling your pasta...

Very cool...

and delicious.

Despite all that abuse it still behaved perfectly on a short paddle to a lighthouse shortly after being dug out of the vacuform:

And that's part of why I'm so fond of it.

 

....

Despite all that abuse it still behaved perfectly on a short paddle to a lighthouse shortly after being dug out of the vacuform:

And that's part of why I'm so fond of it.

Your abuse of and faith in your SMP Quartz was singlehandedly responsible (okay, there were one or two other factors) for me selling the Planet Ocean and buying a quartz sports watch. I had intended to get a new SMP myself, but somehow bought one of the five last SBCM023s available new. Posts like this make me double-guess my choice.

 

Not Omega, but this is about to turn 100 and it's lost a total of 3 seconds over the past 48 hours. If cared for, a good quality mechanical should last at least a couple of lifetimes.

 

I had intended to get a new SMP myself, but somehow bought one of the five last SBCM023s available new. Posts like this make me double-guess my choice.

It shouldn't, I would be entirely confident to abuse a Seiko in a similar manner!