# Dial Restored



## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

I decided to give the firm in the USA a try, so first I sent them a single dial I wouldn't feel too bad about losing if it turned out badly.

I sent it on the 9th Dec last and assumed it got lost Xmas in the post chaos. But no, I received the email notification it was ready. It finally arrive today, and I was quite pleased with their work, especially as cost it less than Â£25 including postage both ways!

Now spot the deliberate error - that was partially my fault for not specifying the work properly. They left off 'Swiss made' (costs an extra $2), and the 'anti magnetic' was got printed horizontally rather than semi-circular.

I asked for some change to the original colour scheme, which they obliged. Pity the original minute hand was so badly bent, and I've lost that pesky small seconds hand..doh. So different hands for now. Still, for a trial run it's worked out quite well, I thought..










Sorry about the crap photo, it looks a lot better in real life. Here it is in the watch


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## Dusty (Feb 3, 2010)

Is it me or is you minute hand coverd in hairs !!


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## Mr Whimpy (Jan 14, 2012)

Wow Â£25 all in, Thats well worth every penny


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## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

Dusty said:


> Is it me or is you minute hand coverd in hairs !!


Dust and fluff, mate. Didn't notice, that's the problem with failing eyesight!


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## scottswatches (Sep 22, 2009)

did you just send the dial, or the movement as well? I don't think I am brave/skilled enough to strip it that far back! The work looks nice, and thanks for sharing - it is worth specifying everything you want doing


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## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

Mr Whimpy said:


> Wow Â£25 all in, Thats well worth every penny


Yes, finger-licking good. I've now got to decide in which order to get my 6 other priority dials restored, and do I send them all in one go to save on postage?? Decisions, decisions..


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## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

scottswatches said:


> did you just send the dial, or the movement as well? I don't think I am brave/skilled enough to strip it that far back! The work looks nice, and thanks for sharing - it is worth specifying everything you want doing


Strictly dials only (+any hands you want restored), and packed in a metal tin. Don't know why that's so important, but they come back in a small metal tin anyway.

Next time I think I'll send them some hands too, but they probably can't do small 2nds as they have difficulty wiring them up for the pen-plating, pity as I'm specialising in small 2nd Roamers.


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## MerlinShepherd (Sep 18, 2011)

Hey Roamer, I just love your "before and after" shots. Love seeing those sad looking dials and cases return to their glory.....


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## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

MerlinShepherd said:


> Hey Roamer, I just love your "before and after" shots. Love seeing those sad looking dials and cases return to their glory.....


That's the fun and joy for me, rather than buying the near-perfect ones 'off the shelf', that would be too easy. It probably works out more costly in the end, but so much more satisfying as a hobby. At first, I was happy just to get the movements working again, but then you move onto cases and dials - and so it grows like topsy!

Pity it's technically beyond the amateur to contemplate full dial restoration to pro standard as well.


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## MerlinShepherd (Sep 18, 2011)

Roamer Man said:


> Pity it's technically beyond the amateur to contemplate full dial restoration to pro standard as well.


Patience is a great virtue and it'll come by trial, error and sheer determination. Respect to you for going as far as you have!


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

Roamer Man said:


> I decided to give the firm in the USA a try


Which firm? International Dial or Eagle or some other? :huh:

I bet this is an International refinishing job. Generally, I've always been a little disappointed with any re-finished dial; they never come back quite like the original and your example here a good example: straight "Antimagnetic" instead of curved, all minute markers around the sub dial, missing Swiss made etc.

They once put "Swiss" on one of my Hamilton Electric dials....even though Hamilton's were all made in Lancaster, PA....not a million miles from International.


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## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

Silver Hawk said:


> Roamer Man said:
> 
> 
> > I decided to give the firm in the USA a try
> ...


Yes, it was Internationaldialco. Didn't know about the other firm, but apart from my not specifying the whole job properly, I thought they did a fine job.


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## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

MerlinShepherd said:


> Roamer Man said:
> 
> 
> > Pity it's technically beyond the amateur to contemplate full dial restoration to pro standard as well.
> ...


I did try a few times before I realised I had met my Waterloo. Besides I'm pretty sure to get such results so cheaply they're using the 'pad printing' method. This is how model manufacturers like Hornby and Corgi manage to get such superb fine detailed paintwork done. There's no room for the artiste when you're trying for mass production, and as I don't have the necessary gear to do it the high tech way, I leave it to the pros. Though it would be nice if...


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## retro72 (Jan 19, 2005)

I sent a1956 Omega dial to IDCo a few years back and I had to keep chasing them about my dial. They then said they had sent it and when I enquired which address they had sent it to, it was the wrong address. They then offered to make up a new dial (which was good of them....sort of) a military style dial compared to the dress watch it originally was. The whole process took about 6 months to sort out.

Going off reviews I have read about the company they are good and I guess I was unlucky, but yes, I would send off a dial to them again.

Heres a link to a before and after shot. Ignore the brass bezel, I was using it to get a correct size

http://www.thewatchforum.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=36778


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## gaz64 (May 5, 2009)

anti magnetic lettering following the sub seconds line 

other than that good result


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

I agree with what Paul pointed out. If I sent them a completely readable dial and wanted it recreated to look as new, I would expect it to look the same. I guess it explains some of the variations we see on the Bay.

Later,

William


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## pugster (Nov 22, 2004)

looks like a decent result to alot of redials ive seen (hell just lok at the indian redials on fleabay), you also have to remember that collectors enthusiasm overides cost alot of the time and the money spent will most times never be recouped , this applys to alot of vintage stuff and the newer modded watches where ppl spend alot of money changing stuff on an inexpensive watch and think they will get it back on resale


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## mellons (Jul 13, 2010)

very nice work- not too intrusive!


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## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

pugster said:


> '..you also have to remember that collectors enthusiasm overides cost alot of the time and the money spent will most times never be recouped..'


That's certainly true in my case, and I've given deep thought about what really motivates me? While a true collector feels compelled to acquire and restore to original spec, for my part I have an equally noble objective. I'm trying to create my 'perfect watch'. There's never been such an animal of course, so I look at cobbling one together from available bits.

I often allow myself to enter the realms of pure fantasy, I imagine I can afford to commission a watch to my own specification? Mine would be manual winding, of vintage appearance, absolutely no complications, slim movement carrying a small 2nd hand, all housed in a moderately waterprooof 18ct case and topped by an ultra low dome sapphire crystal. Finished off with a nice padded croc leather strap with 2-fold butterfly clasp. Perfection!

Yeah, I know I'm a dreamer, but we all need to have dreams, don't we?


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## Phillionaire (Jan 23, 2010)

Roamer Man said:


> pugster said:
> 
> 
> > '..you also have to remember that collectors enthusiasm overides cost alot of the time and the money spent will most times never be recouped..'
> ...


That's why I'm getting drawn more into project watches! I know they won't hold their value like some other brands, but there's something about trawling sites hunting for the particular case/dial/hands/strap combination that you've thought up. The parts turn up from various suppliers in dribs and drabs, and you finally sit down and at the end of it all you've got an interesting build story and a shiny new watch to add to the collection. :thumbsup:


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## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

Phillionaire said:


> Roamer Man said:
> 
> 
> > pugster said:
> ...


This new acquisition comes a long way to being the perfect watch. All I had to do was re-strap it. It's got a very low dome crystal, making for a nice slim watch. The case is virtually unworn and the movement has never been touched (no scratches on any of the screws). The MST 424 dates to c.1965, I reckon.










The batons are a tad too heavy for my liking so I may swap the dial for a better one I have - if it fits?


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## Tony1951 (Dec 23, 2011)

Oh - I do like that Roamerman. Very nice. That's my idea of the perfect watch too pretty much, though for some reason (madness probably) I have also been drawn to a Seiko sports watch of late. I'm also looking at HMT watches which are of similar vintage size and one or two of similar style, except they look tacky and yours doesn't. I decided to look at the HMT watches because they are practically for nothing, unlike your Swiss beauty.

In fact my dad's old Omega is in the same sort of universe as yours, but it has had a hard life and really ought to be restored, but I am loath to spend the required money. I looked at the charges for restoration at Bienne, and they made my eyes water. It was in the realm of thousands of pounds.


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## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

Tony1951 said:


> .. I'm also looking at HMT watches which are of similar vintage size and one or two of similar style, except they look tacky and yours doesn't. I decided to look at the HMT watches because they are practically for nothing, unlike your Swiss beauty...


Oh my..now that's a real beaut. I can just see it with a 2-tone cream finish. Case looks OK in the photo? I don't know about this Bienne firm, but David Bill &Co. will do a lovely dial restore on that for less than Â£100, I expect. He did a nice job on mine for Â£60.78 incl. postage (I don't think I'd risk an overseas jaunt with an Omega dial). Just send him the dial and I'm sure he'll give you a very reasonable quote. He's quick too.

Here's a before pic..









and after..










BTW as for your 'I decided to look at the HMT watches because they are practically for nothing, unlike your Swiss beauty' - I got the Roamer on eBay for a measily Â£45 (with a max bid of Â£120, I wanted to blow away the competition).


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## Tony1951 (Dec 23, 2011)

That's a fantastic difference in the Omega dial. You may not see it in the poor photograph, but mine is a sort of two tone gold with an outer ring with minutes on it. I had a VERY careful go at it with a cotton bud, but I could see that it wasn't just dirt and that the actual paint was going to come off, so I stopped before I damaged it more. That watch was worn daily between 1946 and 2009 when it finally stopped. It's going now again, but I have put it away after giving it a two week trial. It keeps time on the wrist to one second a day. It needs a proper service at least. It's solid 18 carat gold and has a solid 18 carat gold strap which is not original. I would never wear a gold strap - too flash for me, so I might sell that and fund the service / dial restore and maybe some more watches.

The roamer was a heck of a bargain. The other fellow was probably gutted when it went for Â£45.


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## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

Tony1951 said:


> The roamer was a heck of a bargain. The other fellow was probably gutted when it went for Â£45.


Gutted, probably he was a bit disappointed. I'd say Â£45 is an average price for a nice-ish vintage Roamer on eBay, because they inevitably need a bit of work on them, but this one was in a superb condition. It's also a small 2nds model for which I expected to pay about Â£70. The most I ever paid for a small 2nds Roamer was Â£106, and it was long overdue a service. Generally, the larger the dial, the more you pay.

The least I ever paid for a small 2nds Roamer was Â£2.19, obviously needing a lot of restoration work, but that's half the fun!


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## Tony1951 (Dec 23, 2011)

This pastime could work out expensive though if I kept following my urges to bid for interesting looking watches. I'm half hoping I will recover my senses soon and just use a watch to tell the time and forget about the other charm they have. As it is, I could see myself becoming an eccentric in a house full of old watches and broken clocks.


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## Tony1951 (Dec 23, 2011)

Roamer Man said:


> Oh my..now that's a real beaut. I can just see it with a 2-tone cream finish. Case looks OK in the photo? I don't know about this Bienne firm, but David Bill &Co. will do a lovely dial restore on that for less than Â£100, I expect. He did a nice job on mine for Â£60.78 incl. postage (I don't think I'd risk an overseas jaunt with an Omega dial). Just send him the dial and I'm sure he'll give you a very reasonable quote. He's quick too.


Aaaarrrrrrgh!!!

Disaster with a degree of triumph - sort of......

I had left the old Omega resting for a few days and yesterday decided to give it a spin. I wound it, and while setting the time, a bizzare and horrible thing happened. Somehow, the hour and minute pointer clashed and as I spun the crown, the darned hour hand tangled and snapped off at the little boss which attaches to the hour wheel. To say the air went blue is an understatement. I certainly now need a new set of hands.

However, not to be defeated, as a temporary measure, I removed the hands and rather clumsily managed to solder the tiny pointer leaf back on. This took a few goes and I got far too much solder on which I patiently filed off as far as I dared. The thing has to hold together until I get it to my local watch repair man. I found one.

Anyway - rather dodgy hand repair job aside I also noticed that the yellowy 'gold coloured dial was in fact a silver dial covered in tobacco stains. My grandfather who owned the watch the first twenty years of its life was a heavy smoker. So - (this is the triumph side of the post) I used the spit on cotton bud method someone on here mentioned and the dial now looks a whole lot better even if i is let down by a slightly wonky, soldered hour hand.

When I take the watch in for its proper service, I will get the guy to replace the hands and crystal along with the clean and lube. I hope he will be able to get a set. I doubt they will be cheap.


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## shadowninja (Apr 14, 2009)

Nice going! Prefer the new hands, too. Can you clean the hands up?


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## Tony1951 (Dec 23, 2011)

shadowninja said:


> Nice going! Prefer the new hands, too. Can you clean the hands up?


Thanks.

I suppose I could do some more filing, or maybe buy a surface mount bit for the iron. It's a n Antex 15 watt sort. The first attempt saw the hole in the hour hand half filled with solder, which I had to carefully bore out. I don't have a great many tools for this game (plenty of big spanners and building tools) but I used a needle file to gradually work away at it.

The the hand broke off again as I tried to push it onto the spindle (wrong word but I expect you know what I mean). I left it and went back later and did it again. The blade of the hand is incredibly fine gold and it was hard to keep the two bits lined up while I applied the heat. In the end, I stuck the tip of the needle file through a business card and pressed the hole part of the hand onto the needle file on top of the card. By arranging it just the right length of file poking through the card, I had the inside of the hole filled. Then I slid the blade onto the card to come up to the small gold ring that is the hole in the hand, and clipped it there with small crocodile clip. This gave me a reasonable platform to work on once I put the handle of the needle file into a stand so it was vertical. By touching the tip of the iron to the job with some fine solder, the two were joined but I had a lot of surplus, maybe 6 or 7 thou around the join and for about three mm down the blade of the hand. It looked terrible, but I worked on it for a half hour with a small fine file until I thought it wouldn't look grotesque, but would still be strong enough to press onto the hour spindle and not break off. It worked, but it doesn't look that great. The best answer will be to get a new set of hands when it goes into the watchmakers. If he can't get them, I will try and clean more solder off the hand I've got.

I don't know why the thing tangled up in the first place. Maybe I was too vigorous with the crown while setting. I won't do that again. I'd never had the hands off before so I don't understand why it happened.


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## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

Amazing what a bit of spit can do. Pity about the hand though, I've broken one myself and was wondering whether I could solder it. Problem is they're made of steel, which won't solder - in theory.


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## Tony1951 (Dec 23, 2011)

Roamer Man said:


> Amazing what a bit of spit can do. Pity about the hand though, I've broken one myself and was wondering whether I could solder it. Problem is they're made of steel, which won't solder - in theory.


LOL - well.if the hand hadn't tangled and snapped, the dial would still be that manky tobacco colour. I'm still wondering how it happened. I did have the front off a few weeks back. Perhaps I inadvertently touched one of them and put it too near the other. I was re setting vigorously and I was doing it backwards. Maybe that has something to do with it.

On the soldering steel thing, I don't know, but you can maybe get two bits to stick together with a thin coat of solder. The hand doesn't need to be strong. It just needs to be able to stay together while you mount it and then sit there going around. I think solder will stick to steel a bit, but not that well.


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