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Solid Gold TC 1 - Help!!

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Stan68

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Solid Gold TC 1 - Help!!

Post07 Jan 2014, 10:38

Hello,

I am a regular reader but this is my first post. The reason for changing staus is that i have had the great misfortune of shattering the glass of my Solid Gold TC1 (long story very sad ending). I too am shattered! The watch is in Mint condition and the glass that is now broken was near perfect ( just thinking about it makes me furious). I was hoping there was someone on this forum that may be in possesion of a new glass in great condition that is willing to sell, unlikley i know; but you never know. Any assitance in trying to locate one would be greatly appreciated. I am guessing teh most likley way is to to buy a gold fill version and canbalise but that seems a little extreme unless teh watch is unserviceble.

Regards, Stan
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fronzelneekburm

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Re: Solid Gold TC 1 - Help!!

Post07 Jan 2014, 17:11

Funny since in the past months I have seen so many replacement crystals on ebay, but right now not a single one. I'd wait if one pops up again sooner or later, they are usually around 90-150 Euro even though sometimes they sold for more. So if no forum member has a spare for sale I'd keep looking on ebay sometimes.
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767Geoff

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Re: Solid Gold TC 1 - Help!!

Post07 Jan 2014, 19:11

OME-063TN5230TH for your case number 196-0020

That is the part number. Try Frei Borel and try Omega supplier (swatch) in your area. I picked up one a few years ago at Swatch repair centre in Toronto, Canada. Crystal was nice but the omega sign came off with rubbing alcohol which I had used to remove the excess epoxy used to glue it in place.

Cheers, Geoff
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gjlelec

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Re: Solid Gold TC 1 - Help!!

Post07 Jan 2014, 21:35

Hi Stan,
i'm pretty anal about crystals, so i wont sell them. i'll buy even if i dont need :bang: . You're profile doesnt show where you are based but i'll do you a deal. You post a pic of your 18ct TC1 with shatterered crystal and i'll tell you where you can get a new one in the UK (not off me but a bonifide, legit Omega agent) it would be great if this is another unknown till now survivor

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this is the part number you want

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Stan68

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Re: Solid Gold TC 1 - Help!!

Post08 Jan 2014, 02:49

To those who have responded thanks for the tips and information. I am not sure if this is an unknown Solid Gold TC1. I am based in Perth Austrlia but i purchased the Watch from The Beutiful watch in Paris. I have included some pics from before the accident. Ill post an after shot later.
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gjlelec

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Re: Solid Gold TC 1 - Help!!

Post08 Jan 2014, 23:16

Hi Stan, amongst my archives i have this pic listed "australia".I dont recall how i got it. But even with your watch, the known total doesnt exceed 10 units, waaaay rarer than a P1 :mega:
(pm sent about crystal)

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Stan68

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Re: Solid Gold TC 1 - Help!!

Post09 Jan 2014, 04:56

GJ,

when i was researching my watch there had been a recent sale of a Solid Gold TC1 in Melbourne. i think it was in ealry 2012 late 2011 so it may have been that one. It was for sale in a watch reseller. The Sold it for quite bit they would not tell me but indicted it was over AU$10k. THis is proabably the highest price i have seen paid for this watch.
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charger105

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Re: Solid Gold TC 1 - Help!!

Post09 Jan 2014, 06:07

It was probably the one I highlighted 2 years ago:
viewtopic.php?f=80&t=5053&p=33126&hilit=SOLID#p33126

Rgds.
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Stan68

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Re: Solid Gold TC 1 - Help!!

Post09 Jan 2014, 10:15

Here are some pictures of my damaged TC1. It makes me so mad/sad to see it this way. Once i have restored it no more wearing, I could not stand this happening again. The glass is shattered and the case/link got some scratches too. Any tips on how i might go about removing the scratches?
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fronzelneekburm

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Re: Solid Gold TC 1 - Help!!

Post09 Jan 2014, 13:59

Well for the glass you can only get a new one. The scratches can be polished out with any metal polish, i use Autosol. Beware since when you polish the scratches out you end up with a mirror finish, so you need a sanding/brushing paper to get back the original "brushed" look. I use these "hand pads" from 3M to give it back the brushed look.

http://www.vikingtapes.co.uk/p-74-3m-74 ... s6PDoarq_M
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bruce wegmann

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Re: Solid Gold TC 1 - Help!!

Post14 Jan 2014, 00:12

There is another problem here that just occurred to me... Replacement of the glass is a simple and straightforward matter; might take about ten minutes, start-to-finish. But the scratches, while not serious in and of themselves, will require some alteration of the surface to remove them. The moment you do that, you set off a sort of chain-of dominoes string of events. It looks very likely, from the second pic showing the broken glass, that your watch has its' original, 40+ year-old patina (yes, even 18K gold tarnishes over time; the gold remains untouched, but about 25% of the alloy is copper, and that is what picks up oxygen from the air and gradually darkens to produce that deep orange color; only the color of 24K gold never changes). It's very thin, only a few atoms thick, actually, and there is no method to remove any surface marks and still preserve it. So, if you refinish only the area where the scratches were, it will be a very noticeably different color than the rest of the case, and if you re-finish the entire case, it will now not match the color of the bracelet, thus requiring a complete re-finish of the bracelet. There's really no escape from this; it comes down to a all-or-nothing kind of situation (rather like the restoration of the painting of The Last Supper; once they began removing the accumulated grime of centuries, they realized it would look very different, but there was no turning back). There are two positive aspects to this...first, you will end up with a totally pristine, mint-looking watch, and second, given a few years, it will all eventually tone back to the color you have now. Downside...unless you want to risk going through this a second time, you probably won't be able (or even want) to wear it again. My 18K TC1 went through the same process, now visually a gem, but confined to its' box, and essentially untouchable.
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gjlelec

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Re: Solid Gold TC 1 - Help!!

Post14 Jan 2014, 16:43

I aint no metallurgist but am i right in assuming something similar also happens to the goldfilled watches Bruce ?? The watch in my pic has been re-brushed, the bracelet is NOS from Omega themselves and is as per factory, the watch head is noticably lighter. I recall Geoff Jones and Archer experimenting with alterations to the tone by heating the case in an oven (i think). Cant recall if that darkened or lightened it though :scratch:

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bruce wegmann

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Re: Solid Gold TC 1 - Help!!

Post14 Jan 2014, 22:37

Heating would speed up the process (all chemical reactions accelerate at higher temperatures). You could also probably move things along even at room temperature by keeping the watch in a pure oxygen atmosphere. 14K gold tones faster than 18K, anyway, just because of the much higher copper content of the alloy. Even gold coins (which are typically .900, or 21.6K), eventually turn a deep orange color from the oxidizing copper. No one makes watch cases in 24K gold; many consider even 18K marginal for durability. In any event, the deeper the patina, the greater the contrast will be if the surface is altered.

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