As sharp as a tack, fortunate as I know the provenance from original sale in Spain to this day

 

This is technically my second vintage Omega, but I got it 3 days after the Cosmic. So I'd say both of them qualify as my "first"

1964 Seamaster De Ville:

 

First and currently only vintage omega watch. Geneve Calendar 503. This is not my picture as I had arranged with my watchmaker to send it in straight away to get the hour hand sorted out. I will post more pics when its finished.

 

My first and only journey into vintage watches was this Omega 9ct Geneve which I have recently sold. This was a very nice clean watch dated 1954, but at 34mm it just looked and felt to small on my wrist.

 

Here's my first, which according to an Extract of the Archives is a CK921 with a T17 movement.

In hindsight now I think it's a redial, and the crown isn't right, but it was pitched to me as 'original dial' and I fell in love with it.

When it finally arrived I wasn't prepared for the small size, and my wife asked me (with some suspicion) why I had bought a ladies' watch. She must have thought I was having an affair, and that the watch was meant for my (non-existent) mistress! With its fixed lugs and my skinny wrists, I struggled to find short-length open-ended straps (settling for a lizard strap with the unmanly name of 'Princess' from Hirsch).

Quite an experience for a 1st vintage. It remains one of my favourite watches, and one I wear for special occasions. And the T17 still has a 52-hour reserve

 

Many sellers will call a dial original if the slab of metal is the one that came with the watch originally. Collectors only call it original if the paint is original too. It's semantics.

 

x2

Unless a listing says "never refinished/restored", the term "original" is just puffery.

 

Yep! Classic newbie mistake on my part!

 

As mistakes go, that wasn't a bad one at all. See mine on page 1.

 

IMHO this dial is NOT redone, it looks just as a nice original example to me - as far as I can tell from this picture...
Could you manage to take a large high res. picture without glass/case? They are easy to take apart...
Then I might be able to tell you more.
kind regards
erich

 

I have to agree with you, the 34mm cases are on the small side. I think they made a jumbo version which I am currently on the hunt for.

 

My first Omega, purchased on a whim at a pawn shop.



Man I wish someone had clued me in to the fact that these things are supposed to have a gold medallion on the back, not just a shallow circular depression.

 

My first Omega purchased for £250 with original paperwork and receipt, I even managed to visit the shop it was originally purchased from in 1972 at the grand cost of £38.00 ha ha.
Two weeks later bought a SeaMaster 552 from Florida.

 

I lost one in the mail system and have not seen another with original dial in fair condition after that.

 

Wow, this thread is like therapy. Thanks guys, I'm feeling better about this purchase all the time... will feel even better if the right case back comes along some day.