I want to begin by thanking you guys for the wealth of knowledge on these forums, there seems to be a significant number of well informed collectors who frequently offer advice to the community, which I think is quite valuable. I have never purchased a vintage watch before and only recently began to consider the option more seriously. I have long admired vintage Omega's, but know very little about them or how to go about buying one. Having spent the better part of the past 3 days researching, I find myself more overwhelmed than when I began and thought it best to seek some guidance. I have bookmarked a number of pieces that have caught my attention, but am partial to one 1960s Seamaster in particular. The reference number is 14700 2 SC, as can be seen in the photo of the inside of the back of the case. My primary concerns are that the watch is authentic, that the various parts belong together, and that it has not been redialed. Any other pitfalls I should be aware of would be more than appreciated. The watch is currently priced at just above $1000. I have provided pictures from the advertisement below, unfortunately that is all I have at the moment, but I have contacted the seller asking for more. Something seems fishy about the first picture of the front of the dial, particularly when compared to the fourth photo that shows the side of the case. The first picture also seems to look different from other pictures I found when searching the reference number. Am I mistaken?
I forgot to mention, I am also concerned by the fact that the "SC" portion of the reference number on the inside of the back of the case is below the rest of the reference number. Should all the figures be on the same line?
Im no expert but the case back looks wrong for a vintage seamaster and it looks refinished. Could be wrong and the experts will be along soon with proper advice
Here is the information from the Omega Vintage Database on Case Ref. 14700: http://www.omegawatches.com/planet-omega/heritage/vintage-omegas/vintage-watches-database?ref=14578 The watch looks good to me, and these sometimes had dials with the waves like that. I see nothing inherently wrong with this watch. The serial number is from 1960, which matches the date of production from the database. The "SC" engraved inside the caseback means "seconds central" or center seconds in French. I am familiar with this seller. They sell top-notch product at top-notch prices. Sometimes their watches are over-restored, using redials and incorrect movements. Not this one, it looks spotless to me. Watches that seemed very expensive five years ago look cheap now. gatorcpa
Looks good to me, with maybe just a little more wear on the crown and refinishing on the lugs than I'd like for G-J's prices.
This specific example looks good to me. However, as mentioned above, this seller has a habit of polishing his merchandise extensively. Just keep that in mind when looking at his offerings.
Seeing this is a gold capped case watch and you can still peek the gold capped trace in lugs meaning this case is not overpolished.
Price seems a little high for this but that is a very cool dial and a good looking clean watch overall.
So often overlooked, but the back of the case seems very good which is a big plus for Seamasters and Constellations. The 552 is also one of Omega's very best movements.
I have the same one but in stainless - I would say this example looks very nice. It wears a little bigger than some others from the same era as the lug to lug dimension seems a little larger. I love mine, wear it regularly (I have it on now in fact) and it keeps perfect time - it's a great movement. Can't really comment on the price - seems a little high to me, but then at least you shouldn't need to worry about servicing for a while. I bought mine a little beat-up and then had it serviced, replacing a couple of parts plus usual crown / crystal replacement and a light polish.