165.024 Seamaster

[G'c]

Also just saw another post from TZ-UK forums (Jack Norman), which i find very helpful (also addresses the 550 movement point):

https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread....mega-Seamaster-300-including-Military-watches

To quote the 1st post there: "...The Omega cal.550 movement with 17 jewels created in 1960 was chosen specifically for the American market, as watches that exceeded 17 jewels were subject to more tax in the US. The compromise was made in the automatic assembly, where brass bushes were used instead of jewels. The brass bushes were prone to wear, and it is not uncommon to see cal.550 movements that have had both the upper and lower automatic bridges changed to the jewelled version." I guess the highlighted sentence may also be a cost factor (servicing) when considering the price.

Hopefully other people interested in the 165.024 can find this useful too.

 

[Knudsen1971]

085ST0030 SPRING price is cca 5euro w/o VAT per piece
099ST0029 BEARING BALL price is cca 7euro w/o VAT per piece

You need 3 of each, if all missing. Remove the bezel first to check. If you know what and how, start at 12 o`clock.
If not, use the watchmaker, there is a risk of bending the bezel...

 

[redpcar]

Knudsen1971

085ST0030 SPRING price is cca 5euro w/o VAT per piece
099ST0029 BEARING BALL price is cca 7euro w/o VAT per piece

You need 3 of each, if all missing. Remove the bezel first to check. If you know what and how, start at 12 o`clock.
If not, use the watchmaker, there is a risk of bending the bezel...

Or breaking the insert 😲

 

[G'c]

Knudsen1971

085ST0030 SPRING price is cca 5euro w/o VAT per piece
099ST0029 BEARING BALL price is cca 7euro w/o VAT per piece

You need 3 of each, if all missing. Remove the bezel first to check. If you know what and how, start at 12 o`clock.
If not, use the watchmaker, there is a risk of bending the bezel...

Thanks Knudsen! I think if I really get the watch and if I decide to remedy the bezel issue, I will definitely find a local watchmaker to handle with it. As for ordering the parts - I assume shipping to Hong Kong won't be much as these can easily fit into a sealed envelope?

 

[G'c]

redpcar

Or breaking the insert 😲

Exactly lol! No way I am going to do this myself as I have no experience modding/fixing watches at all. Come to think of it, it will be difficult to find an omega specialist in Hong Kong too - most of them are the most capable of handling rolexes and patek I assume...

 

[Davidt]

G'c

Thanks Knudsen! I think if I really get the watch and if I decide to remedy the bezel issue, I will definitely find a local watchmaker to handle with it. As for ordering the parts - I assume shipping to Hong Kong won't be much as these can easily fit into a sealed envelope?

No Omega watchmaker will sell you these parts loose, they will only provide them as part of a service. You may find them being sold by parts resellers but it’s possible you’ll need an Omega watchmaker with a parts account to supply and fit them as part of a service.

 

[G'c]

Davidt

No Omega watchmaker will sell you these parts loose, they will only provide them as part of a service. You may find them being sold by parts resellers but it’s possible you’ll need an Omega watchmaker with a parts account to supply and fit them as part of a service.

Ah I see ...thank you David. That means I'm kind of stuck if I want to fix the bezel as I'm in Hong Kong. Sending the watch overseas would be risky for me and will be adding extra costs.🤔

 

[southtexas]

G'c

Ah I see ...thank you David. That means I'm kind of stuck if I want to fix the bezel as I'm in Hong Kong. Sending the watch overseas would be risky for me and will be adding extra costs.🤔

Surely there are capable watchmakers in HK for Omega service? Watch looks really nice to me, good luck.

 

[G'c]

southtexas

Surely there are capable watchmakers in HK for Omega service? Watch looks really nice to me, good luck.

Thanks southtexas. There are capable ones in hk but I can’t find the “official certified ones”. I think those only work for omega/ swatch - which means if I send it to omega I get charged an arm and a leg for service and might get the whole thing refurbished. I will check again.

I am in a dilemma - not sure if it’s worth getting this watch head if it costs around 5.2 to 6k. @BlackTalon mentioned about the bezel damage - I am slightly worried they it may self disintegrate/ fall apart if I wear it (instead as a safe queen). Also if I take it to a watchmaker to fix the bezel click problem, then further damage to the bezel may be made during the removal process… fingers crossed.

 

[Davidt]

Not all Omega certified watchmakers work for Omega. There are many independent watchmakers who are Omega certified. I’d expect a full service to be around £500-700 plus parts.

 

[southtexas]

Many/most of those bezels have damage of one sort or another (however, nothing on your bezel gives me pause?). As a daily wearer myself, I can say they are much more durable than I first thought they’d be.

And as Davidt says above, watchmakers can have an omega parts account without being a corporate employee. I’d bet someone here has a good recommendation on one in HK.

Edited: Jan 3, 2024

 

[Dash1]

G'c

Also if I take it to a watchmaker to fix the bezel click problem, then further damage to the bezel may be made during the removal process… fingers crossed.

Why are you concerned about the bezel? It looks in good condition and stable to me. Maybe there’s a crack I haven’t seen, but even then they don’t tend to fall apart.

 

[BlackTalon]

Look at the 3rd-to-last photo. The inner edge of the bezel insert has some damage/ deterioration. The other photos aren't really in good enough focus to see it. It's not significant, but it's there.

 

[southtexas]

BlackTalon

Look at the 3rd-to-last photo. The inner edge of the bezel insert has some damage/ deterioration. The other photos aren't really in good enough focus to see it. It's not significant, but it's there.

I see it now. I wonder if that's just topical funk, or some sort of resin used in a repair?

 

[Dash1]

southtexas

I see it now. I wonder if that's just topical funk, or some sort of resin used in a repair?

Exactly. Could just be gunk, hard to say without inspecting it in hand.

 

[G'c]

@BlackTalon @southtexas @Dash1 Thanks all for your contribution - the bezel damage is indeed the worrying part. Agree that I need to inspect again in person and this may potentially be a deal-breaker. Let's see if I have time to go to the shop again in the next few days.

On a side note, I managed to contact the owner of www.omegaseamaster300.com and asked for his views. He is very helpful as well, and by looking at the pics, he thinks that the bezel degradation is not common, and looks like someone has tried to fit another acrylic insert hence the material on the inner edge. If he happened to be following this post, thank you for your help in assessing this sample, and hope you don't mind me sharing your views on this.😀

Just wanted to share this for those who have been following this journey.

 

[Knudsen1971]

I`m pretty sure, that the bezel inser is genuine, maybe somebody just glued it back in.
first of all, have the bezel removed, so you know, what the issue is and what are the parts you need.
Let me know then, I may be able to get the parts for you.

 

[G'c]

Dash1

ng it

Knudsen1971

I`m pretty sure, that the bezel inser is genuine, maybe somebody just glued it back in.
first of all, have the bezel removed, so you know, what the issue is and what are the parts you need.
Let me know then, I may be able to get the parts for you.

Thanks Knudsen. Yeh I will see if the seller is willing remove the bezel for checking (unlikely) - I have yet to be able to make time to visit the store again. Let's see if this happens and if the watch is even available by then. Thank you again for your help on this!

 

[G'c]

Hi All,
So I managed to visit the shop and take more pics today, focusing on the bezel. I also took a pic of the movement. My observations:

- bezel: without magnification it doesn’t look too bad but please see the “glue” issue in the close-up pics. I have no idea if this issue has been stabilised as this cannot be verified by touching and to my inexperienced parts. I didn’t ask for the bezel to be removed as this seems abit impolite since I didn’t commit to buy yet. Confirmed again that there's no "clicks".

- movement: OXG marking is on the balance cock as per @kox comments.

- back lug: there appears to be a marking manually inscripted onto one of the lugs. Seller also just noted the same and said maybe done by a watchmaker before during service. Any views on this?

- case profile: I didn’t take any pics this time, but noticing my previous pics (re-attach one of them ) do you think the side case has been polished? Seller thinks that the case is not polished. At the same time he readily admits that he’s more familiar with Rolex datejust and day dates, which are their bread and butter.

- Lume: I have checked with the UV light provided by seller, the bezel and lume markers do light up according to the period correct parts, i.e., for the bezel, luminous numbers and 5 min index.

- Value: The seller is looking for approx. USD5100 - what do you guys think?

 

[flqt-9000]

I try to give my interpretation of the problem.
I had a similar issue in another sm300 bezel:
Basically the black paint which is below the acrylic disc for some reason (probably moisture?) tends to leak from the bezel. When I tried to wipe it from outside the result was more leakages, leading to partial discoloration of the disk itself.