Hello everyone,

I am looking to purchase a vintage 168.022 sparkle dial Seamaster and had a question. As far as I know, this watch came with a 564 Caliber movement. While inspecting the watch, I noticed the caliber as being 565. I assume this watch was pieced together as this doesn't appear, based upon my research, to be the original movement. Here are some pics of the watch. Seller states the watch was serviced and keeping time +/- 20 seconds, with the watch not being polished to his knowledge. The seller is asking a reasonable price, but what would you say this is worth if it fact this was pieced together and not all original? Worth buying?

 

Isn't cal 565 just the non-chronometer version? Maybe it's ok since the dial doesn't say chronometer. If it were a chronometer version of the reference with a cal 565, then I would be more concerned.

The condition looks very nice as far as I can see, but keep in mind that the non-chronometer examples don't bring quite as much as the chronometer version, if you are comparing prices.

 

Ref 168.022 564, 166.028 565, dual reference case.

 

I appreciate the information and quick responses. The watch is super clean and would like to add this to the collection

 

I would then assume the seller listed the incorrect reference. This watch then appears to be a 166.028?

 

Thanks Dan! Appreciate the information. Seller is right around $950. I've seen the Chronometer version going for almost double that. Would you say the price is fair?

 

I'm more familiar with SS models, but I think that gold-capped is fairly similar. I think that the prices you are giving are almost 2x what I would pay. I recently bought a very nice chronometer version for about $550. I later added a 1125 bracelet which cost me about $200. If I were to sell the package, I would be happy to get $1250.

 

Thanks Dan. Wow, that's a great price. I will offer a few hundred lower and see if it works. If not, I'll find one sooner rather than later.

 

It's possible that the gold-capped is more valuable for this reference. Certainly I don't see them very often.

 

Your watch looks amazing! Sweet piece. That was my thought on the gold-capped with a rarer sparkle dial in such good condition.

 

I agree that the gold-capped seems uncommon. Mine does have a sparkle dial, just a little hard to see in that photo. The one you showed is very sharp.

 

Oh def. see it! Looks great. Such a nice watch. I'm going to offer the seller a little less and see what happens. Fingers crossed.

 

Sure, good luck. Sometimes you have to pay a little more to get a nice watch, especially buying from a collector. Mine was an auction.

 

Appreciate it! Thanks for all the information. I’ve been checking the auction sites but I haven’t seen such a nice example like this. Hoping for a good deal.

 

If you get it, I hope you like it. I think they look great in photos, and the size is perfect, but for some reason I find them underwhelming on the wrist. Maybe they will grown on me, that happens sometimes.

 

We all enjoy a bargain but, as a collector, you sometimes have to pay what you think the watch is worth to you and, with a nice example, that can mean paying over the odds.

I still regret not buying a few watches that I felt were overpriced - particularly since I could have afforded them.

 

True, it's also a question of availability and patience. Nice 166.028/032 are plentiful, so if the OP is patient he should be able to find a significantly cheaper one. That does, however, involve investing time in the hunt, possibly not buying from a dealer, and having to wait for a while. I can relative if someone would rather pay a few hundred $€ more to avoid that.

 

I purchased my 168.022 gold capped for approx. $950. Back in 2020. It was fully serviced and in great condition. Thought the price was fair, I’m located in Scandinavia. 168.032 should probably sell slightly lower. Then again this piece looks really nice. Sharp edges on the case and emaculate condition of the sparkle dial.
It is a great watch and not super common. The sparkle dials hold up well against the “times tooth” as we say here.

 

Yes. The OP watch is a Ref 166.028 because it is not a chronometer, and the 565 movement, which is not a chronometer, would be correct for the 166.028. The 564 movement is chronometer grade and would be found in the Ref 168.022. As @X350 XJR noted, the same case is used for both the 166.028 and 168.022. So it does appear that the seller listed the wrong reference.

The OP watch is very sharp and in great condition for a gold-capped sparkle-dial Seamaster. The gold-plated cases tended to go very soft and less sharp even after only minor use. You'll be looking a long time to find as sharp as that one. Good luck!

 

The watch appears to be gold-capped, not gold-plated IMO.