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1960s Omega Retirement Watch

artisgil
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Picked up this mid-60s Omega Seamaster Automatic in a US-cased 14K gold-filled case (J. Wadsworth), with a nicely preserved silver sunburst dial signed Omega Automatic Seamaster and correct? applied indices. Caseback is engraved “25th Century Service Award - Roy Weaver - 1966,” which lines up well with the era. Inside is an Omega automatic marked Seventeen Jewels, Unadjusted (US import), running at 19,800 bph. On the timegrapher it’s currently about -30 s/day with very low beat error (~0.3 ms), though amplitude is modest (~150°), so a service is likely due. Crown appears Omega-signed and period-correct. Would appreciate thoughts on dial originality, exact movement ID, and whether the case/dial combo looks right for a US-market Seamaster of this period.
Cost 450 usd

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ErichKeane
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Omega 550 movement obviously, a 551 or 552 is a nicer movement (24 vs 17 jewel), but nice neough and looks in pretty good shape other than the timegrapher result. There migth be signs of rotor rubbing, which is a bit concerning, but would be taken care of by servicing.

Case, dial, hands all look about right, nothing suspicious there, case number L6298 gets you ton of search results, so have at it 😀

450 is about reasonable for it, though it needs $3-500 in service of course. I have a ton of 601-series watches (the manual wind versions of these) that I typically pay $350-$400 in about equally running shape, so $450 is perhaps a touch high, but not meaninfully so.

Side note: 150 degrees amplitude is not 'modest', that is 'basically not running'. Note lift angle on these is 49 degrees, so it is perhaps a touch worse than that too.
 
artisgil
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ErichKeane ErichKeane
Omega 550 movement obviously, a 551 or 552 is a nicer movement (24 vs 17 jewel), but nice neough and looks in pretty good shape other than the timegrapher result. There migth be signs of rotor rubbing, which is a bit concerning, but would be taken care of by servicing.

Case, dial, hands all look about right, nothing suspicious there, case number L6298 gets you ton of search results, so have at it 😀

450 is about reasonable for it, though it needs $3-500 in service of course. I have a ton of 601-series watches (the manual wind versions of these) that I typically pay $350-$400 in about equally running shape, so $450 is perhaps a touch high, but not meaninfully so.

Side note: 150 degrees amplitude is not 'modest', that is 'basically not running'. Note lift angle on these is 49 degrees, so it is perhaps a touch worse than that too.
Thank you Eric for your expertise..have a great weekend
 
JimInOz
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artisgil artisgil
US-cased 14K gold-filled case (J. Wadsworth),
Case was made by the Jonell Watch Case Company of Long Island City, New York.
 
artisgil
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JimInOz JimInOz
Case was made by the Jonell Watch Case Company of Long Island City, New York.
Thank you.Nice to pick up.I wasn't sure and I showed it to chat G p t I guess it got it wrong. Thx again
 
Dan S
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Same watch as your other thread today?
https://omegaforums.net/threads/omega-1960-seamaster.189898/ Cover Image
Thread 'Omega 1960 Seamaster' ·
Picked up this mid-60s Omega Seamaster Automatic in a US-cased 14K gold-filled case (J. Wadsworth), with a nicely preserved silver sunburst dial signed Omega Automatic Seamaster and correct...
artisgil ·
 
artisgil
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Dan S Dan S
Same watch as your other thread today?
https://omegaforums.net/threads/omega-1960-seamaster.189898/ Cover Image
Thread 'Omega 1960 Seamaster' ·
Picked up this mid-60s Omega Seamaster Automatic in a US-cased 14K gold-filled case (J. Wadsworth), with a nicely preserved silver sunburst dial signed Omega Automatic Seamaster and correct...
artisgil ·
Yeah, it was weird. I posted the thread and then it disappeared. So I reposted it, i'm not sure who the administrator is, but they're free to delete it
 
artisgil
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ErichKeane ErichKeane
It was cheaper in that thread 😁
Yeah 425. But then I forgot to include tax and shipping. So it was right around 450.
 
artisgil
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Decided to slow things down and take a short break from buying while I continue learning. I’ve realized it makes more sense to focus on education now and eventually put my resources toward one really solid, correct piece rather than several weaker examples. I realize i've made really too many mistakes.

I appreciate the knowledge shared here, and may post a few potential candidates in advance for feedback before my next purchase. I want my next buy to be a solid watch which has great history and originality
Thanks again, and have a great weekend

Artis
 
Dan S
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artisgil artisgil
Decided to slow things down and take a short break from buying while I continue learning. I’ve realized it makes more sense to focus on education now and eventually put my resources toward one really solid, correct piece rather than several weaker examples. I realize i've made really too many mistakes.

I appreciate the knowledge shared here, and may post a few potential candidates in advance for feedback before my next purchase. I want my next buy to be a solid watch which has great history and originality
Thanks again, and have a great weekend

Artis
Yep, this is good awareness. It's pretty easy to get buried in mediocre pieces early on.
 
ErichKeane
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Dan S Dan S
Yep, this is good awareness. It's pretty easy to get buried in mediocre pieces early on.
100%. WAY too many folks come here looking for AN Omega, rather than a GOOD Omega. IMO, if you are buying vintage, the first thing you have to do is figure out exactly what you are looking for (that is, don't get caught up in reference numbers if you can, decide on size, dial color/design/etc, and go from there), and look for the nicest one you can.

Too many folks also don't realize that there is nothing more expensive than a 'cheap' luxury watch (like a 'cheap' luxury car 😀 ). Repairs/service/etc are going to be more expensive the cheaper it is. My advice is : Find out what you want, then buy the nicest one you can find. Typically you find these in our classifieds here, since collectors typically only buy 'nice' ones, so they come pre-filtered.
 
hugh162
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ErichKeane ErichKeane
like a 'cheap' luxury car
Fully agree, this is the best analogy for vintage watches.

Servicing an automatic movement runs a few hundred dollars where I am and would probably near the price of this watch itself.
 
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