1964 Omega Seamaster Help!!

Hello All,
New to the group and after some information. Iv been left a 1964 seamaster 300 which belonged to my grandad who Acquired it in the royal navy ( MOD stamped and serial numbers) ... 10 years ago he had to have the watch sent to Switzerland as the seal on the winder had gone and it took on Abit of water. When the watch returned I remember my grandad telling me they had replaced the face of the watch as it had lost it's illumination ( sounds strange I know). The face that's on now doesn't match any other seamaster 300 from that era or any other sea master I can find.
So my question is , was omega right to do this? , Is it a genuine face and if not has it devalued the watch ? ( p.s I know the strap isn't the original. He replaced the original nylon one )
Thanks in advance

Did Omega return the dial ( face) and hands? Has it been send to Omega or did a third party Workshop carry out the Service? You are right, it's a luminova service dial.

hi,
thanks for the quick reply. my grandad took it to a 3rd party watch repair ( PA jewellers) ... they said they didn't want to touch it and sent it off to omega in Switzerland ... no face or hands returned :/ seems very strange

Welcome!

That may sound strange, but it is entirely as expected.
The original lume was radioactive, and has only a limited shelf life.

Pre-1963 it would have used Radium - with a 1600 year half-life it will be radioactive for a very long time, but Radium degrades the phosphors after a few years and no longer glows. Post-1963 it would have been Tritium - with a much shorter half-life it would have decayed to uselessness after 20-30 years as well.

Rather than replacing the whole dial and hands, a better option would have been to simply repaint them with modern, non-radioactive phosphor. Unfortunately, the Omega factory does things "their way" and will replace things however they see fit (which is often at odds with how collectors of vintage watches see fit).

For future repairs, you may want to find a local shop that isn't afraid to get their hands dirty. There are plenty of East-Coast US based Omega Forum members who could recommend one. As it is, too bad. Sorry 🙁 Stuff like this just happens.

Now the more important part:

"Is it Devalued?"
- it's no longer Original, which means it's less attractive to collectors, which means you would get less money when selling than if it were an untouched original dial/hands. No fully original 60 year old watch is going to have functional glow-in-the-dark paint, so having a watch that works the way you want might not be compatible with collectors' value. Original straps get old and nasty and need to be replaced. That's another fact of life. Pick the best strap or bracelet that you like, or try for one that approximates the original if you value originality.

Stretchy bands tend to damage the lugs. so are always good to replace with leather/nylon/non-stretchy bracelet.

"Was Omega right to do what they did?"
- now you're getting into metaphysics. Omega does things the way way want to, and by their standards they are always right. Collectors of modern watches (< 30 years old) tend to like the way Omega factory service turns a ratty old watch into a beautiful new watch. Collectors of vintage watches (>30 years old) tend to very much dislike the way Omega factory service turns a ratty old watch into an allegedly beautiful new watch.
Right or wrong is an opinion.

Regardless, the greatest value in the watch you have is its meaning as a family heirloom. THAT is irreplaceable, and infinitely more than anything you could sell it for. Unless you just want to sell it! Which is ok too.

That isn't anywhere near an Omega dial. At all. That dial is really really bad. I suspect that those people refinished the dial on their own and then overchanged your grandfather for the overall service. There is absolutely zero chance they sent that for factory service.

Unfortunately, the people who did the "service" (what the bull does to the cow) are likely no longer there and you probably couldn't prosecute them anyways.

It's up to you of course but I would sent it to Omega for real this time and get a service dial, hands, and bezel. At least they'll be real... and the lume is outstanding.

This is my Seamaster 300, which is built with service parts and a vintage movement that was allegedly NOS.

No, it's garbage. You are, unfortunately, incorrect.

Omega never saw this watch. They don't make these kinds of mistakes.

Thanks.
🤦
Not being Omega, I DO make mistakes, and worse.

To be honest, so do they. But refinishing a dial as unoriginal ain't one of them.

Hahaha , I was quite scared putting this post up asni thought I may end up with a knock on door

Thankyou all for your replies , it's really helped ... How much do you reckon I'd have to pay to get the dial it should have in by omega ?

Zero, because you do not want to send to Omega, full stop.

They would use a recent Luminova service dial and hands, service and ask you about 1000 pounds for the pleasure.

I also see that they have taken away the fixed bars, in favour of conventional springbars.

I would advise that you:
A- get a service dial and may be hands and crown on the web, often here too.
B- (assuming you are in UK) send the whole lot directly to Simon Freese or STS, both extremely recommended for (vintage) Omega. They also should put back fixed/welded bars.

f

If MOD model. I assume the back is stamped with military numbers? Papers also add to the value.

Do not do anything to the case. Hard to tell, but looks like the fixed bars are still on the watch.

As the original dial is gone. Maybe you can search for a standard SM 300 dial and hands to match the rest of the case.

Right now. Value is in the original case and movement. Finding an orphan signed circle T dial is rare and hugely expensive.

As mentioned. Contact Simon Freese or STS about service

DON

Watchco Dials are standard Omega dials. They come up from time to time on the Bay. 2 or 3 on the moment.

Well now I feel like an idiot "shouting" It's a fake!

Welcome to the "idiot club"!