Advice on Vintage Seamaster 166.003

Hi everyone, I found this vintage seamaster up for sale and I was wondering if I could have some help authenticating it. It is a 166.003 Seamaster which has a 565 movement which to me looks like it is in good condition (not an expert though) but the seller does say that the date rolls over at midnight as expected and that it keeps good time (although isn't too specific on how well). The seller says that the crown and dial are all original. Based on my research by comparing it to those in the omega database and other examples online it seems to me to be authentic but I am not expert enough to tell if the face and crown are original and unpainted. Any help in determining its authenticity will be greatly appreciated.

Hi
It looks all nice and original to me. Looks like there’s some lume missing off the tip of the hour hand, but difficult to really say with the pictures provided. What’s the asking price?
Regards
Chris

Hi, very good first post here!

As far as I can see the watch is in original conditon, crown is correct, no redial.

What I would say that the case is a bit soft, the ends of the lugs are a bit rounded.
A litte lume loss as mentioned by @Biezmez but this is still OK.

The rotor has rubbed on the bridge I think



so maybe a service could be neccessary (you should always be aware that this may happen)

Serial number indicates ca. 1967 production which is OK.

So it all comes down to the price (as mentioned by @Biezmez )

Good luck!

I agree it looks like an honest nice example. However bear in mind there is an absolutely stellar Stainless screw back seamaster for sale right here on this forum's sales site as well. Might want to have a look at it.

Hi everyone, thanks for all your comments so far, they're really helpful.

I don't mind too much about general wear and tear like the bit of mossing lume and the slightly rounded as i am looking for more of an everyday watch rather than a mint condition collectors piece.

It's an auction on eBay and at the moment it is sitting at about £290 but i do expect that to rise as it gets close to finishing. What sort of price do you all think would be an absolute upper ceiling on it?

@Passover what sort of consequences for reliability would a rubbed bridge give and how much typically would it cost to service this watch?

I'll also have a look at the examples on the sale site here to see what other options i have too.

Thanks again everyone for all of your help!

As your are looking for an every day wearer the optical condition of the movement wouldn't be so important for you.
As there are no rubbing marks on the visiable part of the rotor maybe this has already been fixed or maybe the rotor was replaced recently?

If you intend to wear it daily keep in mind that a service likley would be necessary.
That would cost around 200 pounds (or more if parts have to be replaced.)

That's good to hear that it's not necessarily a bad thing operationally. The seller doesnt say anything about parts having been replaced or the service history of the watch, but i might send them a message and ask about that.

Would i send it off to be serviced by omega or are there specific specialised jewellers that do the servicing of old omega watches?

You can try to get informations like that from the seller but I don't think that this will get you far

If you need to service and vintage Oemga watch you will find some specialized watchmakers, especially in the UK
who will fix the movement and let everything else in its original condition.

Check prices at ebay for sold Seamasters with 565 movement in auctions and you will get an estimate of the current market prices

Fair enough, does anyone know of any good places to send Omega watches to be serviced in the UK?

I have had a look at the sale history on ebay and the going rate seems to be between £320 and £400, would setting a limit at about £360 be reasonable do you think?

You could give it a try with 360 pounds I think...