Amateur vintage Omega buyer. 1970s Deville or 1970s Seamaster cosmic. Worth it??

[Toni C]

Hello fellow Omega enthusiasts!

It is my first time considering buying a vintage Omega piece. I've scoured the depths of eBay, participated in several biddings (which I've lost) and seen and investigated about countless items. I'm still sceptic of items and sellers so I decided to submit to somebody's expertise to see if any of the ones I have seen are worth it or not.

I'm attaching some photos of

1. Omega DeVille squared 1977 manual (Cal 625) right now at $195 in eBay auction

2. Omega seamaster cosmic 2000 (Cal 1012) right now at $151 at auction.

I'd really appreciate any info on weather or not this are worth pursuing!

With regards,

 

[Spruce]

If it were me, I’d go for the Cosmic - but then it’s my sort of watch

 

[wilderbeast]

The Cosmic 2000 is certainly the better proposition as a model - but that dial looks redialled to me. I’d keep searching.

 

[Toni C]

Spruce

If it were me, I’d go for the Cosmic - but then it’s my sort of watch

Thank you!

 

[Toni C]

wilderbeast

The Cosmic 2000 is certainly the better proposition as a model - but that dial looks redialled to me. I’d keep searching.

Got it! If you have any guide u can consult about how to spot redialed, that'd be great.

 

[ahartfie]

Toni C

Got it! If you have any guide u can consult about how to spot redialed, that'd be great.

The very excellent Learn How To Fish thread is well worth the time.

 

[wilderbeast]

Toni C

Got it! If you have any guide u can consult about how to spot redialed, that'd be great.

The thread @ahartfie cites above is a really good primer, but the most important thing with any reference is to study images of lots of examples, so you can just see immediately when something is not right. For me on this one, it’s the Seamaster font and the spacing and weight of “COSMIC 2000”.

Here’s mine as a comparison:


and compare the lettering of OMEGA at the top:

 

[PlainVanilla]

wilderbeast

The thread @ahartfie cites above is a really good primer, but the most important thing with any reference is to study images of lots of examples, so you can just see immediately when something is not right. For me on this one, it’s the Seamaster font and the spacing and weight of “COSMIC 2000”.

Here’s mine as a comparison:


and compare the lettering of OMEGA at the top:

That shattered dial looks so cool!

 

[wilderbeast]

PlainVanilla

That shattered dial looks so cool!

Thanks, @PlainVanilla! I do think the spiderweb cracking on mine is pretty funky. My WM seems to think it’s pretty stable now, too. Very much a “lived in” example that I love wearing. 👍

 

[Toni C]

wilderbeast

The thread @ahartfie cites above is a really good primer, but the most important thing with any reference is to study images of lots of examples, so you can just see immediately when something is not right. For me on this one, it’s the Seamaster font and the spacing and weight of “COSMIC 2000”.

Here’s mine as a comparison:


and compare the lettering of OMEGA at the top:

Great example! Thanks so much. And I agree, that cracking gives it a whole lot of personality.

 

[Davidt]

I’m not seeing anything on the gold plated Cosmic to suggest a redial. Looks original to me.

 

[Dan S]

The watches look fine to me. You should buy one if you like it. I think it's entirely a matter of personal taste.

 

[wilderbeast]

Hmm… maybe the angle of the photo was misleading me… happy to be corrected! I do think that a Cosmic 2000 is an unlikely candidate for a redial, I must admit. 😀

 

[ken_hodson]

I have a few cosmic 2000s. The OP's Cosmic looks ok, not obviously a redial, I don't think.

Before buying one you should know that the cases are hard to open and a lot of watchmakers won't work on them because of this. However, there are a few people with expertise... check out Welwyn Watches on YouTube for example.

However, they are often on good nick because of the hard-to-open case and very effective water resistance!

 

[Spruce]

If you’re a hard-wired collector, or a dealer, then you’ll want a watch that will hold or increase it’s value.

But, if you’re like many of us and just want a watch that you enjoy wearing, then don’t worry too much about the side issues. Buy to wear and enjoy.