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the future
路Hi everyone,
I spend a fair bit of time trolling ebay, mostly for Omega, specifically Seamaster 300 stuff. I'm an amateur watch tinkerer, and so sometimes I search for watchmaking related things. Several months ago I was looking for Omega movement parts, and I came across a listing for a watchmaker's "bone yard" of movement parts. I wanted 565 and 552 parts, and the description was poor, so I started examining the photos to see what caliber was on offer.
Here is the main photo from the listing
Some 3XX series parts, a few 5XX things...maybe interesting depending on how much it...WAIT A SECOND.
...
WHAT IS THAT??!!?
Another photo:
An empty 563-1106 package!!! (A stem!)
No, what got me excited was that crescent of a dial. Just enough of a view to know that it was a tritium Seamaster 300 dial, but not enough to know if it was a date or no date, or what condition it was in. Sitting amongst movement parts as it was, I imagined it likely had about fifty nice big scratches across it, but it was still very exciting. I didn't dare ask the seller for better photos of it, fearing he would realize what he had. The partial view of a screw down crown also had me wondering what else might be lying around.
I figure at least a few other people must have noticed the dial too, because bidding went a bit higher than it normally would for a bunch of used movement parts, but not ridiculously so. I bid on it and I won. After the auction ended, I messaged the seller asking if by chance there was a case lying around that he might like to throw in. He said he had a look, but no, there was no case. Apparently the seller was liquidating the contents of a watchmaker's shop who had passed away. I asked him if he could please package the dial separately before shipping, but he said he had already packaged it all months ago, and it would be shipped as is. All I could do was cross my fingers.
When the package arrived I gingerly picked away at the parts that were covering the dial. What I found was an ebay miracle: A virtually (but not totally) perfect BIG TRIANGLE 166.024 dial. I couldn't believe my luck, and I just sat there grinning like a fool. Then I tried to explain to my girlfriend how exciting this was, but she didn't share my enthusiasm.
I ordered a new Seamaster 300 case, and got to work servicing a 565 movement. I relumed a set of hands to match the dial, and I dusted off a bezel I had bought a few months earlier. Once the case arrived I put it all together, and here is the finished product.
The bezel isn't perfect, but it matches the lume colour on the dial very nicely, and the whole package comes off well.
I'm pretty happy with it!
I spend a fair bit of time trolling ebay, mostly for Omega, specifically Seamaster 300 stuff. I'm an amateur watch tinkerer, and so sometimes I search for watchmaking related things. Several months ago I was looking for Omega movement parts, and I came across a listing for a watchmaker's "bone yard" of movement parts. I wanted 565 and 552 parts, and the description was poor, so I started examining the photos to see what caliber was on offer.
Here is the main photo from the listing
Some 3XX series parts, a few 5XX things...maybe interesting depending on how much it...WAIT A SECOND.
...
WHAT IS THAT??!!?
Another photo:
An empty 563-1106 package!!! (A stem!)
No, what got me excited was that crescent of a dial. Just enough of a view to know that it was a tritium Seamaster 300 dial, but not enough to know if it was a date or no date, or what condition it was in. Sitting amongst movement parts as it was, I imagined it likely had about fifty nice big scratches across it, but it was still very exciting. I didn't dare ask the seller for better photos of it, fearing he would realize what he had. The partial view of a screw down crown also had me wondering what else might be lying around.
I figure at least a few other people must have noticed the dial too, because bidding went a bit higher than it normally would for a bunch of used movement parts, but not ridiculously so. I bid on it and I won. After the auction ended, I messaged the seller asking if by chance there was a case lying around that he might like to throw in. He said he had a look, but no, there was no case. Apparently the seller was liquidating the contents of a watchmaker's shop who had passed away. I asked him if he could please package the dial separately before shipping, but he said he had already packaged it all months ago, and it would be shipped as is. All I could do was cross my fingers.
When the package arrived I gingerly picked away at the parts that were covering the dial. What I found was an ebay miracle: A virtually (but not totally) perfect BIG TRIANGLE 166.024 dial. I couldn't believe my luck, and I just sat there grinning like a fool. Then I tried to explain to my girlfriend how exciting this was, but she didn't share my enthusiasm.
I ordered a new Seamaster 300 case, and got to work servicing a 565 movement. I relumed a set of hands to match the dial, and I dusted off a bezel I had bought a few months earlier. Once the case arrived I put it all together, and here is the finished product.
The bezel isn't perfect, but it matches the lume colour on the dial very nicely, and the whole package comes off well.
I'm pretty happy with it!
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