Anyone knows what this calibre is

[ryoshiku]

Hi everyone,

i was offered to buy seamaster, from 50s. But I've never seen this calibre and have no idea what is worth. If you know which calibre this is, please let me know.

Thanks!

 

[padders]

Looks like a 504 or 505 maybe. Is it a Seamaster chronometer? A pic if the front would be helpful.

Edited: Jul 9, 2024

 

[SOG53]

Here is my 503 but it’s 20j yours is prob chronometer grades 24j
But movement sure looks similar


Cal on your watch should be in the red circled area curious why nothing there. Maybe under rotor

 

[sheepdoll]

I have been working on both a ca505 and a ca500. Looks like someone swapped the rotor bridge. Or the rotor. It could also be a service part. The lighting make the plating look like a slightly different color than the balance.

The other place the caliber can be marked is under the balance on the main plate. The main differences on these calibers is the jewel count. For 24 jewels their should be jewels on the pivots covered by the rotor.

There are no dial shots, so it can not be seen if there is a calendar option. edit: or if there are chronomiter markings on the dial.

Here is a screen grab from the old Ranfft site.

As far as I know any winding bridge is swappable from the base caliber.

IMHO So this example is not any caliber. It is basically franken.

 

[ryoshiku]

Thank you all for your replies, it really means a lot to me.
I should have attached photo of the front right away. Here it is.

 

[padders]

Ok so I think that watch has seen some intervention. The dial has been repainted and relumed at some point. There were chronometer rated fat lug Seamaster models like that but I suspect as already mentioned above, yours has seen some part swapping and may be a model 2846 with a modified movement. Can you post a pic of the inside of the caseback and perhaps one of the movement with the rotor in another position?

It looks nice at first glance I know, but if you haven't yet bought it, I would recommend you keep looking.

Edited: Jul 9, 2024

 

[ryoshiku]

Hi paddes,
Thank you so much! Unfortunately, these are the only pics i got, plus this one of the case back.

 

[padders]

If it is cheap enough, I guess it is nice enough but in general my advice above stands. It has seen some significant modifications and is not a watch a collector or someone who values originality would chase.

 

[ryoshiku]

padders

Ok so I think that watch has seen some intervention. The dial has been repainted and relumed at some point.

How do you reckon the dial was repainted? With all those text, to me it seems impossible?

 

[ryoshiku]

They ask around $700.

 

[padders]

I am certain it was repainted. Look closely at the fonts, none are correct vs the original watch and note how green the lume dots are, they were radium originally and have been replaced with tritium. The hands show what the original lume would look like today.

Here is what it looks like originally on a similar model 2846. The Seamaster text on the one you show is that seen today on the Seamaster Professional 300m, not that seen on mid 1950s Models. There were variations in the S during this period inc one superficially similar but that text is later.

Buy it if you like it but there are original models out there for that money. They will show patina but then you expect that on a 70 year old watch.

ps apologies for those who have seen this image too often recently, but it does seem we have a lot of redialled 2846s to talk about:

Edited: Jul 9, 2024

 

[ryoshiku]

Again, thank you so much for your expertise and detailed explanation!!!!!!

 

[Davidt]

Definitely a repainted dial and certainly a pass at 700

 

[sheepdoll]

I have been getting "parts assortments" closer to 200. Then one has to factor in service. 4 or 500 would be the upper limit. 700 is way to much. One can get a nice one with matching parts for that. Especially at the time of this posting where it is a buyers market.

There are a few like myself, who do like rat watches. Self service where chasing down the parts is most of the fun. I think similar things happen in doll and automotive collecting. Also pipe organ work ranks get mixed up a lot. There is little that has not been touched in the last 100 or so years.

 

[ryoshiku]

I received one more photo. It shows calibre marking, 501, if it changes anyting about your opinion. But as far as I was able to find on internet, I didn't see any calibre 501 with 24 jewels. So I guess it confirms what is already said, that this rotor is not originaly from this watch?

 

[Davidt]

The rotor is the least of that watches problems. All that's likely happened is during a service, a watchmaker has used a compatible but incorrect chronometer rotor. It can be changed at a subsequent service. The dial is a much greater issue that cannot be rectified without sourcing an original dial which may take years.

 

[cristos71]

ryoshiku

They ask around $700.

This kind of watch should be a pass at any more than $300, which is basically a sum of the parts. Any more would be over paying IMHO.

 

[ryoshiku]

Davidt

The dial is a much greater issue that cannot be rectified without sourcing an original dial which may take years.

Well, if you say that also based on font type, I found on internet few models from 1955 with the same font, or precisely same letter 'S'.

 

[sheepdoll]

There were/are firms what specialize in repainting dials. Standard practice in the 1980s and 1990s when these were tool watches.
When repainting a dial, plates have to be made, So there will be many examples of repainted dials, which did not leave the factory that way.
Another issue is aligning the minute hash marks. Often generic plates are used.

Some are worse than others. There is a thread here dedicated to such. Some look like the writing was done with a sharpie. Others a drafting or quill pen. Even paintbrushes.

I worked for Apple in the 1990s testing laser printers. Watch dials were one of the things I experimented with. Printers only did 3 or 600 Dpi. Results were less than satisfactory. I was disappointed in the ones I had repainted. I did get to see some of the Swiss machinery. There is a lot of attrition in the manufacture. I still have an interest in making my own dial printing devices. Tricky thing as the process is similar to printing currency. So in some ways is a form of counterfeiting.

Edited: Jul 11, 2024

 

[ryoshiku]

Thanks for the info! This is a whole new world for me!