Buying a Seamaster 120M 176.004 Big Blue, seeking advice

JanV · Aug 24, 2018

Hi all,

I am on the search for a Seamaster 120M aka Big Blue and now seek advice from the brain thrust of the forum.

As there is still some watches out there offered, wich one would you consider ideal for owning and using now and then for a long time (10-15 years minimum)?

1. The almost fully restored ones with service bezel, luminous dial and hands looking almost like new.

or

2. The “honest” used watch with original bezel (still in good shape), original tritium dial with its faults, possible putting and brass shining thru, and a set of hands that have lost all its color and life?

I personally like the crisp and new fresh look of the serviced ones, as they really pop out of your wrist, but how will these match up to the “original” ones in terms of value when sold later on?

Now that’s a question i’m having a hard time to answer.

Fatcat · Aug 24, 2018

Personally I got. Big blue 3 years ago, did not paid a fortune because it was ugly, bezel and dial where faded 50% in the vertical , due to exposure during years in a pawn shop , but cheap , I like to have the watch crisp also , generally with all the original parts or really old service part, but sometimes no choice service parts, the most complicate was to find a bezel after omega provide dial and hands.

Actually my old parts where sold to Italians but never see any listing with those parts mounted , will recognize them immediately.

JanV · Aug 25, 2018

Here’s some photos for comparison and opinions.

The one on top considered to be fully original?
(Anyone see anything out of the ordinary?)

And the lower one with a service bezel, dial and hands.
(Picture no borrowed from another OF user Incabloc).

Speedmasterfan88 · Aug 25, 2018

The one on top! Hands down. The tritium patina is very nice! If those spots on th dial are just flaking tritium, they will clean up with a service. Bezel is in good condition too (judging from the one picture you provided, uncracked).
I‘d always put originality over the „shiny“ new look. But that’s personal preference. Value vise, I bet most collectors would go for the original one.

I see no reason why you shouldn’t be able to use an original vintage watch „now and then“ as you wrote. As long as you get the movement serviced, or at least checked, so you won’t cause damage by winding and wearing it.

Cheers,

Max

JanV · Aug 25, 2018

Speedmasterfan88
The one on top! Hands down. The tritium patina is very nice! If those spots on th dial are just flaking tritium, they will clean up with a service. Bezel is in good condition too (judging from the one picture you provided, uncracked).
I‘d always put originality over the „shiny“ new look. But that’s personal preference. Value vise, I bet most collectors would go for the original one.

I see no reason why you shouldn’t be able to use an original vintage watch „now and then“ as you wrote. As long as you get the movement serviced, or at least checked, so you won’t cause damage by winding and wearing it.

Cheers,

Max

Thanks for the feedback. I’m also slowly moving my mind into this direction as I have other watches that are mint and close to NOS condition. And the use a few originals as “god intended them to be”. 😀 Like my SM200M from -71.

But in the Big Blue I really love the look of a service dial with the blue and the orange hand popping really strongly out of the watch....

Foxy100 · Aug 25, 2018

I have one that was restored at Bienne by the previous owner. I had all the old parts put back on (I had to buy an old bezel on here but all the other old bits came back from Bienne with the watch) but still have all the new bits. So find one like that and you get best of both worlds, it wouldn't cost much for a watchmaker to swap over old dial/hands/bezel to new and back again if you change your mind.

JanV · Aug 25, 2018

Foxy100
I have one that was restored at Bienne by the previous owner. I had all the old parts put back on (I had to buy an old bezel on here but all the other old bits came back from Bienne with the watch) but still have all the new bits. So find one like that and you get best of both worlds, it wouldn't cost much for a watchmaker to swap over old dial/hands/bezel to new and back again if you change your mind.

Cool! That would be the dream scenario, by far. 😀

JanV · Aug 25, 2018

Speedmasterfan88
The one on top! Hands down. The tritium patina is very nice! If those spots on th dial are just flaking tritium, they will clean up with a service. Bezel is in good condition too (judging from the one picture you provided, uncracked).
I‘d always put originality over the „shiny“ new look. But that’s personal preference. Value vise, I bet most collectors would go for the original one.

I see no reason why you shouldn’t be able to use an original vintage watch „now and then“ as you wrote. As long as you get the movement serviced, or at least checked, so you won’t cause damage by winding and wearing it.

Cheers,

Max

Hi. Adding to my earlier comment, the spots on the dial is pitting thru the dial, what I understand is quite common to blue dials.

Mouse_at_Large · Aug 25, 2018

Speedmasterfan88
The one on top! Hands down. The tritium patina is very nice! If those spots on th dial are just flaking tritium, they will clean up with a service. Bezel is in good condition too (judging from the one picture you provided, uncracked).
I‘d always put originality over the „shiny“ new look. But that’s personal preference. Value vise, I bet most collectors would go for the original one.

I see no reason why you shouldn’t be able to use an original vintage watch „now and then“ as you wrote. As long as you get the movement serviced, or at least checked, so you won’t cause damage by winding and wearing it.

Cheers,

Max

That's one view, and a perfectly valid one. If it was me, and I was going to wear it, I'd go for the second example. To my eyes, the first one looks tired and worn out and has none of the original colour contrast left that makes the deep blue "pop".

As to value, I'd agree that many (most?) collectors would favour the original, but the collector market is only one part of the whole potential watchbuying market should you ever decide to sell in future, a less degraded/more cosmetically appealing example may well find a wider non-collector market.

As always, it's your motivation, aesthetics and sensibilities that will decide. Good luck and have fun 😉

JanV · Aug 25, 2018

Mouse_at_Large
That's one view, and a perfectly valid one. If it was me, and I was going to wear it, I'd go for the second example. To my eyes, the first one looks tired and worn out and has none of the original colour contrast left that makes the deep blue "pop".

As to value, I'd agree that many (most?) collectors would favour the original, but the collector market is only one part of the whole potential watchbuying market should you ever decide to sell in future, a less degraded/more cosmetically appealing example may well find a wider non-collector market.

As always, it's your motivation, aesthetics and sensibilities that will decide. Good luck and have fun 😉

Your reply tells exactly how hard it is to do this decision, especially on a Big Blue where the “pop” of blue is vivid and sets it apart from other watches.

smilton · Feb 14, 2022

I just went through this in buying a Big Blue. I went with the second option above in this case. Th Appeal to me is the history, the 1040 movement, but also how the blue pops on them. I have yet to see one in person, and am curious to see how the original dial being provided compares to the service one.

Buying a Seamaster 120M 176.004 Big Blue, seeking advice

JanV

Fatcat

JanV

Speedmasterfan88

JanV

Foxy100

JanV

JanV

Mouse_at_Large

JanV

smilton

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