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Complete noob wants to learn about vintage Omegas

robbiewatch
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Hello all,

I’m completely new to this forum so forgive my ignorance of any unwritten (or written) rules of the road. I’ve just recently become interested in vintage Omegas and want to learn more about the history, the references, the movements, etc. I’m especially interested in vintage Seamasters. Where is a good place to start? Are there any books or online resources folks would recommend? Thanks in advance for your help.
 
Caliber561
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robbiewatch robbiewatch
Hello all,

I’m completely new to this forum so forgive my ignorance of any unwritten (or written) rules of the road. I’ve just recently become interested in vintage Omegas and want to learn more about the history, the references, the movements, etc. I’m especially interested in vintage Seamasters. Where is a good place to start? Are there any books or online resources folks would recommend? Thanks in advance for your help.
Are you interested in vintage Seamaster dress watches, or Seamaster dive watches?

https://www.fratellowatches.com/ has a lot of good articles on Seamaster divers
https://www.omegaseamaster300.com/ is also a good, more organized 'primer,' but some of the information on there has been disputed by some on this forum, if memory serves. Still, a good way to get some knowledge on model types and evolution from the 1957 CK2913.

If you're looking for information on Seamaster dress watches, I would actually recommend taking a gander at the Omega Constellation Collectors website. (http://omega-constellation-collectors.blogspot.com/)
While the Constellation is a separate family of watch, they were contemporary timepieces extremely similar to the Seamaster line. As a result, you'll find a lot of information on there about movements, etc that also apply to the Seamasters of the time.

An example:
http://users.tpg.com.au/mondodec//Movement1.pdf
http://users.tpg.com.au/mondodec/movement2.pdf
http://users.tpg.com.au/mondodec/movement3.pdf
http://users.tpg.com.au/mondodec//Movement4.pdf

There are also a couple of good Seamaster articles on that page, under "Related Omega Essays"

If you have a specific question, you can always search the forum for an answer. There's a decent chance it may have been answered before. But in the case where one doesn't exist, you can always create a thread and ask for members' thoughts.

Also, welcome to the forum! Hope you stick around 👍
 
MikeMaccaFan
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Welcome! I'm new here too!

There's a post that's pinned in this very forum called "Learn How to Fish" - it's an invaluable starting point in learning about different facets of finding vintage watches (Omegas of course included!) and what to look for when determining authenticity etc...

I love that thread because it inadvertantly teaches you that you really need to delve into the history of various brands to be able to ascertain the reality of whether or not a watch is original or not! It's a great motivator.

All the best to you!
 
robbiewatch
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Caliber561 Caliber561
Are you interested in vintage Seamaster dress watches, or Seamaster dive watches?

https://www.fratellowatches.com/ has a lot of good articles on Seamaster divers
https://www.omegaseamaster300.com/ is also a good, more organized 'primer,' but some of the information on there has been disputed by some on this forum, if memory serves. Still, a good way to get some knowledge on model types and evolution from the 1957 CK2913.

If you're looking for information on Seamaster dress watches, I would actually recommend taking a gander at the Omega Constellation Collectors website. (http://omega-constellation-collectors.blogspot.com/)
While the Constellation is a separate family of watch, they were contemporary timepieces extremely similar to the Seamaster line. As a result, you'll find a lot of information on there about movements, etc that also apply to the Seamasters of the time.

An example:
http://users.tpg.com.au/mondodec//Movement1.pdf
http://users.tpg.com.au/mondodec/movement2.pdf
http://users.tpg.com.au/mondodec/movement3.pdf
http://users.tpg.com.au/mondodec//Movement4.pdf

There are also a couple of good Seamaster articles on that page, under "Related Omega Essays"

If you have a specific question, you can always search the forum for an answer. There's a decent chance it may have been answered before. But in the case where one doesn't exist, you can always create a thread and ask for members' thoughts.

Also, welcome to the forum! Hope you stick around 👍

Thank you very much for your response! I will take a look at these links. I’m interested in both the vintage Seamaster dress watches and dive watches. Lately some of the 50s dressy Seamasters have really jumped out at me though.
 
robbiewatch
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18
MikeMaccaFan MikeMaccaFan
Welcome! I'm new here too!

There's a post that's pinned in this very forum called "Learn How to Fish" - it's an invaluable starting point in learning about different facets of finding vintage watches (Omegas of course included!) and what to look for when determining authenticity etc...

I love that thread because it inadvertantly teaches you that you really need to delve into the history of various brands to be able to ascertain the reality of whether or not a watch is original or not! It's a great motivator.

All the best to you!
Thanks for the recommendation, I’ll definitely check that out!
 
arturo7
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A good place to start?

You just signed up.

search, read, repeat
 
wagudc
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My one word of advice: patience, patience, patience!

Finding a nice vintage Seamaster takes a lot of time. Time to learn and time to hunt. Rush into it and you will likely massively overpay, buy a poor quality watch, or both.

Here is a picture of my 14710 no lume Seamaster Special from ca. 1960.

20210625_122248.jpg
 
Revo
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I'm newish to vintage Omegas but an old hand at vintages watches in general. I think 1950s and '60s Seamasters represent possibly the best value out there. Get a good one and you have a real bargain, even if you pay the going rate. Cheap at twice the price.
 
perks713
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Another good thing to do is find the “show us your” threads on the forums. There are tons of them and often geared toward a specific ref or line of watches. Some can have hundreds of images of proper watches.

I’m not on my computer but if I remember later I’ll drop some links, I have a dozen or so saved in sublimetext so I can quickly jump to them.
 
wagudc
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To add to @perks713's suggestion, search the sales forum for past sales. Keep in mind prices have been steadily climbing. You should be able to see this in the sales forum.
 
iamvr
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Oh beware, 50s Seamasters can become an addiction.

As others have said, patience and knowledge is key. But it's not like you have to write a PHD on the topic before tapping into the water. With some research you can land a nice, genuine Seamaster within a couple of weeks.

50s Seamasters come in many variations though. So you have first figure out what you really want in terms of case material, case design, movement type, do want a date feature or do you prefer a non-date version, lume vs. no lume etc. Once you've narrowed down what you want you can focus your research on those models or references.

So where do you get this knowledge. Here of course. I may be branded a heretic now, but also check the Omega Enthusiasts website. Not necessarily for buying as the prices are absurdly high, but I found his educational videos quite insightful. His web shop can be a source of inspiration, you can sort by decade and movement type etc. to see what type of model or reference you might like. And then start digging deeper on those here and elsewhere.

As for buying as a beginner, avoid eBay and C24 and focus on the Private Sales Forum here as others have already mentioned. But if you think you've found a nice example elsewhere, ask for advice here before buying. Members are very helpful (once you've shown your own research efforts).

Good luck!
 
robbiewatch
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Thanks all for the many helpful pointers! Looks like I have some homework to do, but I have to say: I’m looking forward to it.
 
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