dial too good to be true?

opabroetchen · Jul 14, 2026

I found this 166.0142 on auction. The dial looks insanely fresh, suspiciously so? it's hard to find other reference images, but from what I can tell it looks genuine. What do you think? Do you think it's worth $650? If not how much? Also, are the corrosion (?) marks on some of the gears in pic 3 a concern?
Thank you for your time educating a noob. Have a great day.

ErichKeane · Jul 14, 2026

The dial looks fine and is in reasonable shape. I don't see anything particularly concerning on the movement. That case however is a dog's breakfast, and I would have a tough time justifying $3-400 on that myself, AND I'm someone who would do the needed movement service myself.

opabroetchen · Jul 14, 2026

thanks for your insight! I keep hearing people on here mention vintage Omegas at this magical $3-400 price point, yet I don't seem to find them anywhere at the moment haha

ErichKeane · Jul 15, 2026

They show up when you bid for stuff on ebay, and sometimes on reddit. Keep an eye on the 'vintage watches on ebay' thread, they often show up there. I've picked up about a dozen in the sub-$500 range (all way nicer than that one!) for the purposes of working on them.

One thing to keep in mind: don't worry about how well they run. ANYTHING you buy (other than a few people on the forum who sell serviced ones) are going to require a $500 service the instant you receive them easier, so any assurances of 'runs great' just inflate the price unreasonably. I buy based on appearance of the movement/dial/hands alone. Stuff with a really messy crystal is also often a hidden gem at a cheaper price.

SOG53 · Jul 15, 2026

That case is very worn.

opabroetchen · Jul 15, 2026

ErichKeane
They show up when you bid for stuff on ebay, and sometimes on reddit. Keep an eye on the 'vintage watches on ebay' thread, they often show up there. I've picked up about a dozen in the sub-$500 range (all way nicer than that one!) for the purposes of working on them.

One thing to keep in mind: don't worry about how well they run. ANYTHING you buy (other than a few people on the forum who sell serviced ones) are going to require a $500 service the instant you receive them easier, so any assurances of 'runs great' just inflate the price unreasonably. I buy based on appearance of the movement/dial/hands alone. Stuff with a really messy crystal is also often a hidden gem at a cheaper price.

Thanks for your reply, this was so helpful. I’ll continue keeping an eye on that eBay thread! Interesting advice on the run condition, I didn’t expect that but it makes sense!

dial too good to be true?

opabroetchen

ErichKeane

opabroetchen

ErichKeane

SOG53

opabroetchen

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