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Early Seamasters.

hoipolloi
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Hi all.

According to Omega, the first Seamasters were produced in 1948 and I've been trying to search for the first Seamasters for a long time.
As far as I know, the early Seamasters did not have Seamaster printed on their dials and what I have so far is a 2491 and a 2519.
If you have an early seamaster, info or pictures, please share. I am very appreciated.
Thank you.



The first pic is a page from a catalog of Gator that he posted long time ago.

20170411_160131.jpg 2017-04-11_03-57-42.jpg 2017-04-11_03-57-03.jpg
View attachment 379717
2017-04-11_03-55-43.jpg 2017-04-11_03-56-23.jpg
 
hoipolloi
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Hi Tamura.

Reference # please.
 
omegastar
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Hi @hoipolloi ,
Here is my oldest Seamaster, actually it has become my wife's.
Crown, and bracelet are of course not original to the watch. The rest is as found and I don't have an extract of archive. Hope you like it, I use to call it the missing link.
If I remember correct, which I usually do, there an interesting thread about early Seamasters written some years ago.
Mounir

IMG_2853.JPG IMG_2854.JPG IMG_2856.JPG IMG_2857.JPG IMG_2858.JPG IMG_2859.JPG IMG_2860.JPG
 
padders
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I have a 2577-4 from 1949 which has no Seamaster script. 11.79 serial. Wrong crown but the rest is straight. Terrible pic

IMG_6080.JPG
 
hoipolloi
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Hi Mounir.
Thanks for posting.
Your watch is a 2491, not a 2576, I think. And the movement is earlier than mine. The interesting thing about your watch is it has the dial of a 2576 and the movement and the case of 2491.
Here are two 2576 from my collection.
2017-04-21_11-51-39.jpg
 
omegastar
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hoipolloi hoipolloi
Hi Mounir.
Thanks for posting.
Your watch is a 2491, not a 2576, I think. And the movement is earlier than mine. The interesting thing about your watch is it has the dial of a 2576 and the movement and the case of 2591.
Here are two 2576 from my collection.
2017-04-21_11-51-39.jpg

The dial has a bigger second "counter", look at @kyle L's watch in the thread I posted, I think it is the same dial but with different hands.
 
padders
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japester79 japester79
CK2800-1 with a cal 266

20160909_132303.jpg
Lovely but not a Seamaster AFAIK, 2800 is listed as International Collection on the Vintage Website and has no water resistance.
 
japester79
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That's what i thought too but more than one person has said otherwise.
Indeed it falls under "other" in the omega vintage database.
Do we know what collection it belongs to?
 
gatorcpa
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japester79 japester79
Do we know what collection it belongs to?
Maybe none at all.

Many of the later cal. 26X/28X watches did not have model names. On the Omega Vintage Database, these are generally referred to as part of the "International Collection", which I think is Omega code for, "we don't know".

It was also very common for Omega in those days to allow local distributors some variations in model naming. The early Constellation/Globemasters in the US would fall into that category.

Hope this helps,
gatorcpa
 
kyle L
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omegastar omegastar
The dial has a bigger second "counter", look at @kyle L's watch in the thread I posted, I think it is the same dial but with different hands.

My watch is also a 2576, although with fatter lugs.
 
hoipolloi
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kyle L kyle L
My watch is also a 2576, although with fatter lugs.
What is the serial # Kyle?
 
kyle L
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hoipolloi hoipolloi
What is the serial # Kyle?

I'll have to check next time I get to it, but so believe it is 1954 or so.
 
hoipolloi
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Anybody has something earlier than 2491? Serial # 11or 10 mil?
 
TNTwatch
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hoipolloi hoipolloi
Hi Mounir.
Thanks for posting.
Your watch is a 2491, not a 2576, I think. And the movement is earlier than mine. The interesting thing about your watch is it has the dial of a 2576 and the movement and the case of 2491.
His case back say both 2491-1 and 2576 so it's a dual reference case. The lugs also look exactly like one of the two variances of the 2576 that I've seen. His movement is a 28.10RA with serial 10mil so it's likely to be among the first.

OVDB lists 10 Seamaster models introduced in the same year 1949 with the 2491. Those below and the 2635. It doesn't list all the metals but I believe the 2520 is exclusively solid gold only.

upload_2017-4-22_21-23-50.png
Edited:
 
omegastar
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hoipolloi hoipolloi
Anybody has something earlier than 2491? Serial # 11or 10 mil?

I have been thinking a lot about your question. How do you define an early Seamaster ? By ref. is there another reference ? Early bumper mvt with waterproof case ? A case with beefy lugs ?
It seems like you are looking for something in particular or know something we don't. Please give us some elements.
Most interesting thread, since a long time.
Kind regards
Mounir
 
omegastar
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What about those crowns in your fisrt picture ? Do they exist in real or only in the catalogue ?
 
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