Help Authenticating vintage seamaster. Redial?

K

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keepingtime26

·Jul 20, 2026

Hi all. I’m somewhat new to vintage watches and am looking to buy a 1960s seamaster for my wedding later this year. I’ve been researching and shopping for some months now and have come across one that fits what I’ve been looking for.
It’s a 1966 166.002, gold plated.
Cal 565
The movement, serial number and caseback all appear to align with the reference and description.

I’m just unsure if it has been re-dialled, although the seller says to his knowledge it is original. Any help is much appreciated!

 

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keepingtime26

·Jul 20, 2026

Additional photo

 

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SOG53

·Jul 20, 2026

Do you have photo of Caseback, inside and out?

 

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JimInOz

·Jul 21, 2026·Melbourne Australia

If it's a re-dial, it's a very good one.

Only issues I see are:
Tick mark at the end of the 2 index.
The first vertical index at 12, seems to be two short ones, or is there a crack/scratch on the crystal causing the effect.

 

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Spruce

·Jul 21, 2026·Sunburst dial fan

I’d vote for original dial 👍

 

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stormysky10

·Jul 21, 2026

Congrats on your upcoming nuptials.

I think dial looks OK too.

Just a heads up, the gold plating is worn through in several spots. Probably worst at the 1 o'clock lug.

 

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keepingtime26

·Jul 21, 2026

SOG53

Do you have photo of Caseback, inside and out?

Yes!

 

K

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keepingtime26

·Jul 21, 2026

stormysky10

Congrats on your upcoming nuptials.

I think dial looks OK too.

Just a heads up, the gold plating is worn through in several spots. Probably worst at the 1 o'clock lug.

Thank you!

Ahh I see that. Thanks for pointing that out

 

K

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keepingtime26

·Jul 21, 2026

JimInOz

If it's a re-dial, it's a very good one.

Only issues I see are:
Tick mark at the end of the 2 index.
The first vertical index at 12, seems to be two short ones, or is there a crack/scratch on the crystal causing the effect.

I believe those are scratches on the crystal, which the seller has been upfront about and I’m not so concerned about.

 

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Dan S

·Jul 21, 2026

The dial looks ok to me, but there is plating loss on the case, which is a major condition issue. Unfortunately, these watches in plated cases, while they used high quality movements, were essentially disposable watches not made to last. They were appropriate for occasional careful use, but if they were used for daily wear, the cases did not hold up.

 

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kvikster

·Jul 21, 2026

Dial is very much original, the movement looks nice also which is awesome but the case imo is lacking a bit, if you like it thought then it's a good find but hope you are not overpaying.

 

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Davidt

·Jul 21, 2026

The dial is original but make sure the case doesn’t have too many issues. These aren’t rare so don’t overpay or settle for an average example.