Help dating my Seamaster De Ville Automatic

Posts

5

Likes

2

martinsg123

·Jun 29, 2021

Hi there, good folks of the internet!

Some years ago, my grandma gave me a really nice watch, and i haven't really appreciated it until recently.

I've been able to narrow it down to a 60's model, but I'm interested to know what year specifically the watch was made.

I have looked around the web trying to identify it myself, but i haven't seen any other watches where the "waterproof" is inside the circle on the back side. I don't really know if this is significant or not, either.

Anyone out there with the knowledge to help me out?

BTW, I know the backside could do with a little shine up 😀

 

Posts

4,611

Likes

23,493

vbrad26

·Jun 29, 2021

Is that a date engraved on the caseback?

 

Posts

5

Likes

2

martinsg123

·Jun 29, 2021

I think you're on to something here, vbrad26. It's impossible to spot with the naked eye, but i got an angle that might help.

To me it looks like "NF 67 32262"

Do you know what it means?

 

Posts

43

Likes

64

DMass

·Jun 29, 2021

Could it be a military number marking (pure guess BTW..) I looked at the 1967 Seamaster Devilles and there are a lot that look like this..

 

Posts

1,029

Likes

2,513

sonicosa

·Jun 29, 2021

Dinner and a movie?

 

Posts

5

Likes

2

martinsg123

·Jun 29, 2021

@DMass, I suppose it could be in theory, but i think it's unlikely. My grandfather served in WWII, and was already a middle aged man in 67. And as far as i know, his service ended with the war.

I looked at 67 De Villes, and some of them look exactly like mine, so I'm gonna assume mine is as well. Until I'm told otherwise, of course.

Thanks for the help, guys! 😀

 

Posts

4,611

Likes

23,493

vbrad26

·Jun 29, 2021

Take it to a watchmaker who can get the caseback off for you.
That will be the only way to really know.

 

Posts

614

Likes

836

timecube

·Jun 29, 2021

martinsg123

@DMass, I suppose it could be in theory, but i think it's unlikely. My grandfather served in WWII, and was already a middle aged man in 67. And as far as i know, his service ended with the war.

I looked at 67 De Villes, and some of them look exactly like mine, so I'm gonna assume mine is as well. Until I'm told otherwise, of course.

Thanks for the help, guys! 😀

The answer to "when was it made" is inside the caseback, on the movement.
You might be able to remove the caseback yourself, but a MUCH better idea would be to take it to a watchmaker and ask them to.

The serial number alone will tell you, within a couple years, when it was made. (There's a bit of uncertainty). To know FOR SURE it's date of manufacture, you would need to contact Omega and request an Extract of Archive- for that you'd need to know the serial number anyway.

 

Posts

614

Likes

836

timecube

·Jun 29, 2021

vbrad26

Take it to a watchmaker who can get the caseback off for you.
That will be the only way to really know.

Is this a front-loader?
If so.... I'm thinking the mystery numbers could be just be a watchmaker's code.
That's a really annoying place to put it, obviously.
But if getting the case apart were a significant hassle, someone might just put it there.

 

Posts

23,544

Likes

52,338

Dan S

·Jun 29, 2021

Yes, the movement is removed from the front on this watch, so you will need to get assistance from a professional to read the serial number on the movement.

 

Posts

2,082

Likes

2,840

Passover

·Jun 29, 2021

Very nice condition and looks all original!

Get yourself a 18mm watchband 😉

 

Posts

4,611

Likes

23,493

vbrad26

·Jun 29, 2021

Yeah to me it initially seemed like a date. 3-22-62. For those of us who format the date as such lol.

 

Posts

1,540

Likes

2,635

Caliber561

·Jun 29, 2021

'NF 67' may refer to the year. I've noticed a lot of De Villes post-67 have the "waterproof" script inside the medallion, rather than engraved on the outside. That said, the most reliable way to date the watch is definitely by checking the serial.

Another note: I can't tell from the first image in the black inserts are paint or onyx. They look like physical inserts from some angles, but the 12 o'clock markers suggest they might be painted. If they're painted, then that would definitely place the assembly of the watch after 67. If they're onyx, the watch might be from early 67 or late 66.

 

Posts

5

Likes

2

martinsg123

·Jun 29, 2021

Thanks for all the replies, you guys! A lot of great information. I will definitely have a professional open it and extract all the relevant numbers.

I live in Norway, and we do the dates the other way around here, @vbrad26. So either it was dated on the 32nd of feb 1962, or it was done abroad, or maybe it means something else entirely. The plot thickens.

I'm looking at 18mm watchbands as we speak, @Passover. Neat observation, I hadn't noticed at all.

@Caliber561 It's not really something I'm qualified to say for sure, but to me it looks painted.
I tried taking some macros, but unfortunately they didn't turn out really great due to me being a sub-optimal photographer.

Anyways, thanks again 😀

 

Posts

2,121

Likes

1,307

DON

·Jun 29, 2021

Not a watchmakers mark. Usually done on the inside and 32262 is not a zip code

67 could be a date as the watch falls into that range

Who knows

DON

 

Posts

96

Likes

117

DorsetOmega

·Jun 29, 2021

Hi from a near relative

 

Posts

1,540

Likes

2,635

Caliber561

·Jun 29, 2021

martinsg123

Thanks for all the replies, you guys! A lot of great information. I will definitely have a professional open it and extract all the relevant numbers.

...

@Caliber561 It's not really something I'm qualified to say for sure, but to me it looks painted.
I tried taking some macros, but unfortunately they didn't turn out really great due to me being a sub-optimal photographer.

Anyways, thanks again 😀

The easiest way to check whether the indexes are onyx or not is to look at the sides. The difference will be pretty clear, as I've sketched out here: (pardon the handwriting)

👍

 

Posts

33,560

Likes

38,238

dsio

·Jun 29, 2021·Ash @ ΩF

Caliber561

The easiest way to check whether the indexes are onyx or not is to look at the sides. The difference will be pretty clear, as I've sketched out here: (pardon the handwriting)

👍

That is actually a really nice drawing, definitely save that for future reference man

 

Posts

5

Likes

2

martinsg123

·Jun 30, 2021

Caliber561

The easiest way to check whether the indexes are onyx or not is to look at the sides. The difference will be pretty clear, as I've sketched out here: (pardon the handwriting)

👍

Ah, i see!

Had to zoom all the way in, but this looks like it's set into the index.
That means it's onyx, witch makes it roughly a 66/67 model, if I understand you correctly?

 

Posts

1,540

Likes

2,635

Caliber561

·Jul 1, 2021

martinsg123

Ah, i see!

Had to zoom all the way in, but this looks like it's set into the index.
That means it's onyx, witch makes it roughly a 66/67 model, if I understand you correctly?

Yes, that would be my guess. On Constellations, I believe the change occurred after the 24 million serials, which would place it your watch around 1966 going by the same rules. It's possible the watch was built in 66 and sold in 67, although that level of information around production isn't normally recorded. Most just go by the movement serial number, which indicates the year the movement was made.