Help identify if its a fake or not! Omega Seamaster Sub Second

Fappo · Sep 13, 2021

Hi, so I've been wanting to purchase a vintage omega for a while and found a few of em from a seller that is seemingly legit. One of the pieces he's selling is an Omega Subsecond with a Bumper movement cal. 344 (ref. 14925) gold capped.

I've tried my best to look around to see any of the exact pieces this guy is selling, but couldnt find any on the internet. Not even chrono24 has the exact ref. Number.

I'm not sure what to make of it. He claims its a 68 year old watch (probably was serviced to be cleaner). Can anyone help me find out if this is a real omega or not. And if it is, is the movement reliable? Thanks

Fallout Boy · Sep 13, 2021

The dial looks good: I doubt that the effect (sun-burst?) shown on picture 4 can be self-made. If the dial (or the case-back) belongs to the case: I don't know.
(Parts fore the .3xx calibers are not so easy to find.)

Fappo · Sep 13, 2021

Fallout Boy
The dial looks good: I doubt that the effect (sun-burst?) shown on picture 4 can be self-made. If the dial (or the case-back) belongs to the case: I don't know.
(Parts fore the .3xx calibers are not so easy to find.)

Ooh thanks for the reply. I guess ill wait around for others to reply too to make my decision on purchasing or not.

Foo2rama · Sep 13, 2021

Real and gold filled.

Fappo · Sep 13, 2021

Foo2rama
Real and gold filled.

oh, well it was the first time for me not being able to find a particular watch on chrono24 so i had my doubts. Thanks

padders · Sep 13, 2021

There is something wrong there. The dial looks to be more a 1960s pattern or later. The movement number is from the early 50s. I wonder if it is a factory replacement dial, ie a service dial.

Google image gets a few hits on the ref, but those have typical 50s style dials, this doesn’t.

Fappo · Sep 13, 2021

padders
There is something wrong there. The dial looks to be more a 1960s pattern or later. The movement number is from the early 50s. I wonder if it is a factory replacement dial, ie a service dial.

Google image gets a few hits on the ref, but those have typical 50s style dials, this doesn’t.

hmmm that is a good point that i didnt consider. While I know omega and seiko are notorious for releasing too much watches back then, I guess even that might be a far stretch as to why it has a sunburst?

Foo2rama · Sep 13, 2021

Fappo
oh, well it was the first time for me not being able to find a particular watch on chrono24 so i had my doubts. Thanks

I am not commenting on if it left the factory that way, but all the parts seem genuine to me.

Fappo · Sep 13, 2021

Foo2rama
I am not commenting on if it left the factory that way, but all the parts seem genuine to me.

I see. Thanks for the input

ConElPueblo · Sep 13, 2021

Foo2rama
Real and gold filled.

I don't think Swiss made Omega cases were ever gold filled? This one is gold capped as the OP says.

padders
There is something wrong there. The dial looks to be more a 1960s pattern or later. The movement number is from the early 50s. I wonder if it is a factory replacement dial, ie a service dial.

Google image gets a few hits on the ref, but those have typical 50s style dials, this doesn’t.

I have the same knee-jerk reaction as you, but there is another example online, it's on OF even: https://omegaforums.net/threads/omega-14925-identification.135208/

Interestingly, this one has "Swiss Made T" on the dial (it is a lumed specimen), so I would say that they are both likely to be later service replacements as @padders said above. Also, the very distinct sunburst effect is another sign that it's a later dial; these weren't used until the sixties. The oblong markers also places this in a later period - late fifties at the earliest and certainly not on bumper movement references.

I would personally recommend staying away from it, unless you really like the style (which is actually the best reason for buying a watch 😉 ). It is a gold-capped, non-Seamaster automatic so it will have a relatively low collector's appeal, so don't buy it thinking it will appreciate much and make sure you get a good deal on it to begin with.

Fappo · Sep 13, 2021

ConElPueblo
I don't think Swiss made Omega cases were ever gold filled? This one is gold capped as the OP says.

I have the same knee-jerk reaction as you, but there is another example online, it's on OF even: https://omegaforums.net/threads/omega-14925-identification.135208/

Interestingly, this one has "Swiss Made T" on the dial (it is a lumed specimen), so I would say that they are both likely to be later service replacements as @padders said above. Also, the very distinct sunburst effect is another sign that it's a later dial; these weren't used until the sixties. The oblong markers also places this in a later period - late fifties at the earliest and certainly not on bumper movement references.

I would personally recommend staying away from it, unless you really like the style (which is actually the best reason for buying a watch 😉 ). It is a gold-capped, non-Seamaster automatic so it will have a relatively low collector's appeal, so don't buy it thinking it will appreciate much and make sure you get a good deal on it to begin with.

woah thanks for the detailed reply. As for the question of should i buy it or not, I think im going to stay away from it. The watch caught my eye just cause I recall seeing something similar which was apparently a good collector watch. But i guess this is not it.

also, as I've said in the post, there were a few and one of the ones that did really caught my attention was an Omega Pave d'Or. If you don't mind, can you help me with this one too? Thanks
https://omegaforums.net/threads/omega-pave-dor-indentification-help.136445/

Foo2rama · Sep 13, 2021

@ConElPueblo i thought capped, rolled, and filled was the same thing.

philips · Sep 13, 2021

I think your decision to pass is correct.

ConElPueblo · Sep 13, 2021

Foo2rama
@ConElPueblo i thought capped, rolled, and filled was the same thing.

I don't know about rolled and filled, but capped differ from gold filled. It will usually be recognisable by having steel showing on the back of the lugs and the caseback is always steel. On gold filled watches I'd expect to see a golden caseback.

Dan S · Sep 13, 2021

I agree. Capped is quite different in the context of watch cases. The gold layer on a gold-capped case is generally much thicker, and is basically a shell applied over a SS base. As Troels mentioned, you can generally see the SS surface if you look at the back of the lugs.

I'm not sure that gold-filled cases always have golden case-backs. I think that sometimes they might have SS case-backs, but I will have to double-check.

Walrus · Sep 13, 2021

Dan S
I agree. Capped is quite different in the context of watch cases. The gold layer on a gold-capped case is generally much thicker, and is basically a shell applied over a SS base. As Troels mentioned, you can generally see the SS surface if you look at the back of the lugs.

I'm not sure that gold-filled cases always have golden case-backs. I think that sometimes they might have SS case-backs, but I will have to double-check.

That makes perfect sense my buddy Nevada had a gold filled omega with a stainless steel back. I told him I didn’t know enough but thought that might be the case as I had seen a few before. He ended up trading it before getting the reference #’s etc so I could inquire here as I was curious.

Help identify if its a fake or not! Omega Seamaster Sub Second

Fappo

Fallout Boy

Fappo

Foo2rama

Fappo

padders

Fappo

Foo2rama

Fappo

ConElPueblo

Fappo

Foo2rama

philips

ConElPueblo

Dan S

Walrus

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