Hi,
Recently become interested in watches and had to join this site as Omegas are my preferred watches. I have started reading through the helpful forums here. This is my first post as newbie and i have just become a vintage Omega owner!

Excited, as my first ever Omega arrived today. It has very feint 166 026 stamped on the back, which i guess is the reference number, and i can chase up more information on that here on this website.

It is supposed to be from 1960s, has a stainless steel strap which looks like the original, with a stamp of 523 on the bracelet shoulder.

1 The watch has its other bracelet shoulder missing - some help as to where to acquire another would help?

2 It would be nice to know if this watch is original?

3 Also, would it devalue the watch if the dial was replaced as it looks in a poor state?

4 similarly the crystal?

lots of questions but i will start to trawl through forums for answers, but any help and comments would be appreciated

I will find out how the crystal comes off and get some movement photos, i know its a sold cased back watch.

In anticipation, many thanks

C

 

Hi there and welcome to the forum. It's difficult to tell from those photos how much damage there is to the dial and what is due to damage on the crystal. Also hard to tell if it's been refinished but it looks original to me (not an expert). You mention that the dial is in bad shape...did you buy the watch or did it come into your possession some other way, like an inheritance (uncle perhaps?)? If you purchased it I hope you didn't pay much for it, it's in pretty rough condition. Beware of buying a watch with the intent of 'fixing it up". Many times it will turn into a money pit or at the very least you'll be upside down with the watch after all is said and done.
It should have a caliber 565 in it. You'll need a crystal lift to take it apart (tool 107) but I'd recommend you take it to a watchmaker. Bottom line is whether or not you'll be happy with the watch. Cheers.

 

Hi, i have to agree with Gordon, but maybe you will be surprised what can be done with a little cleanup on the dial, crystal and case. Its hard to tell if the dial is damaged or if there is only dirt inside. If you feel like you can handle it, you can try and open it with a syringe, as shown here:

The movement, if it is in good condition, is quite a nice one and the watch should serve you well as a beater, with a beauty inside.

I am curious about the dial though, as the bottom line of the cross-hair, running into the writing between S and M, bothers me. I have seen this before on this example, but to me, it just does not look like something that Omega would produce. However, I would kindly ask the more knowledgeable members here to chip in.

 

Hello Craig,

I'm also a Seamaster Cosmic enthousiaste, you have a very nice watch but in poor condition. I doubt you can do anything with the dial, these needs to be perfect, they don't age nicely and you will really see the difference between a clean and a dirty one.

Lucky for you, there is one for sell on the bay, even if I find the printing very thick. It could be an alternative for you.

The seller is called "cphwatchparts".

You should ask him for this :
Omega Dial Silver Color Ginuine. Caliber 565, F815, Case no. 166.022 Diameter 28,50 mm

Good luck.

 

Hi Gordon, thank you for the advice, a watchmaker friend has confirmed original dial but in a poor state, however the movement was in fantastic shape.

Hi Jaybe, i checked the bottom line of the cross hair and indeed so of these that had cross hairs show it going through the SM letters. Thx for the video, it helped.

Hi Guillaumeabxl, thank you for your help, nice to find another cosmic enthusiast. I checked out your find,and found his sale on ebay, there were more photos and I was worried the 'quarter' markings are gold coloured, whereas the rest of the dial is silver. Wondered if you thought this would detract from the overall finish?
Also the strap is an original but has a 523 end bracelet missing from the 'bead of rice' 7 row strap. do you have any useful links to replace?

many thanks