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Help wanted - 565 Seamaster signature authenticity

J
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Hi all,

I’m a newbie watch restoration enthusiast and I’ve fallen in love with the vintage Omega Seamaster. I recently purchased a cal.565 version with a 24 jewel movement but upon examining the dial closely I became worried that the Seamaster signature looks different from the other versions I’ve seen. Am I right in suspecting the dial to be a fake?
 
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Spruce
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I have a 166.010 with a 565 movement - does this help?

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J
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Thanks for your help all. The «S» in particular seems to be a dead giveaway, together with the mishapen «m». The «Swiss Made» seems to be very poorly executed as well.

Oh well, live and learn. The hunt continues…
 
Davidt
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It’s not fake, it’s been refinished. Still a deal breaker but there’s a significant difference.
 
J
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I found another Seamaster selling as a repair article (hence the scratched crystal). Perhaps this signature is authentic, or just a better repaint job?

IMG_8694.png
 
Davidt
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J JanChirk_41
I found another Seamaster selling as a repair article (hence the scratched crystal). Perhaps this signature is authentic, or just a better repaint job?

IMG_8694.png

That’s completely different to yours. From that single photo I’d say that’s an original dial.
 
X350 XJR
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It's always helpful to see the entire watch because signatures vary a bit from reference to reference, although OPs watch is clearly a poor re-dial regardless.
 
sheepdoll
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I have all but given up on identifying Omega seamater signatures. And I used to test fonts for a living. Photo quality makes it hard to judge.

Sometime I want to enter all this into font forge. A project I was going to do 30 years ago. One either has the eye for design or not. I suspect as a backroom engineer my eye is more on the mediocre side of things. It really is like wine tasting. Or a good single malt. You know it when you see it.

My feeling is If I like it I like it. The dial and printing process in inherently unstable. So the selection of good examples is going to decrease. A lot of the low end stuff that seems to be coming to market at the moment are service award watches. Where people are attempting to cash them out for what ever they can get.
 
Dan S
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J JanChirk_41
I found another Seamaster selling as a repair article (hence the scratched crystal). Perhaps this signature is authentic, or just a better repaint job?
The damage to that dial can't be repaired.
 
J
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Dan S Dan S
The damage to that dial can't be repaired.
From another picture of that same dial it seems that the damage is confined to the crystal, and the dial is (maybe) less damaged than it appears. The asking price for that watch is €489 though which seems very steep considering a) the pictures are hard to judge by, b) the watch does not run and the seller does not appear to know why, and c) the item is in Japan which will involve import duties and customs fees.

I have been tempted because I have a crystal that will fit that case, and it seems like an interesting fixer-upper challenge, but I am put off by the issues listed above.

Thanks for the help. I'm a noob to this hobby and am thoroughly enjoying picking up all the new knowledge 😀

s-l960.jpg
 
sheepdoll
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Unless one is really knowledgeable about old beater watches like this, best to avoid them. Price seems on the higher side given non functionality. Service costs/time can really add up quick.
 
TIMElyBehaviour
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There are a few marks on the dial but most of the damage is the crystal that is easily replaced.
 
DaveK
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J JanChirk_41
From another picture of that same dial it seems that the damage is confined to the crystal, and the dial is (maybe) less damaged than it appears. The asking price for that watch is €489 though which seems very steep considering a) the pictures are hard to judge by, b) the watch does not run and the seller does not appear to know why, and c) the item is in Japan which will involve import duties and customs fees.

I have been tempted because I have a crystal that will fit that case, and it seems like an interesting fixer-upper challenge, but I am put off by the issues listed above.

Thanks for the help. I'm a noob to this hobby and am thoroughly enjoying picking up all the new knowledge 😀

s-l960.jpg

As noted above, pictures of the whole watch will allow you to get you the best guidance from the members
 
J
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Thanks for the help. I decided to pass on this as I feel the watch is overpriced for its condition, and I wasn’t able to get enough information out of the seller to ascertain how much more I would need to invest (in addition to a new crystal) in order to get it working.
 
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