I have my Dads old seamaster on the inside of the cover it has E20408 it is a 501 cal with a number of 16515431 on the movement .it is also in a 14 k case any help would be very much appreciated Thanks Peter
Dear Peter, welcome to the forum. There are many knowledgeable people here willing to help, but it would help us/them if you would be a bit more specific about the kind of help you are looking for? Also, posting some pictures of the watch, close up of the dial, movement and inside case back would help a lot.
Thanks Pete, this helps quite a bit. The movement number would date the watch to around 1958/59 and as you already noted, it is a Seamaster with a cal. 501 movement. There are many collectors for Seamaster watches, but condition and originality is everything. And in solid gold, they would of course be more valuable, especially if they have a matching gold bracelet. For your watch, the dial looks quite damaged and this in all likelihood cannot be fixed without refinishing or replacing the dial. This would reduce its value for collectors, but in this case I am not sure if your dial is original to begin with. Most of the examples from that period have different hour markers and so-called dauphine hands (triangular shaped) wheras yours has stick or "baton" hands which I think date to the mid-sixties. The picture of the inside case back is too vague, but I can see scratched dates in two or three spots. These would be marks of watch makers and will show the past service dates. It would have been quite common for the dial and hands to have been replaced during one of those services. If you google "cal 501 seamaster" you will get a lot of hits and pictures of watches from that period, so you get an idea of what they looked like and if anyone of them looks like yours. For value, you can check out Ebay for this type watch and also look on www.chrono24.com There are quite a few Seamaster experts on the forum and I expect they will chime in soon and give you more/better info. My personal view is that a "father's watch" should be kept and cherished, so I would seek good advice and get it back into good shape. Best of luck!
Peter This looks like an American-cased 14k Omega. As Hans has noted, the dial looks later than the 1958 movement serial number would suggest. This dial has been subjected to water incursion and damage at some time, and there are also signs that the rotor bearings in the movement are worn. In its present state the watch is probably not worth a great deal more than as its constituent parts, in other words the movement for spares and the case for melt value, whatever that is. However, to you it is probably worth a good deal more than that, so you will have to decide how much you are prepared to spend to get it back into good shape. At the very least this will be a movement service and probably new rotor bearings. Then you have to decide whether to replace the dial (which may already be a service replacement) or have it refinished. As Hans says, good luck
Thanks very much for your help on the inside of the watch back are service dates of 5/62 6/74 4/81 11/82 11/93 also there is one of12/4/53 . and a letter j with a lance or spear going though it over the 14k stamp
Change the oil and check the tires but I would not repaint the dial, polish the case or do anything that would erase the story of your Father and of his time carrying the watch ! If, by chance, the sentimental value is not strong, wait until your son is a man, tell him the story and get his feelings before wiping the slate clean with a redial or polish..