Help With Vintage Omega Seamaster (1959-1960)

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Cibearse

·Mon. 9:59am

Hello Everyone,
I am looking to get some information on the watch depicted in the attached images. I am currently searching for a watch for my father as a retirement gift. He is likely to retire sometime this year and I would really like to get him a birth year (1959) Omega watch. I have been searching Chrono24 and a few other resources and really like the Constellation and Seamaster models but have been struggling to find what I like in the year 1959.

What can you guys tell me about the depicted watch? Forgive my ignorance but would it be accurate to say that if the crystal has been replaced it was done so by Omega since it has the Omega logo in center? Also, does anything stand out to you guys as not original or do you see any red flags here? From my research I'm not 100% sure the watch was produced in 1959, but maybe only the movement was produced in 1959 and placed in the watch produced in 1960?

Anyway any information or details you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

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Endshake

·Mon. 11:54am

Definetely a special dial. Movement seems ok for me(matching colours). Probably not the cheapest gift.

 

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Cibearse

·Mon. 12:17pm

No, definitely not cheap. But the old man fed me, kept a house over my head, and helped put me through college so figure it's definitely worth it...

 

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SOG53

·Mon. 12:39pm

beautiful and unique watch with that special dial. Lovely gift
I have couple of examples of Constellations from 1959 in stainless steel but not nearly as special as this.

It looks original, may have service crown but that is not important as replaced crown gives better water resistance. Omega logo in crystal indicates later service replacement also common and not an issue, unless he is a watch nerd like many of us here....

Regarding the date, unless you have an Extract of Archives (currently unavailable) or original bill of sale you can't know when it was delivered to dealer or sold, so just go by the SN on movement which is consistent with 1959. In this game "close enough" works.

Edited: Mon. 12:45pm

 

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Passover

·Mon. 1:59pm

Cibearse

Forgive my ignorance but would it be accurate to say that if the crystal has been replaced it was done so by Omega since it has the Omega logo in center?

Not IMO: The replacment might have been by Omega, by a certified Omega watchmaker or a regular watchmaker.

 

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myouss

·Mon. 4:20pm

Overall, it's a nice example. The dial is the clear standout. I've seen the price on C24. It's steep. If you like it, you probably wont see it again. I'm personally not very concerned when it comes to replacement crystal or crowns.

As for the 'birth year', as @SOG53 mentioned without the archive extract which would give you delivery information (year it was sold, delivered to which country etc), you only have the movement to go from. Unfortunately Omega discontinued their extract service, so unless otherwise advertised, what you see is what you get.

My take is if you love the dial, your options are to negotiate or stomach the price, or find a different watch.

 

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TimeODanaos

·Mon. 7:14pm

I think @PlainVanilla would like to see this!
The dealer is consistently expensive, and if IIRC the mods here had beef with him a few years back (ref EvrClear). But if you have the $$... I could only dream about getting this from my kids!

 

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ecarpino

·4:29am yesterday

Maybe it is just my watchmaker attitude, but I would never buy from a seller that holds movement (and dial) with bare fingers.

This said, I have never seen this dial before so if you fell in love with it, you should go for it, that's what matters in the end 😀

 

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MtV

·4:40am yesterday

The dial is legit and known, also exists without the Seamaster writing.

The seller, however, is the opposite of legit and has been banned from this very forum multiple times. I‘d avoid him at all costs.

 

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Cibearse

·5:34am yesterday

So what’s the deal with the seller? I have seen that a few times now but no mention as to why?

Looking on Chrono24 he has hundreds of reviews and almost all of them are good?

As far as the movement, he lists +- 18s/day. I figure I’ll have it serviced somewhere here in the states before giving it to my old man.

 

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Passover

·5:43am yesterday

You will have to put VAT on the price if you reside in the US

Plus service you will get near 8000USD?

Decision is up to you... 😉

 

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SOG53

·12:18pm yesterday

Are you in a hurry? What is timeline for the gift?
As the saying goes, you can only have 2 of the following
1. Good watch
2. Good price
3. A watch Right now

The watch looks good, although at that price I would expect a verified full service as you don’t want to gift a non-runner
The price is extremely high, and there is a serious warning about the seller.

You specifically want 1959 watch and that complicates the search considerably.
Before pulling trigger on this one I would advise you to check out omegaenthusiast.com he sells a lot of original serviced watches and there is likely a choice of 1959 samples there. His prices are high for sure but you get a correct serviced watch. For a one time gift that you wish to get quickly this may be a reasonable option.
Good luck!

 

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Cibearse

·1:44pm yesterday

SOG53

Are you in a hurry? What is timeline for the gift?
As the saying goes, you can only have 2 of the following
1. Good watch
2. Good price
3. A watch Right now

The watch looks good, although at that price I would expect a verified full service as you don’t want to gift a non-runner
The price is extremely high, and there is a serious warning about the seller.

You specifically want 1959 watch and that complicates the search considerably.
Before pulling trigger on this one I would advise you to check out omegaenthusiast.com he sells a lot of original serviced watches and there is likely a choice of 1959 samples there. His prices are high for sure but you get a correct serviced watch. For a one time gift that you wish to get quickly this may be a reasonable option.
Good luck!

I have been watching Omegaenthusiast.com for a while now (roughly 6 months or so) as this has been on my mind as a gift idea for some time now and have yet to see what I'm looking for.

Again, what is the warning with this guy? Everyone keeps mentioning it, but they don't state what the issues are? I tried researching here in the forum for vintage-portfolio but didn't really come up with anything...

 

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MtV

·1:48pm yesterday

Cibearse

So what’s the deal with the seller? I have seen that a few times now but no mention as to why?

Looking on Chrono24 he has hundreds of reviews and almost all of them are good?

As far as the movement, he lists +- 18s/day. I figure I’ll have it serviced somewhere here in the states before giving it to my old man.

https://omegaforums.net/posts/262343/

dsio · Apr 9, 2015

So, as suggested above this guy has no son, because he's a kid in his 20s that's already been banned as @ev3rclear and as @Sapientia Cordis.

Its been made extremely clear that this unpleasant fellow is not welcome here or frankly anywhere in a community of watch collectors.

Previous threads are here: https://omegaforums.net/threads/urgent-watch-identification.21763
and here: https://omegaforums.net/threads/my-...moon-145022-69-cal-861-don-bezel.22883/page-2

Basically this kid buys beat up, redialed and junk grade Omegas, regulates or pays for...

Happy reading.

Most buyers won’t know they bought redials or heavily polished watches or watches that weren’t actually serviced. They leave a positive review and when/if they find out it’s too late to adjust the C24 feedback.

 

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Passover

·2:30pm yesterday

Just some points on the first gold Omega I saw on his side:

"The still FACTORY ORIGINAL (non-refurbished) dial has slight patina. The glas has very little signs of wear. The case has regular signs of wear which are congruent to the age of the watch. Please consider the pictures as well as the age of the watch.
Original Omega Crown"

That is not a slight patina, the dial is damaged at a few spots.

The case has not regualr signs of wear, it is heavily worn / polished

The crown might be 'Original Omega' but it is not the correct crown for this reference

 

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Dan S

·2:44pm yesterday

I think you got great responses and information here, OP.

Legit watch, plausibly 1959, distinctive dial, soft lugs, replaced crown, crazy price, dishonest seller. The decision is now yours. It's available and it apparently suits your needs and budget. If timing is tight, and this is what you want, your options may be limited.

P.S. FWIW, this is a very fancy, unique, and dressy watch. As a gift from his daughter, it will undoubtedly be priceless. But the watch itself will probably not appeal to everyone. The "plaid" dial is cool to see, but I'd rather see it in photos than actually own it. You know your father best, but personally I would rather have a stainless steel Seamaster or Constellation or 30mm reference that is more suitable for daily wear.

Edited: 2:49pm yesterday