After having a read of this (https://omegaforums.net/threads/i-bought-a-seamaster.74227/) thread. I have become nervous of the Seamaster which was delivered today. I put my virtual hand up at auction and won the watch, which was delivered today. This was the only picture which the auction uploaded. I mostly bought it for the black dial. Similarly to the above thread, I bought it for restoration purposes, which I seem now to be regretting after reading the comments on that thread.



This is it when it arrived.

and the movement


It has white paint on it, and there is wear to the 5 o'clock lug, but appart from that, I think it should be fine for restoration.

A couple of questions
1) Is this going to be a money pit? The movement does not look perfect, but not too bad. I am concerned about further deterioration of the dial though
2) Is there anything I am missing about the watch?
3) I believe the correct crown for this ref is a clover crown? What are the chances of finding this in rose gold?

For full disclosure, the purchase price was GBP180+fees, So hopefully even if it all goes wrong, I wont be too far under water.

Thanks for your help!
Lucas

 

Yes, clover crown. No idea if rose gold can be sourced.

Movement is correct for the reference. Can’t speak to the condition.

Perhaps there was some color correction in the original sales photo. The dial looks more greenish in your photos. That said I have seen other black dials from this era degrade in a similar way (although not turn greenish).

Edit: upon looking again you may spend as much to replace the crown and plexi, and repair the movement as you would to buy another example in good condition. Maybe more.

 

Neat dial. Crystal is an easy fix. Rose gold clover... set up an eBay search for “rose gold omega crown.”

Put a generic crown on until then.

 

There are several pink gold 4 leaf crown listed on ebay rightnow. For that price is not a bad catch and a much better candidate for restore than the one in the other thread. Go light on the cape cod polishing cloth, quick ultrasonic bath and new crystal all of which you can do yourself. Source the crown and then off to your watchmaker of trust. Make sure you tell him not to do any extra work on the case and post some pics when its done

 

I presume the white paint is on the glass and not the dial?

That being the case I think yours has potential. The dial is good. Hopefully it cleans up well

 

I love it !

Terrific patina on the dial……it looks entirely original

A new crystal will make a world of difference…& new gaskets should prevent any further moisture intrusion

If I had seen it…I would have bought it

The Case, if it really bothers you can be laser welded to replace the chipped ‘gold filled’ exterior

 

Yes it has pretty much all the characteristics that says "money pit" to me.

To start with that case is toast, and if you don't want to be staring at that 5 0 clock lug every time you strap it on, you'll need to replace the case....which won't be easy as it looks to be much less often seen rose gold top.

The dial looks to be in poor shape too, I can just about see the minute hash marks between the 10 and 11, but are the rest even there? It looks dried out and water damaged to me.

Can't comment on the movement, but I'd wager it needs a service!

 

I'm only reading on my phone but have zoomed in as well as I can. Here's my thoughts:

No-one's messed around with the dial but unsure if I like the way it's aged. It'll certainly be a unique look;
Case is the same - it's showing age but it's honest;
Hands and dial furniture will probably look fine once cleaned;
Crown's obviously missing but worst case would be you pick up a steel clover and plate it to match. Not desperately expensive.
Movement doesn't show any obvious issues beyond being filthy.

I differ slightly to the other advice. I say drop it in to a watchmaker as is. Ask for an assessment and quote. You may wish to supply the glass and a crown yourself (and you might want to locate a correct crown first). Ask for the case to be cleaned and request photos, then you can decide what sort of action, if any, you want to take.

Best of luck .

 

Yeah, that paint is on the glass and the rest of the case. I thought it was glare in the original photos.

The rest are there, but very very faintly. I would certainly wager a service is in order. I do know what you mean about the lug. I am also concerned that if I do get it serviced, when I wore it the paint would peel and get into the movement anyway.

I think this is the definition of an honestly well worn watch. I suppose the real question is how much I like it.

Another thing to consider is that I have another white dialed Seamaster I bid on at another auction on my way to me now. From the original picture for this one, I thought the dial was in better condition than it actually is.

I may replace the crystal and put a generic crown on it to get a better idea of if I find the dial attractive or not.

Thanks for all your advice! It seems that people are a little split on what to do with a watch like this.

 

If you find the parts and the right watchmaker, this could turn out to be a cinderella story.

First off, black dial / rose gold vintage Omegas are not common at all. I'd go as far as to say most are pretty rare (and I cringe at the word 'rare' in most cases but it's justified in this context).

Second, the top coat on that dial has the crazing / cracking that some of us . I would have rolled the dice on that watch at that price.

@Lucasssssss - I have a feeling after a proper restoration (maybe even a replating of the case) you're gonna dig that watch.

 

Thank you very much, this makes me a little more confident in my purchase and how it may turn out. Particularly after your comment in another Seamaster thread about members who are buying vintage Seamasters not knowing between their "ass and a hole in the ground when it comes to vintage Omega Seamasters".

Funds are a little tight at the moment, so I may have to hold off a full restoration until I sell something, or stop being a student and become a productive member of society. But I think a crown and crystal might be in order.

 

Has anyone seen the Omega "G" and the Seamaster "S" like that before? Looks wrong to me, but I am novice.

 

I have - dozens of times. Even owned a black dial / rose gold furniture Constellation and a black dial / yellow gold Seamaster. I checked the expanded picture and it's kosher.

 

I recommend you to learn a bit more about vintage watches before post comments and state yourself as a novice. That makes no sence to me but you are very welcome here on OF !

 

Welcome... and it’s correct. Called a “coat hanger s”

 

The top of the S looks flat to me and not like the standard coat hanger S. I assume this is an additional variant to the more common coat hanger S then. Here is another 2846 from OF that I was comparing it to.

 

Awesome, good to know. Thanks all.

 

Learning questions leading to teachable moments are the strength of this forum.
No berating, no belittling, just the best expertise in the world!
Keep asking, keep giving opinions, we can teach each other.

 

I believe that many parts for that caliber can be very difficult to find, should it require parts. Let us know what you find out about condition of the movement.