I saved(!) a Seamaster 30!

Hey everyone!

I wanted to share the Seamaster 30 that I saved(!) from a foul seller just looking for quick profit. (Well... he succeeded😀)

Photos in the listing were kind of blurry and purposely shot in a tight angle, but enough for me to see that the gold plating on the lugs and bezel were worn away. But I also noticed that the crystal (lots of scratches), crown and cover are still original and the linen dial looks really really nice and untouched.

After speaking with the guy he agreed to lower his price to around 240 USD. Transaction was going to be handled on a local website, so it allowed me to pay that 240 USD divided in 6 months. (Thanks to our credit card regulations in my country😀)

When I received the watch, I immediately noticed that the case had a gouge near the back cover meets the case. It looked like someone tried to open it from the side with a sharp object(!). Since I already knew the condition of the case was sub-par and I was planning to get another same reference case in the future (If I can find one), the gouge wasn't a huge problem for me. I should add that I expected to have one or two treats(!) in the movement area, to my surprise, the movement looked really clean and crisp.

Long story short; I fell in love with the linen dial and decided to buy the watch anyway to use it after sending it to my watchmaker (Maintenance and case repair).

You may think I overpaid for a piece in this condition, but how could I leave it to the hands of the guy again! Not possible with the 6 months payments😀

Watch has 14389-11-CSP reference written in the cover, and Cal.269 movement inside. (I wounded it fully once and timekeeping is consistent +30 sec with power reserve of around 40 hours. Not bad I guess)

Now it's sitting in the watchbox and waiting to return to its glory days. Hoping to hear any ideas if I did OK or it was just dumb move😀

Adding the current photos of the watch, although direct light under the magnifier doesn't do the linen dial justice😀.

I think you did really quite well. 40 bucks a month for six months doesn't hurt! These linen dials are getting a bit thin on the ground..it might be the light but it has an unusual patina. GP cases this old have generally been through a lot and yours is no different. if it bugs you you might want to recast it in a nice period stainless steel and throw on a BOR bracelet.like mine here The movement looks to be in good condition snd there's certainly evidence of maintenance done. Not entirely sure about the crown , but others will know more.

Hi, thanks for the input! I'm checking ebay for a case replacement, although I can still use the watch as is, after the maintenance. Do you have any idea where to find the case other than Ebay?

Anyhow, please find the dial closeup shot in the daylight. Looking much better than direct light! (Nevermind the scratches, still waiting for my polywatch to arrive)

You've got a nice dial & movt.
I'd keep my eyes open for a suitable SS watch with a hideous redial at a cheap price.

I like it as is. Get a movement service and wear it. Good catch.

I echo the ‘leave it as is’ sentiment, nice even patina, really like equal length batons and the linen dial is great. I think that was a good price too.

Thanks a lot for the comments.

Leaving it as is and use it after maintenance was my initial thought, but after seeing the case has a damage I'm more leaning towards finding a new case.

Case repair will include filling the gauge with siver(that's what my watchmaker tells me) and retapping-adjusting the filled area for screw in caseback. So it will cost me around 60-100 USD. Plus the maintenance will be around 80 USD(if everything is OK inside the movement).

Maybe I should leave it as is and just do the maintenance and case repair afterall.

Hi @Vitezi and thanks for the warm welcome!

Actually I already have a few vintage watches and one of them is an Omega Constellation 168.018😀 I inherited it from my grandfather.

So, It's a shame on my side not to signup to Omega Forums by now, I know😀

Bad news, Ref 14389 is not a seamaster 30 case. With the Cal 269, it should be a 125.003 (and 135.003 with a cal 286) Most likely, the movement & dial were put into this case. Good news is the movement, dial & hands look good. If you can find a case with the correct reference all would be well.

https://www.omegawatches.com/watch-omega-seamaster-omega-ck-14389

https://www.omegawatches.com/watch-omega-seamaster-30-jd-125-0003

Hi @Bumper , thanks for the heads up!

I did a bit of research as well, and the only example with the same movement, case ref & dial is in the below link. It might be a coincidence to have all the same ingredients together but I reckon, it's unlikely.

Maybe someone can help if the ref is correct somehow?

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/omega-seamaster-30-watch-dial-268013953

Ah also now I found out that @Tiny Iota has/had the same watch😀

https://omegaforums.net/threads/1962-seamaster-30-cal-269-linen-dial.15132/

Well I’m not sure @Bumper is correct, or at least no one flagged any such concerns in the thread on my watch linked above. All I have to go on is their comments as I really just bought it back in the early days of my collecting as I liked the look of it, and I’ve never done any further research.