Hi guys - do you think this is a 165.024 from 60s?


I was recently gifted it from my father, and it was his father who bought it.

Should I be insuring this?? Some prices I've seen on the internet have made me gasp (8k GBP)

One last question - silly probably, but the glowing hands aren't radioactive are they?

thanks!

 

The bezel looks like a 1966/1967 manufacture.

Omega used tritium during this period. Interestingly, your dial doesn't appear to have "T" markings, indicating tritium, on either side of "Swiss Made." Also of note, your dial doesn't seem to have any patination. If it is authentic, it could be an Omega factory luminova service dial. That would reduce value because collectors of old 300s like the original tritium dial due to the aged look of rotting tritium on luminous material.

Is the crown pulled out in your photo? If not, the crown might be aftermarket (not OEM) and therefore might not offer water resistance.

The bracelet is not original to the watch. Forstner sells bracelets that will fit this watch for a reasonable price. You need 20mm. I like the 1450 Speedmaster bracelet on the 300. The original bracelet would have been a 1039 flat link or 1116. You can also buy an 1171 or Apollo 11 50th flat link bracelet from Omega, but the Omega bracelets will be significantly more expensive than Forstner.

If the watch is original/authentic, you should insure it as these can sell for $10k or more. I don't know for certain if your watch is authentic due to the dial observations I noted above.

Here is a good resource: https://www.omegaseamaster300.com/

If you don't know the service history, I would assume the rubber gaskets and seals are rotted, and I would not let the watch come in contact with any water until you have all the rubber seals/gaskets replaced by a watchmaker and pressure tested. Also make sure that the crown is OEM. Does the crown have an Omega logo on the side? There were two crowns for this model -- a thin Niad crown and a later, longer screw down crown. The Omega long screw down crown was an update to this model that corrected some issues with the earlier Niad crown. The factory Omega long screw down crown for this model should still be available through Omega as a replacement part.

 

Hi Big

Thanks you for that!

I think most of the things seem to check out when looking at the website but I'll have it serviced and have it looked it to ensure it's original. Good spot on the dial! It is indeed missing the T-T between swiss made

You're right on the crown, it does indeed have an omega logo (difficult to photoghraph). It seems to be protruding but if pulled it comes all the way out. It measures from start to end at around 1.5-1.7cms. I cannot seem to change the time on the watch so it definitely needs fixing. It will stop if not worn and if i move it it starts up again, but I think that's normal. The watch generally seems to have oxidisation or just general grime as I think it was sitting in a draw for ages as my dad didn't use it. And I noted the strap also not being the original either so thanks for confirming that!.

Could it be the crown is protruding because it might need a good clean? See pics and thanks for your help!

 

I would love it to be water proof again, definitely not diving but perhaps more swimming / showering level

 

Are you sure that isn't rust on the back? The vintage case is probably 316L stainless steel which is resistant to rust, but I guess it could in theory develop some surface rust under poor conditions.

What concerns me is:

1. There appears to be rust on the back.
2. The crown is open.
3. It doesn't wind.

It's possible that some water got into the watch via the open crown. If so, you might have some rust inside the movement. Even if that's the case, it's not the end of the world. The movement for this watch, 552, is common and it would be relatively easy to find a donor movement from another watch. The 552 was also used in a bunch of dress watches which can be had for relatively cheap.

The interesting thing is you may have a luminova service dial, and luminova service hands. The clue is that you said they are "glowing" and there is no patination (brown color) and no tritium marking on the dial. If that's the case, either your dad or grandpa had a new Omega OEM dial and handset installed by someone within the last 20 years. And to address your original question, super luminova was adopted by the watch industry to replace tritium and is not radioactive. Your bezel, on the other hand, appears to be original and would contain tritium. But there shouldn't be any health risk to you as I don't believe tritium used in 1960s watches can even penetrate the skin. I believe it was the older radium luminous technology that is quite dangerous. Tritium was a safer luminous technology adopted by the watch industry to replace radium. Just don't go disturbing, breathing or ingesting old luminous material and you will be fine.

I would find a competent watchmaker who specializes in vintage Omega open up the back and take a look inside and give you an estimate. I'm sure folks on this forum could recommend some good watchmakers.

 

Just have your watchmaker change the rubber seals and gaskets and then pressure test it to confirm its water resistance. When up to spec, Omega guaranteed this watch to be water resistant to at least 200 meters.

But the first thing would be to see what condition the interior of the watch is in. Hopefully there was no water ingress which could cause rust damage.

Is the crown stuck or rusted in the open position? Or can you screw the open crown back down?

 

I installed a Forstner 20mm 1450 bracelet on mine: https://forstnerbands.com/collectio...president-1450-bracelet-for-omega-speedmaster

 

Welcome to the forum.
Bigtriangle has said what needs to be said for the most part, but of course much better pictures could help us help you better (take it out into daylight).

As for the bracelet, a picture of the clasp and the stampings inside will tell us what it is. To me it looks like a Holzer which was available around this time.

 

This is a great family heirloom. The dial seems to be the biggest question at the moment, and we'd need better photos and description to judge what is going on. Lume from that era would not glow, unless you put it under a UV lamp. Given the description of "glowing" and the lack of "Ts" on the dial, it tentatively would seem to be a service dial from within the last 20-25 years. Your father or grandfather may have had it changed because they wanted active lume at that time.

I would not necessarily count on your watchmaker to tell you whether everything is original or not, if that even matters to you. You are obviously not going to sell it, so the exact value may not be important. If you want to insure it, just insure it for the replacement value of a fully original example. While some watchmakers pay attention to details of originality, most watchmakers focus on repairing and servicing, and aren't focused on the minutiae that collectors care about. The people on this forum get very deep into those details, and if you can just practice and post some better photos, you will get your information. A good watchmaker will know what to do to get the watch running, and hopefully restore some level of water resistance.

 

Thanks for the replies everyone. I can't believe how many people are willing to share their knowledge

The crown does turn and I hear the clicking sound, but it clearly isn't catching what it needs to catch to turn the hands. It pulls all the way out. The strap itself has no markings whatsoever as to what make it might be. Possibly something cheap?

The watch does seem to be ticking along nicely even though I can't change the time XD

Adding more photos!

 

T

Thanks Dan! Yes, it seems to simply glow if it's a bit dark. I don't have a UV lamp - just normal lights?

So we can tentatively assume the dial was replaced?

 

Yes, you have a service dial and service hands. They have luminova and are from within the last 20 or so years.

Turn on the flashlight of your smartphone and shine it on the dial for 30 seconds. The hands and dial should glow like a blow torch.

Your bezel is original and the numerals on the bezel have likely have lost most of their ability to display a strong luminous charge.

 

Was the crown open and "out" when your dad gave it to you or did you unscrew it and pull it outward? When you turn the crown and you push it inward towards the watch, does it screw back down or is it stuck in the "out", open position?

My concern is if you were given the watch with the crown in the open position, some water may have gotten in the case years ago when it was in storage given how badly the caseback and bracelet appear to be rusted.

Is there a logo or symbol on the other side of the bracelet buckle? Any printed numerals on the clasp interior? It appears to have a twin button deployment at the clasp buckle, which would likely date the bracelet to the 1990s or newer, but I'm not sure what brand it is. It's certainly not an Omega OEM bracelet however.

 

That certainly looks like rust, but I guess it also could be mud. You could verify by getting a microfiber towel and pour a bit of rubbing alcohol on it and rub it on a small area of one of the brown spots and see if the debris rubs completely off like mud, exposing pristine steel below it, or if it is in fact rust.

 

Bracelet is an el-cheapo from the last 20 years. It looks like your grandfather probably had the watch professionally serviced (due to them using a service dial/hands) and put a new bracelet on it.
I don’t think that’s rust- I think it’s the worst wrist cheese we may have ever seen.
For our new friend- wrist cheese is the combination of sweat, dead skin cells, dirt, suntan lotion or skin lotion, bug spray or whatever else we slather on our bodies. It’s nasty when you think about what these watches collect underneath. As mentioned above, some isopropyl alcohol in a microfiber should clean it down to the shiny stainless underneath. If you need a little more pressure, a chop-stick under the micro-fiber will give you a tool that won’t scratch. Do not attempt to clean this in water! Until it is pressure tested, assume no water resistance whatsoever.
.

 

When my dad gave me the watch he showed me that the crown just completed pulls out see below) - yes, probably 'open and out' i guess. I put it in and apply some preassure but it doesn't seem to go in beyond what's shown.

No logos on the brace buckles at all as far as I can see.

 

Thanks! I won't touch it with water! and wrist cheese... eww! haha.

 

Yes, it seems some is just a bit of degree, a little might be rust but it's difficult to say!

 

That's what I was afraid of. The crown and winding stem slide completely out of the watch and have likely not been providing a water resistant seal for an unknown, perhaps extended period of time. On the bright side, at least there doesn't appear to be visible rust on the stem. You will want to get this to a competent watchmaker familiar with vintage Omega to open up the case back and inspect the movement.

Your watch itself is still running (as per your photos showing different times) even though you can't wind it because of the auto-winding rotor when the watch is moved. This is normal for an automatic watch and the fact that watch still runs is a good thing.

You mentioned GBP. Do you live in the UK? Maybe some folks here could recommend a watchmaker in your neck of the woods.

 

So the foreign substance on the back came off with isopropyl alcohol or not?