Hello, another piece I'm following is this Seamaster Cosmic, two tone. I guess the caliber is 565. Do you think the dial and case is original? Thanks.

BTW, is this old piece 30m waterproof?

 

Polished to death, dial is OK, but it'd be a pass on the case condition.

This is what that case should look like.

 

How about this one?
BTW, what's the right attitude on the expired luminous paints on the dial？

 

Looks much better. Old lume is old lume, part of the character of the dial. As long as it hasn’t been redone all is generally good.

 

Would the old lume become even worse as time flies?

 

Old lume can (read can, doesn’t mean must) deteriorate more and more over time. A competent watchmaker can stabilize the old lume on the dial and hands without changing the look of it.
I had this done on two of my watches to preserve allready failing/cracked lumen.
Your second cosmic looks much better than the first one you posted, depending on price I‘d go for it!
If you want the most out of your watch nd intend to wear it daily don’t forget to count in cost of service for the movement into the price.
Depending on who does the work, you are looking at an additional 250-500€.

Cheers,

Max

 

here comes the third piece...

 

Thanks for all these details. I'm wondering if I shall choose one with old lumes or not.

 

You‘r welcome!
The third one you posted is not bad. Looks like an all correct cosmic to me but not as nice as the second one. (Different case styles btw.)

I personally like the old lume (the lumen material is called „tritium“ in this instance btw, that’s also what the - T Swiss Made T - indicates on the bottom of the dial. T Stands for tritium).

If you don’t want lumen on a cosmic you have to search for one that never had lumen on the dial in the first place, like the first and second watch you posted (black Onyx style markers and hands).

I would advise against a relumed watch. (Meaning the old lumen was replaced with modern lumen material, most likely during service.)
It takes away from the vintage charm and originality.

Cheers,

Max

 

Thank you so much! I'm trying to get a good bargain.

 

No problem! Trying not to overpay is understandable, but I would rather pay a little more for a very nice example (within a reasonable range).

Patience is key in the vintage watch game, and as always condition, condition, condition!

Cheers,

Max

 

I like this one. The third one's ok but I think this one has more going on design-wise. But don't trust the water resistance of a 40+ year old watch as there is a strong chance you will ruin it. For swimming or boating buy a modern quartz diver.

 

also, I like cosmics just fine but since you mentioned about cost/finding a good deal, and want to use the watch, I would expand my horizons past the cosmic line as they are front-loaders and much more difficult to disassemble for service. yes I know some view that as merely being a different procedure of disassembly but the two-piece stems and finesse needed to take apart and reinstall the movement back into the watch surely has an effect on why they are not the hottest model going in the vintage omega arena.

 

For any competent watchmaker, a front loading case is not any sort of deterrent. It takes no extra time or effort to uncase the movement in this watch than it does in a rear loading watch case design. You simply pop the stem apart, lift the crystal, turn the movement a few degrees, and it drops out. Takes maybe 30 seconds.

For someone who tinkers, yes that's likely a deterrent, but that has the added benefit of not having someone who's not competent inside mucking about. The fact that there is only one perishable seal to worry about on these is also why they are often in very good condition...

 

For the OP - second one looks nicest to me, however it clearly is in need of a service, so add that into your budget when bidding.

Cheers, Al

 

The second one is on its way to my pocket now I kind of like this watch for its two-tone dial and the front-loading.

Once arrived I shall post more pics. Thanks for all the advices and generous helps to a newbie.

As for the service part, I'm generally advised with two ideas:

1) do not service or repair as long as the time is still accurate, relatively, in case the work by someone may do further damage to the watch that a non-professional cannot spot; in other words, if something need to be done to the watch, the accuracy will tell;

2) do it as the manuals and papers say, 3-5 years once regularly.

I'm a guy using watches only as on-hand accessories, who do not use one watch for a long time. Most of them are only left home for most of the time.

Thanks.

 

You made a good choice! Its a lovely watch, and this case shape is also very nice!
I got my wife one with the same case design, unfortunately it was very polished, but i sent the watch to Omega for service and they did a good job. Not something a collector would do, but my wife loves the watch!
In your case i would probably try to find an independent watchmaker though, since it has aged lume on the dial. You never know what Omega service center would decide to do with it
Enjoy your Cosmic!

 

Congrats on the watch. You should seriously consider Archer’s guidance and get it serviced though

 

I think you have acquired a very nice watch. But:

Whoever told you this is just wrong. Unless it has been serviced within the last few years, the old oils in the watch will have dried out and even if it is running accurately, the internal parts will be slowly grinding themselves to death. A competent watchmaker will not damage it so the answer is to choose a competent watchmaker! You should not send it to Omega as this is unnecessarily expensive and they may replace original parts that don't actually need it, because their brief is to make a watch appear new. A good vintage specialist will do every bit as good a job and will retain the integrity of your watch. Just don't try getting it serviced on the cheap as this is always a false economy. Don't be in a rush but take your time to research local watchmakers. It's probably ok to wear the watch for a few days just to enjoy it and get an idea of the timekeeping, but no longer than that.