Man, your dad had some VERY appreciative patients!

Standard advice for people new to vintage watches:

Don't wear it or wind it very much until they are serviced. Service is mostly about lubricating the movement, and the lube dries up after 4-5 years. They will continue to run and keep okay time while the lube is dry, but it causes additional wear on the parts and leads eventually to having to replace them.

If you're going to sell them, don't have them serviced first. Let the buyer do it. The buyer will be more comfortable knowing someone they trust did the work, so if you have it done you won't get the cost of the service paid for in the additional sale price.

If you have them serviced, tell the watchmaker NOT to polish the case. Polishing the case hurts the resale value to collects a lot. Not that they'd need to here as yours look like they're in very nice shape. Also do NOT take them to an Omega Boutique or send them for service by Omega. Omega doesn't see any value in vintage watches as such and tries to make them all look brand new, by polishing, swapping hands, etc. Use a watchmaker who's does Omega authorized service (so they can buy Omega spare parts) but not by Omega. If you want to have them serviced and don't know a watchmaker yet, post your location and someone may be able to recommend someone.

I'd recommend keeping the bracelets with the watches. These are probably bracelets picked out for the watch by the first buyer, the Constellation one at least. They have a history with the watch and most collectors would rather they stayed together.

 

Lots of good advice. However, I suspect you will get more for the chain bracelet (on the Seamaster) as scrap than by selling it with the watch.

 

Hi kkt-

Thank you for the advice on these new (to me) watches. The Seamaster definitely has a story behind it that I am starting to unravel. Dan S, The buckle has the name engraved of the individual that gave it to my father. I am finding out he was quite the big wig in Mexico during the 20's-60's. I think selling as scrap as I had previously thought would be a crime, considering his importance . I had not previously said anything about since I was doing some research on him, so I appreciate your thoughts and comments.

Best,

 

Greetings,

So I sent the Seamaster out to Jesse Hueg in NY for evaluation/cleaning Attached are some pictures he sent me. He stated by the serial number it was from 1955 and added the comments, "
The watch is amazing !! It's by far the best example of the model that I've ever seen and I've been at this for 29 years"

 

Hi and welcome

Stunning watches and well done for getting them serviced. Enjoy them both.
Chris.

 

No, absolutely incorrrect. That is guaranteed an original bracelet, 18k-marked Omega, and likely sold with the watch. Plenty of ads and catalog pages to prove it.

This statement surprises me, you're usually right on.

 

The Seamaster is very rare. Not many with those dials were made. Take good care of it! It would fetch way over 3000$ at an auction.

 

A few more pictures from Jesse. Should be getting it back soon

 

We get to see a lot of inherited ‘uncle watches’ but now and then we’re treated to gems. These are of the latter category.

Sorry about your loss.

 

Condition adds a premium to the value of a watch. When the condition is exceptional, a watch can be worth as much as double an average example.

 

It looks like you are keeping the bracelets with the watches- an am thrilled to see this. Despite them not being to some people’s taste (not mine), they were paired to the watches at the time of purchase and are clearly an archetype of the zeitgeist. They are truly decadent in every way, and rare to find these days. If I were a collector of these watches with deep pockets, the bracelets would make the package for me.

 

I appreciate all the comments, suggestions, help and condolences. I plan on keeping the bracelet as it came with the watch. Now I just need to get the watch back from Jesse, it has been months now with sparse communication.

 

Well I finally got my watch back. Take a look Only small detail I would have liked is if he had set the time and date; I will not complain too much since he did add the leather strap for "free" and I did get it back! He did nicely clean and polish the chain bracelet as well.

Semper Fi

 

Looks stunning! Enjoy it!

 

Well after waiting months for my watch I could not wait to wear it. Now it will randomly stop, even after wearing it all day! When I pull the crown out to change the date the second hand will start to move, as do the hour and minutes ones! I am not sending it back to Jesse but WTH. He cleaned it but also polished it, which somebody said would hurt the collector's value, although I intend on keeping it I am bummed he did not listen. Anybody used these folks before? https://www.govbergwatchrepair.com/watch-repair/omega-repair-washington-dc/

 

Could be an easy fix. Sounds like a stem/ setting section oversight. Could be the wrong stem as well, if he changed the stem. Polishing without consent is a No No. Fortunately yours was hardly used and a polish might not have taken much material off......enjoy. kind regards. Achim

 

I personally think a light polish, say with a Cape Cod is preferable on a gold watch to a scratched up dull case. Obviously I would not want any edge definition to be lessened, that is the key to maintaining the look of the case but removal of a few superficial scratches on a polished surface isn't a major negative, quite the opposite. Steel watches with mixed or brushed finishes often need material removal to refinish property, polished gold not so much.

 

I wouldn’t sweat the polish if he just gave it a hand shine-if the case seems softer at the edges than before (like he used a buffing wheel), then I would be a little steamed. It looks lovely in your picture.

If you were happy with his service and communication then I see no problem sending it back to iron out the issue. Sometimes something gets overlooked or loosens in shipping (lots of vibration in transit). I had a 1917 trench watch serviced by a watchmaker that specializes in them. When I got it back, the hands wouldn’t keep time. It would set and wind and I could hear it running but the hands just stayed where I set them. I sent it back and it was a loose canon wheel/ very easy fix and common part to come loose. He turned it around in 3 days, been perfect since.

 

Just read the thread on Jesse- yeah, don’t send it back to him.

This thread is about watchmakers in the Balt/Dc area, haven’t used any myself yet.

https://omegaforums.net/threads/watchmaker-in-dc-baltimore.94846/