Intro and Thanks

I love watches and would not consider myself a collector or aficionado. But about eight months ago, as I was approaching my 65th birthday this year, I got the idea that I would love to find a watch from my birth year (1958) that I could wear on a fairly regular basis and enjoy. After a bunch of time on eBay I narrowed my searches to Elgin, Bulova, and Omega, and then finally decided to focus on a 1958 Omega of some type. That led me to becoming a regular “lurker” on this forum.

Thanks to all the contributors and experts here, I’ve learned a ton. I also fell in love with Omega watches, I am certain there will be a few vintage Omegas in my future! What I learned here also led me to a few YouTube contributors that restore old Omegas. What incredible machines they are!

Recently I finally decided I should join the forum, and maybe I will be able to contribute a little here and there.

Maybe the most surprising thing I learned here is how watch sizes have changed over the years. I came to understand that whatever 1958 watch I found would be smaller than my Tag that I wear every day. SO interesting.

Oh, and I finally did find an Omega from ~1958. It’s an automatic with a 470 movement. Totally love it. My first Omega, but pretty sure it will not be my last.

Welcome, glad you decided to join the fray!

Welcome aboard! A word of warning - OF membership often goes hand in hand with the realization that one vintage Omega really isn’t enough. And then two aren’t enough, either. And then… 😁

Welcome to the forum, nice intro i enjoy read it. Regards.

Hello and Welcome!

Here’s what I know about my watch:

It is from approximately 1958 (16,000,000 serial number on movement).

It is a cal. 470 movement, which has 17 jewels. It is interesting because it was the first rotor automatic that Omega made. It also differs from the 471 that had more jewels because the USA charged a premium to import watches with more than 17 jewels. That said, the 470 and 471 movements are slightly smaller than others from the same time period and as a result are not as desirable.

The reference number is 14773-1 SC. Reference numbers from the late 1950’s follow a different system that no one seems to understand. The SC does mean PVD, grey for the case and back.

Do I have all that right? Other questions:

I’ve found a few other examples of the exact same watch face online. In every case they referred to this watch as a Seamaster, even though it does not say that on the face. Is it in fact a Seamaster?

I see guys talk about being careful not to get a watch like this wet. I get that I would not submerge it in water or shower with it on, etc. But do I really need to worry if I am wearing it and it rains? How careful do I really need to be?

Thanks again for welcoming me to the forum!

Welcome and congratulations on your birth year Omega, it's a nice thing to have, my birth year, 1968, constellation says hi👍.

Welcome. I like your watch. The dial is a new one for me (I'm still relatively new to watches, though). I haven't seen that style of numerals on any Omega yet. Thanks for sharing.

That's one of the main reasons I bought it. The numbers just scream 1950s to me.