Is my watch a redial or original?

Tony C.

The quality of the OMEGA printing appears dubious to my eye. A likely redial, I'd say.

Tony C.

Doesn't matter when the dial was refinished - it is what it is. But for $1000-1500, I'd expect an original dial on a model such as that one.

Patina is a different matter altogether. A dial having been cleaned insensitively would not be considered "patina", and a refinished dial would certainly not fall into that category. On the other hand, changes of color from chemical reactions in lacquer and/or lume would be considered patina.

Tony C.

This does not look like factory quality:

Also, look at the 12:00 index. That does not look like a problem related to dial cleaning, but rather poor execution after the cleaning.

Tony C.

I haven't seen enough of it to make a fine judgment. If you have images of the case back and movement, I could answer the question.

Vintage Lemania

Refinished I would say, but most likely done long ago.

georgeszaslavsky

Agreed , that is an old redone dial

Tony C.

Not the best photos, but from what I can see:

The case appears to have been polished. Not over-polished, perhaps, but it does degrade the value somewhat. Presumably it measures 36mm, which is a plus.

The dial has been discussed. And as for this:



No, very unlikely.

The movement appears to be in "good" condition. Some might argue "very good", but I prefer to be conservative, and cannot see all of the parts. I am unsure on the originality of the crown, but that is a relatively minor issue in any case.

In my view, if presented honestly, it is a ~$600-700 watch at best. I say that partly because the current market is different than even a mere one or two years ago. The values of vintage watches without original dials, and/or not in excellent or better condition, have been falling. Collectors with money continue to buy really good examples of desirable watches, but the much larger "middle market", which was for years arguably inflated (along with many other markets), is now deflating fairly rapidly.

Anyone buying vintage watches these days who is concerned about near/mid-term value retention would be well-advised to emphasize both condition and originality. In other words, pay more for a really good, original example, unless you are comfortable wearing a watch with issues, and are not concerned about resale value.

Tony C.

You're welcome, and good luck.