Is this a Redial? 1954 Omega Seamaster

rlj204 · Jan 13, 2021

Omega Seamaster for sale that I’m interested in. Seller lists the watch as 1954 based on the 14181007 serial number. Case is 34MM, Cal. 354.
I’m new to vintage watches and want to get started buying one for daily wear. Been attempting to take the crash course but it is harder than I anticipated. As far as I can tell, the watch appears to be genuine but has obvious aging (but please correct if I’m wrong). It also looks like it is a redial. From what I have read on here, redials hurt the value but are also common on older watches.... That said, it is unclear to me from the forum how much this hurts the value of the watch and if I should even bother.

Can y’all first confirm if it is in fact a redial for my own sanity? If it is how bad is the redial job? Any other issues you see with it? Any help with this watch and just to simply advance my learning would be appreciated.

Scarecrow Boat · Jan 13, 2021

R rlj204
Can y’all first confirm if it is in fact a redial for my own sanity? If it is how bad is the redial job?

Yes, it’s a redial and it’s not good. Among the issues is the poor Omega Automatic Seamaster script, the minute marks aren’t even or radially aligned to the center of the dial, and the dagger hour furniture isn’t properly positioned.

Nepomuceño · Jan 13, 2021

OP take a look here. This is a good place to start when it comes to learning. Also stay away from eBay in my opinion for now. The private sales thread is very trustworthy. I saw this one on eBay and coincidentally posted it to the bad redials thread yesterday 😉

rlj204 · Jan 13, 2021

Scarecrow Boat
Yes, it’s a redial and it’s not good. Among the issues is the poor Omega Automatic Seamaster script, the minute marks aren’t even or radially aligned to the center of the dial, and the dagger hour furniture isn’t properly positioned.

Thanks man I appreciate it. Is there anything that looks wrong with the case or movement? Still trying to learn so it all helps. Thanks again.

rlj204 · Jan 13, 2021

Nepomuceño
OP take a look here. This is a good place to start when it comes to learning. Also stay away from eBay in my opinion for now. The private sales thread is very trustworthy. I saw this one on eBay and coincidentally posted it to the bad redials thread yesterday 😉

Oh really? I must have missed it when I was looking Through examples earlier today. Well at least that forum helped me spot some of the dial issues I guess. Thanks for the input. I may have to stay clear of it for now. It’s still pretty hard to tell what is considered “good” vs a “bad” redial. Pretty big struggle discerning online.

Davidt · Jan 13, 2021

Absolutely a redial and a poor one.

vlaspri · Jan 13, 2021

This is a very poor dial refinish, it's pretty hard to source an authentic one from that period in good condition. I had just one Omega watch with badly refinished dial and to my luck found pretty rare authentic dial for Seamaster Calendar in Australia. Since then - no poor dials and specially for daily wear because every time you'll look at it - you'll be dissapointin more and more.

Nepomuceño · Jan 13, 2021

R rlj204
Oh really? I must have missed it when I was looking Through examples earlier today. Well at least that forum helped me spot some of the dial issues I guess. Thanks for the input. I may have to stay clear of it for now. It’s still pretty hard to tell what is considered “good” vs a “bad” redial. Pretty big struggle discerning online.

The best thing to do is to stay on the forum and learn. That's what it took for me. Patience is a virtue. Like I said in your last post, what kind of Omega are you looking for? Any specific models or styles that you seek?

ChrisN · Jan 13, 2021

R rlj204
I’m new to vintage watches and want to get started buying one for daily wear. Been attempting to take the crash course but it is harder than I anticipated.

In general, I wouldn't start with a 1950s watch like this. The bumper movements are very nice to own but can be expensive to service and parts can be scarce so, I would avoid the 330 series. I'd also avoid the late 1950s 500 series as they are just a little too old and can also be expensive to keep going. I suppose you want an automatic so look for later calibres.

There is a great selection of 1960s 550 series watches (550 to 565) and these are well supported from a parts point of view. They are a little easier to service as the older calibres can need you to open out bearing holes and add a bush to resolve wear problems. The 550 series usually have jewels or bushes in high wear areas so it's far simpler (and cheaper) to solve wear.

Good luck, Chris

kaplan · Jan 13, 2021

Nice movement tho, I guess if I had that watch, I'd spray paint the dial grey without masking, then sandpaper the indices to make them re-appear and act like it's a custom made 😀

SkunkPrince · Jan 13, 2021

That crown is a fantasy also. When Omega, in that era, put gold markers and hands in a steel case, they also put a steel crown on.

Is this a Redial? 1954 Omega Seamaster

rlj204

Scarecrow Boat

Nepomuceño

rlj204

rlj204

Davidt

vlaspri

Nepomuceño

ChrisN

kaplan

SkunkPrince

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