...when I was just a nooby and didn't know anything about watches.

I posted a pic on WUS of my Seamaster. I was trying to decide what to do with it, as I wasn't wearing it any more.

I had bought it new in 1969 and had worn it steady for ten years. It was an extremely rugged watch, surviving years on my wrist at work and play.
It was on my wrist for years, rain or shine while on the road with my Harley.

Finally the digital watch thing caught up to me and the Seamaster sat in my bedside table, all but forgotten.
Once every couple of years, when the occasion to wear a suit came along, I would wind it up and wear it for a few hours.

Well, as you can imagine finding WUS was a disaster. I've bought and sold so many watches in the five years since then, none worth collecting, that I'm beginning to think I'm nuts,

This is the Seamaster as it was in '08.


Fast forward to today. The watch was sent to the factory, and it now looks like new. Now I'm afraid to wear it. I'll forget what I'm wearing and dive into shop work of some kind, sigh.

Here it is today.


I have finally decided that I need to have an Omega chronograph that I will actually wear. It's the First Omega in Space.

So here's the question, is there enough value in the Seamaster for a straight trade?
I do have the box, papers & bill of sale.

 

Dave, did they redial or simply clean up the original finish?

It's a pity they replaced the hands because the original alpha style were great. The pencil style isn't terrible though. Overall, it's a great looking watch. You might do better selling it and putting the funds towards a FOIS. Do you want a new one or pre-owned?

 

The "First Omega in Space" will probably cost you somewhere in the vicinity of $3500 to $4000 US in good condition (George sold one recently for $3875). Having paid less than $1500 US for the following, a ref. 145.018 cal. 861 from 1968 recently, it looks like your going to have to come up with some cash.

 

Dave's is a caliber 321 (IIRC) which should nowadays sell for around double what your DeVille went for.

 

I'm guessing not a redial. Look at the scratch at the "330" of the Tachy. Its present in both before and after pictures.

 

Good eye Joe.

 

I stand corrected...when he said he bought it new in 1969 I assumed it was a cal. 861.

 

It's the original dial

The watch is a 1962, but the movement dates from 1958.
The alpha hands were correct for a '58 movement, but didn't match the '62 dial. Also, one of the hands was bent.
I think it looks better now.

I can't bring myself to the mental state to actually sell it. But I can talk myself into a trade.

New or used FOIS as long as it comes with all the new watch stuff.