Looking to buy vintage Seamaster

[Tacitus]

Hi all

I'm looking at getting a vintage Seamaster, but have seen so many for sale and figuring out what to pass on is tricky. Can anyone comment on this Seamaster 600 (ref 135.011)

This one looks tidy but I'm wondering if the 'T's at either side of 'Swiss Made' are too close together. On other examples I've seen they are exactly half way between 25 and 30 and 30 and 35, and on this one they are at 28 and 32. The G on OMEGA also looks a bit off, perhaps? The seller has said the crown is original. Can anyone tell from the images if it's at least a genuine crown?




Thanks in advance

Chris

 

[ConElPueblo]

I don't see anything wrong with the dial, but the strap and buckle are fakes.

The crown, I believe, is incorrect. The lume on the minutes hand differ quite a bit from the lume elsewhere on the watch, so I would suspect it has either been swapped or relumed.

 

[onlyomega94]

Does the crown have a logo? It is a bit hard to tell from the pictures. Apart from the fact that the lume is missing on the minute hand (not that big of a deal) it looks good IMO.

 

[Tacitus]

Thank you both. I wasn't expecting the strap or buckle to be genuine but I'm less concerned about that than the watch itself.

The crown does have a logo, and the seller (who is a watch dealer rather than a private seller) has said it's original, but I thought it best to check in. If the crown is not original would that be a reason to not buy or is it perfectly reasonable to have been replaced after 55 or so years? This photo is the best one of the crown they have posted.

 

[Dan S]

T Tacitus

If the crown is not original would that be a reason to not buy or is it perfectly reasonable to have been replaced after 55 or so years?

It's certainly common for crowns to be replaced to provide better water resistance. Some collectors prefer to have the original, or period-correct crown. It's your decision.

 

[amcclell]

It is at least an Omega branded crown. The crown is a commonly replaced item, so it would be very difficult to tell whether this is original or a replacement but it looks fine. The other thing to check is the crystal as a correct Omega replacement will have the logo etched into the underside in the very centre. I don't see that here but the photos are not high resolution. The most important features are the dial, movement and case which all look quite nice for this watch.

 

[kingsrider]

Why don't these inquiries ever have the price?. Please explain this to me.

If it is $100 buy it. If it is $500 pass on it. Anything in between, flip a coin.

 

[sleepyastronaut]

kingsrider

Why don't these inquiries ever have the price?. Please explain this to me.

If it is $100 buy it. If it is $500 pass on it. Anything in between, flip a coin.

It's almost $1k on C24

 

[janice&fred]

kingsrider

Why don't these inquiries ever have the price?. Please explain this to me.

That has always been my take on these inquiries. Anything is good if the price is right.

 

[Tacitus]

It's listed for around £700. Not very many come up for sub-£500 in UK/EU other than on eBay.

Thank you all for your help.

Chris

 

[vlaspri]

If you have any doubts on this crown, read this https://omegaforums.net/threads/part-no-for-seamaster-600-cal-611-crown.48561/

The right crown for this reference is 069ST42056, compare it to yours.

 

[kingsrider]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Old-Rare-S...502772?hash=item4dba71cff4:g:k20AAOSwYaNf6wME

 

[hoipolloi]

Dial looks repainted to me.

 

[kingsrider]

hoipolloi

Dial looks repainted to me.

on the OP watch? I agree.

 

[onlyomega94]

kingsrider

Why don't these inquiries ever have the price?. Please explain this to me.

If it is $100 buy it. If it is $500 pass on it. Anything in between, flip a coin.

Agreed - the price is key. Also, we need to know where the watch and buyer is situated. In Northern Europe for example the equivalent of 500 dollars would actually be quite a good price for a SM 600.

 

[Tacitus]

hoipolloi

Dial looks repainted to me.

Thanks. Are there any tell-tale signs other than it simply looking too pristine for a watch of its age?

onlyomega94

Agreed - the price is key. Also, we need to know where the watch and buyer is situated. In Northern Europe for example the equivalent of 500 dollars would actually be quite a good price for a SM 600.

I'm in the UK. Very few come up for sale for anywhere close to the equivalent of $500 here.

The watch itself is in Finland. They seem a bit cheaper on the continent on the whole.

 

[hoipolloi]

T Tacitus

Thanks. Are there any tell-tale signs other than it simply looking too pristine for a watch of its age?

Google is your friend.

 

[MtV]

T Tacitus

Thanks. Are there any tell-tale signs other than it simply looking too pristine for a watch of its age?

Compare the thickness of the font of the one you initially posted to the one @kingsrider kindly linked to. It's one of the main give-aways of redials, more often than not the writing isn't as thin and delicate as it is on the originals.

 

[watchyouwant]

Too expensive for what it is. And maybe stick with UK sales in the moment, till the UK customs/ Brexit chaos gets clearer......kind regards. Achim

 

[Rudi99]

T Tacitus

Thanks. Are there any tell-tale signs other than it simply looking too pristine for a watch of its age?

Like stated above by MtV, the writing is on the very thick side. It is not an obvious redial (at least to me), and this kind of looks like a factory redial by Omega. If you stick around long enough here and take a look on the watches that people post either on WRUW (what are you wearing) or just general new arrivals or on the sales section, you kind of get a general feeling what is redial and what is not.

But I gotta say some are not obvious and I have been seeing/studying these Omega watches for the past year, and I still sometimes fail to see a redial.

Good luck with your hunt!

Rudi