I am looking to buy my 1st Omega watch. This vintage Seamaster De Ville (see pictured) will be for my husband's 40th (surprise) birthday in October. He's a HUGE Omega & Mad Men fanatic. There doesn't seem to be anything on the market at this time... HELP!! Thank you!!
The black dial version is quite rare and none originally has the cross hair. You'd have to decide btw original Omega or repainted Mad Men. The Mad Men version is quite loathed by Omega collectors.
For this occasion, I guess I will have to figure out if his love for Mad Men pop outweighs his love for Omega original... I believe original may win. Appreciate the needed feedback TNTwatch. Now where to find one?....
October is a great month for a birthday! It is however not likely enough time to find an original black dialed De Ville. Originals may be found on eBay if you sift through the many redials. I managed to find one in a group of watches being sold by a seller in Hawaii but in fairly rough shape. You may have to broaden your search to other models or dial colors to find a nice original in time for his birthday. What a great idea for a gift. You came to the right place for help. Check out the watches for sale here on the forum or ask members to vet potential watches you are considering. Good luck with your search!
Don Draper syndrome strikes again! You won't find much on eBay because there aren't many black dialed Seamaster DeVilles, and the ones that do exist are probably refinished dials.
@Giff2577 Thanks for the kind message. I respect an original and of course veteran forum members' feedback. At this point however, I'm probably okay with purchasing a redial (don't stone me) since I think it would be a pretty cool/fun gift for him... until he finds out it's not an original, but it's the thought that counts right?! Anyway, I'm not sure I'm okay dishing out $$$$ for an overpriced "repainted Mad Men" though. What's the max you would spend on one of these refinished watches?
I'm relatively new to the forum so I am no veteran but some other knowledgable veteran members have weighed in on your questions. If you don't mind a redial then go for it knowing it is a redial! As someone who has unknowingly purchased a few redials in the past I just say proceed with caution. If your husband loves Mad Men then he will love a watch that looks just like the one posted. If you think he will become a bigger Omega fanatic then he may start wishing the dial was original. The redial could be swapped for an original dial at a later date from a parts watch. Either way it is a great birthday gesture.
Hello! Would someone please post a picture of what a genuine original Seamaster De Ville with auto date & cross hairs looks like? And how much you would pay for it. Is silver & black the only colors Omega has made? So much to learn, its a bit overwhelming for this novice. TIA
Here are the two cross hairs I have, one champagne, one silver colour (sellers' pictures, not the best). I also have one with black dial but no picture on hand atm. For steel case, the dial's usually just silver-ish or black. Top condition steel watch with silver dial could cost up to $900 - $1K. Black dial could be a bit more, all depends on conditions. Gold cases would have gold colour dial. You can always post pictures of what you like here and we all will help verify the watch for you.
Thanks for sharing. So this is a "franken"? http://www.ebay.com/itm/OMEGA-SEAMA...T-/381383277486?ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network
Franken is one that is assembled with parts from different models. For this watch we need to see the movement, serial number and the case reference number to be sure. The lettering on this dial looks OK from afar, but I'm not sure about the non-continuous cross hair. If you can ask the seller for some big and detailed pictures of the full dial, we may be able to find out if it's original or a redial.
A non-continuous cross hair is usually indicative of a redial and I feel the price is too steep on that one even If it has been serviced.
@Giff2577 how much would you spend on it? BTW - Is a 560 Calibre in the De Ville really rare/highly valued? What if it were in a redial? Anyone know?!?
@hoipolloi I don't know, I came upon this article or reference to this article multiple times http://omega-constellation-collectors.blogspot.com/2009/07/unearthed-more-omega-calibre-560.html I'm basically learning as I go. I just have so many questions. I apologize in advance if it's not all in one succinct post. These redials are fetching for so much on eBay. What other more "legit" websites should I be looking at if I'm in a market for such a watch?
@wenwatch , these eBay sellers can ask whatever they want...pretty sure they are not getting these prices. As always with vintage watches patients is required. Keep your eye on the private watch sales thread here and Watch Recon is another good resource.
@Hijak well, they're selling the one above like hot cakes because of the "Med Men effect" I guess. I have seen them ranged from $359 to $1500 but mostly in the $1000+ range. Thanks for the other resource recs...
I used to think 560's were rare until I kept tripping over them. I have had a few. I think the 3000 number only pertains to a batch shipped to the US in stainless cases. I found a 560 in one of my watches that should have had a 562! Here are my Seamaster De Villes in poor shape waiting their turn in the queue to find a good watchmaker. They are all 560's except for the all Black dial 563. I think the last one with the black dial and gold cross hairs is a redial. Breaks the rule of no crosshair black dials. There is no Swiss made or serifs and the spacing of Omega and Automatic is off.