Hi guys. I bought my father this watch a couple of years ago just as I started getting into watches. I did not perform any proper research, but was told this was a model from 1956. (My dads birth year.) I bought it for 300 USD. I'm considering ordering an Extract, but wanted to ask you guys if you have any info or thoughts about this one first. Thanks.
Oh, I forgot the most important thing: My dad loves it and wears it every day he doesn't wear his '94 Speedmaster, which I also (recently) bought him
I actually do not think this qualifies as a 'Seamaster', since it misses the font on the dial and backside too... I know that there will be much more knowledgeable members around to clarify this. And might happily disagree with me All in all, it looks like a nice, be it somewhat tired watch. Crown does not seem to be original (to the watch, nor Omega) and the case is or heavily used, or polished at some stage, or both. The lume in the hands does not match the -color- of the lume of the hour markers. My 2cnts W
You're right - there is a shadow of the Seamaster script. It doesn't really help the watch, though. It means that someone has quite aggressively cleaned the dial at some point in it's life. Fortunately, there are original dials out there that are not expensive. It's just a question of finding the correct version. If you pop the back off, there will be a four digit reference code stamped in there. You can then use that code to search for photos of ones in original condition ... and all your questions will be answered!
Did you check to see what range the serial number falls on? Its better than spending the money on a extract, which is not cheap. For a 1956 you should be in the 15,000,000 range.