Hello all! I am the current owner of my grandfather's late 50's vintage Seamaster. He died in the very early 80's and upon his death the watch passed to me. I proudly wore it for several years until, stupidly, I took it off and neglected to remove it from my pocket before running my pants through the washer AND dryer.

Needless to say, the watch required significant service at that time. The watchmaker replaced the dial with a generic Omega dial (it appears to be period-correct but does not say "Seamaster" on it. I was not knowledgeable enough to understand what a stupid thing this was, nor to make sure he returned the original dial.

Thirty years on, I would like to restore this watch to the correct dial if possible. Is this feasible/reasonable? I had a jeweler pop the case this afternoon and the model number appears to be 2846-1_SC. I could not locate a serial number on the caseback but a very small engraved "R01605" was engraved on the outer rim of the caseback - it required the use of a loupe to observe and even then is nearly impossible to see. The jeweler thought this was the watchmaker's registration or ID number. Does this seem likely to anyone knowledgeable about these watches?

This watch is of extreme sentimental value to me since it was given by my grandfather by his employer (Martin Aircraft Corporation) as a commemoration of his participation as part of the management team in the ill-fated Martin P6M Seamaster aircraft. My dad also worked at Martin Aircraft Corp (later Martin Marietta), and I also worked at the same location when it was called Martin Marietta Aero & Naval Systems.

 

Not at all an expert on these, but it would seem that there are a few variants of the dials for a 2486. Several are currently listed on Chrono24:

https://www.chrono24.com/omega/ref-2846.htm

Certainly the movement can be serviced, but finding an original dial would be a challenge. Depending on your budget, you might be able to purchase another watch as a donor.

 

I think it might be easier to buy another watch with the correct dial and swap it... You could keep the donor for parts too depending on your budget or just resell it with you dial but don't forget to mention it in the sale

 

Keep an eye out on eBay for either a dial or more likely a whole watch of the same reference. This isn’t an uncommon reference, so with some patience, you’ll find one.

As @bama2141 said, there are many dial variations so take a look around to find one that most resembles the original one.