Need advice on 1960's(?) Omega my FIL inherited

[Bob Neville]

I showed my FIL my new Speedmaster Pro yesterday and he says oh, I have something you'd like to see. He pulls an old cardboard file box out of a closet, and it has at least 40 old watches, including around 25-30 pocket watches. His father (Harry) was a watch maker/repairer for a few years after he got out of the Army after WWII, but then went into the oil drilling industry, but still apparently kept up the hobby.
We found 2 Rolexes with original papers and one Omega. He is going to get the Rolexes checked out, and he let me take the Omega to do some research. Pictures are below. I brought it to a local shop here in Orange County CA that Scarecrow Boat referred me to, and the guy there said it's definitely authentic and he thought from the 60's. I've had it running now for 6 hours and it's 3 seconds slow over those 6 hours (12 sec slow / 24 hrs)
Anything anyone can tell me would be really awesome to know about this watch.
What "line" is this? (not Seamaster I'm assuming)
What year does it look like it might be from? I obscured the last 6 digits of the SN only because that seems to be what one does here when communicating SNs (though I admit I don't know why)
The guy at Jostmar Jewelers said "it looks really clean inside", but I noticed what appears to be green oxidation around the perimeter of the "guts" pictures. Is there risk of damage if I don't get it serviced and put it back into wrist-duty?
He said the service would be $375 to $450 and it includes new mainspring, gaskets (if he can get them), and crown. This is southern California and everything's just more expensive here, but does that sound like a reasonable price?
Does the fact that it's only running -12 sec / 24 hrs suggest that it probably does not need servicing at this time?
Are there any "Don'ts" with this watch at this point? (I know not to submerse it, ...probably shouldn't even splash it)
My FIL wanted to know what I thought it was worth and I had no idea. Anyone want to take a crack at the value?
Any suggestions on what type of band to buy to replace the Speidel?
Any other thoughts or tips or suggestions?
Thanks in advance!

 

[BenBagbag]

Very cool!

It's a gold filled watch. Probably worth $300-$400 on a good day. Maybe 1966? Certainly around there.

This wouldn't be something I would be sinking money into unless it was sentimental, or for some reason was just the watch you are absolutely enamored by and can't imagine not putting it on your wrist frequently.

I would leave it mostly in a display case, and where it at the next family get together, and then put it back in the case and not mind that it lost half a few seconds in in the meantime.

Don't use it to time space launches.


Now you must share the photos of the rolexes!

 

[joe band]

boy i was going to guess it was a KL6312, but with the 563 movement thats out.

 

[perks713]

For starters I'd look into some Polywatch for the crystal and capcode cloth to lightly clean up the case (google how to properly use both of them). It's a nice looking watch and will look good on a leather strap. If you're going to turn it into a daily or weekly wearer I'd consider the service. ~$400 seems reasonable for the amount of time that goes into tearing down and putting one of these back together. If you aren't buying the watch than that service is even more reasonable. Where people get into trouble is when they buy a watch like this for $300 on ebay and then need $450 worth of work, that $300 watch just turned into a $750 watch. It all depends on what you want to get out of the watch, wear it daily, wear it once every 6 months?

Was the watchmaker recommending a new crown to try and find an original (I don't know enough to know if that one is) or to help improve water resistance? I opted for a service crown on a Constellation I have because I wanted to prevent myself from making a dumb mistake and getting it wet, I have the original crown still to put back on the watch some day.

After probably 30 years(?) in a box it really should be serviced. You could just start wearing it and may never have a major problem with it or you could have some of that crap around the parameter drop between a few parts of the movement and create a real mess. Maybe then your $400 service turns into $700 because you need a whole bunch of new parts. If it were me I'd probably roll the dice but I don't make the best decisions

This may or may not be helpful because I think you've already found someone to work with but I'll drop it here anyway.
https://omegaforums.net/threads/things-to-consider-before-having-a-watch-serviced.134016/

Edited: Aug 31, 2021

 

[loveslemon71]

Can I ask here a noob question, since the OP brought it up: what exactly is the rationale for concealing the full serial number of a watch? I assume it’s something to do with identity/privacy, but am curious.

 

[perks713]

loveslemon71

Can I ask here a noob question, since the OP brought it up: what exactly is the rationale for concealing the full serial number of a watch? I assume it’s something to do with identity/privacy, but am curious.

In some instances people who create counterfeit watches will take a serial number from photos and stick it on a fake. Another scenario is that someone takes that serial number and photoshops it onto another watch - an example of that: https://omegaforums.net/threads/i-might-have-fallen-for-the-most-pathetic-ebay-scam.135756/

 

[spe777]

Lovely watch! Agreed on the polywatch. It will make a significant improvement on the appearance.

 

[philips]

This watch will clean up nicely and with a movement service will run very well. If you plan on wearing the watch daily or a lot I would get it serviced. If you only plan to wear it occasionally, I would clean the crystal with polywatch and use a wooden toothpick to clean the dirt from the case and around the crystal. The wooden toothpick will not scratch the case metal. If your watchmaker is fitting the correct Omega crown, along with a full service, the $375 price is ok, perhaps a bit high. He is local, so you are saving on mail costs to an out-of-town watchmaker. Do you get a warranty with the service? You may wish to go back and have him regulate the watch for more accuracy.

 

[philips]

... sorry, also I would remove the metal bracelet and fit a nice leather strap. The lug size would be 18mm, I think.

 

[Revo]

BenBagbag

Now you must share the photos of the rolexes! [

This.

 

[perks713]

philips

... sorry, also I would remove the metal bracelet and fit a nice leather strap. The lug size would be 18mm, I think.

If you want to pick up a bunch of straps for pretty cheap (shipping may take a couple weeks) check out https://www.cheapestnatostraps.com/

You can pick up a handful of options for pretty cheap. You may eventually want a more expensive strap but it's sometimes hard to know what will look best until you've tried a few. I tend to use cheap ones until I want to spend real money on the right strap.
https://www.cheapestnatostraps.com/collections/vintage-watchbands
https://www.cheapestnatostraps.com/collections/classic-watch-bands

 

[Bob Neville]

Wow, all really helpful info - thank you everyone. I will ask my FIL to send pix of the Rolexes and then I will post them - I’m out of town for a few days and then plans for the holiday weekend, so probably won’t be until next week. Turns out the Rolexes actually belonged to his uncle because his uncle’s name is engraved on the back of both.

 

[Nawfal]

Hello everybody,

I would like to buy a vintage omega (see photos), and I will be extremely grateful if you can share your endless sources of knowledge with me.
I did a little research, and despite my fairly limited knowledge of the subject, the dial puzzles me a little bit (logo and writing), I also find that the caliber is quite small compared to the watch.
I don't have a photo of the caseback to be able to check the model and the caliber photo is blurry enough to get an idea of the caliber.
Is this a redial? a Franken? should I run towards her or away from her ?
Please enlighten me and thank you very much

 

[perks713]

N Nawfal

I will be extremely grateful if you can share your endless sources of knowledge with me.

You'll probably have better luck starting a new thread, you'll get more eyes on your post. An in focus photo of the movement would be very helpful and knowing what's on the inside of the caseback.

 

[Nawfal]

perks713

You'll probably have better luck starting a new thread, you'll get more eyes on your post. An in focus photo of the movement would be very helpful and knowing what's on the inside of the caseback.

Thank you for your feedback, Much appreciated