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Need advice on first time Vintage Seasmaster!

shane1995
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Hi All,

I am completely new to this forum and vintage collecting/buying (hello!), and I’m looking at buying my first vintage Seamaster. I own modern automatic watches and have been yearning to get into vintage timepieces. To make a long story short I have narrowed my search and budget to pieces around €800.

My first question is, have I set my budget reasonably?

I have found a particular piece and wanted to get expert advice before I did anything. I have done a bit of research and reading online, but don’t want to do anything without some expertise. (Covid limiting travel makes this more difficult as I can’t travel to local shops/watch guys). The watch I’ve spotted is this Seamaster Cal. 286 ref.135.003-62-2C (see photos). It’s from 1962 and the seller gave the description in the photos below. He claims it was serviced in September 2020 and I have asked for proof of this. This brings me on to my second question...

Does the ads description match the photos and what other questions should I ask? My main suspicion was that the seller said the dial was not touched and yet looked so clean. The watch also comes with the original box.

Any advice or criticism would be much appreciated! Thank you for reading.
 
JwRosenthal
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Welcome Shane. A seller claiming serviced always begs proof- good on your asking.

The watch is original, and the case is surprisingly sharp (many have been polished so the sharp bevels on the lugs and case get softened down). The dial however is suffering from the typically lacquer bubbling that comes from moisture getting into the watch and settling on the dial.
25F025E9-42AB-48FC-93BC-2B84A0EE4A70.png

The darkened lume color also speaks to prior moisture ingress. If you don’t mind a little “patina” as some love, then it’s a nice watch. But dial damage like that is a no-go for me.
Here is one of mine from the same era- note the dial surface and bright yellow color of the lume.

EB614342-81D2-4DD2-BCA9-8AF44463B567.jpeg

As for price, with it serviced (and proof of it) I would say the price is ambitious- perhaps by about 30-40%. But dealers always charge more than private party.
Keep an eye on the classifieds here.
 
Dan S
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The bubbling is a condition issue that affects collectible value, but may not be very noticeable to the naked eye under most types of lighting. Other major condition issues are the scratch on the dial near 6 and the missing lume in the minute hand. The case is quite nice compared to what we often see from dealers.

Is the asking price 800 GBP, or is that simply your maximum budget?
 
nicks
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Hello and welcome.

Others more expert will be along shortly, with more detail about whether everything about that watch is correct. I will offer that the last picture shows some age appropriate patina, that’s good. The case has been polished, but not overly in my opinion (lugs look reasonably sharp).

To my eyes, the movement looks clean and so appears to have been serviced.

Your budget will comfortably accommodate a considerable number of very nice vintage Omegas. So, take your time. Think about Seamaster vs Constellation, manual vs automatic, and the styling differences among 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.

Good luck. Edit: while I was typing....
 
shane1995
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JwRosenthal JwRosenthal
Welcome Shane. A seller claiming serviced always begs proof- good on your asking.

The watch is original, and the case is surprisingly sharp (many have been polished so the sharp bevels on the lugs and case get softened down). The dial however is suffering from the typically lacquer bubbling that comes from moisture getting into the watch and settling on the dial.
25F025E9-42AB-48FC-93BC-2B84A0EE4A70.png

The darkened lume color also speaks to prior moisture ingress. If you don’t mind a little “patina” as some love, then it’s a nice watch. But dial damage like that is a no-go for me.
Here is one of mine from the same era- note the dial surface and bright yellow color of the lume.

EB614342-81D2-4DD2-BCA9-8AF44463B567.jpeg

As for price, with it serviced (and proof of it) I would say the price is ambitious- perhaps by about 30-40%. But dealers always charge more than private party.
Keep an eye on the classifieds here.
Thank you so much for your reply. This is why I wanted to post on here. I would never have noticed that finer detail. Thank you so much for the advice. I’ll be sure to have a look in the classifieds here! Your watch is beautiful!
 
shane1995
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Dan S Dan S
The bubbling is a condition issue that affects collectible value, but may not be very noticeable to the naked eye under most types of lighting. Other major condition issues are the scratch on the dial near 6 and the missing lume in the minute hand. The case is quite nice compared to what we often see from dealers.

Is the asking price 800 GBP, or is that simply your maximum budget?
Hi there. Thank you for the reply! Again, I didn’t notice the missing loom. Overall, the bubbling wouldn’t bother me unless I could fully see it or if it had an effect on the way the watch worked in future. My budget is €800. This particular piece is up for €795!
 
shane1995
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nicks nicks
Hello and welcome.

Others more expert will be along shortly, with more detail about whether everything about that watch is correct. I will offer that the last picture shows some age appropriate patina, that’s good. The case has been polished, but not overly in my opinion (lugs look reasonably sharp).

To my eyes, the movement looks clean and so appears to have been serviced.

Your budget will comfortably accommodate a considerable number of very nice vintage Omegas. So, take your time. Think about Seamaster vs Constellation, manual vs automatic, and the styling differences among 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.

Good luck. Edit: while I was typing....
Hi there! Thank you so much for your reply. I have to say I love the idea of an automatic piece and having looked at Seasmaster vs. Constellation, lean more towards seamaster. As for the year, I will have a look at some different variations. Thank you so much for your comment and advice. Much appreciated.
 
JwRosenthal
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For £800 you can get yourself a pretty sensation Seamaster in the FS section here, you just have to be patient
 
shane1995
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JwRosenthal JwRosenthal
For £800 you can get yourself a pretty sensation Seamaster in the FS section here, you just have to be patient
Would you recommend looking in private or dealer?
 
JwRosenthal
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Either here, but typically the vintage stuff is more in the private sales posts
 
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