I've been doing some research to try to replace my dad's stolen Omega Seamaster watch that he bought in Lucerne, Switzerland on July 15, 1955 from Ahrens (out of business, I'm sure).

What I know about this watch is that is was 180 degree wind (is that called bumper automatic?), completely stainless, no gold. Apparently it used to have crosshairs on it until he was in a motorcycle accident in the 60s, and whoever restored it replaced or repainted the dial so there were no longer crosshairs on it. It had a screw-on back, and after "restoration" looked a lot like the watch in the attached ad.

For Christmas, I would like to replace his watch. I get the feeling from him that he really doesn't care if it's collector quality, just that it looks like his old one and that it works. It probably doesn't even have to be a bumper watch. I don't want a fake, but am looking for something that's somewhat comparable to what he had. I've scanned Ebay and the forums, but frankly it's frustrating, I wish I could post my need on the "wanted" forum. Are the watches on http://www.qualityvintagetimepieces.com/ overpriced or this is a good source? Any advice would be much appreciated.

If I do wind up finding something on Ebay and have the wonderful dedicated members of this forum vet it for me before purchase, I'm assuming once I buy it I should still take it to someone to look over? Can anyone recommend a person to service Omega in the Orange County, CA area? Preferably North Orange County? Sorry for the long post, I've been scratching my head on this since September!

 

All steel come up here from time to time, less often than those with some gold (bezel, hands or indexes)

There's one just posted today

http://omegaforums.net/threads/stunning-1962-vintage-omega-seamaster-de-ville-14905-sc-62.19176/

Not an exact match (full rotor rather than bumper) but all steel . . .

 

Is this something that's decent and priced correctly?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Sta...417351915?pt=Wristwatches&hash=item462ddfcaebPurchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

 

Wow...you're right.....I must have missed it because it looks gold in the picture. Plus I don't have the knowledge to find what I'm looking for. :-/ How can one tell if it's legitimate or not?

 

Kyle, is very well regarded on these forums, he has been collecting for some time and has a deep knowledge of vintage omega, if it wasn't legitimate he would not have posted the link.

 

nice story dude...

can't help in finding the watch, but here's some reff for you :

 

Thank you for clarifying (sorry Kyle, I need to learn who's who)! I contacted the seller of the watch that Kyle posted to inquire if the pictures make it look yellow or if it's really that yellow. Should a watch need to be cleaned up and restored, what can I expect to pay (a wide range is fine...considering I'm in Southern California I'll probably have to pay at the high end of the range, anyway). I know it depends on condition, but let's say it's the one Kyle posted: which has recently been serviced, works fine, but looks a little tired in the pictures. I'm hesitant to give a watch with a stained dial, or is in more acceptable than I might think?

I looked at some of Kyle's past offerings and he does sell some nice watches! I wish he had the one I'm looking for, that would be too easy.

 

Looks like a ref 2846 or so.... keep an eye on ebay or in the sale's forum here.

 

Does this look like something decent? Is the price right for what it is?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/30141735191...d=161501617002/?ssPageName=ADME:B:WNA:US:3160Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

 

Is that what it was originally supposed to look like? Wow...I'm way over my head. Fingers crossed that I can find the watch I'm looking for without pestering you folks to death!

 

Polite, thoughtful requests are always welcome here!
There are many here that have been shown extraordinary kindness by others and are eager to try to repay or "pay it forward" to new members.
We do occasionally request from some not to be used as a personal Google.
We try to foster an interest in the hobby and help one accumulate knowledge (not just mass quantities of watches).

You have been most friendly and no bother at all. In fact, by showing some perseverance, we take your quest to heart and will try to help if we can.

Does this have to be in hand by Christmas?
What is your budget?
How closely must it resemble the above example you showed, or are you looking for the crosshair, something like this?



This is just a reference photo, don't get too excited!

 

Thank you so much for putting my mind at ease, Uncle Buck. As a complete newbie just looking for a watch for my dad, I have zero filters to figure out the good, the bad, and the ugly of who's who in the watch world, what's real, what's fake (though I'm getting better at that), and what casings match or don't match the movements, if a watch is a Frankenwatch, etc. etc. I'm just hoping to get savvy quickly enough so that this thread doesn't become a series of me posting links asking "what about this one? or this one? or this one?"
To answer your questions:
The watch should be stainless with stainless numbers, preferably with numbers at the 12, 3, 6, and 9 mark like his old watch.
Crosshair or no crosshair doesn't matter.
I'm still not sure of the difference between single and two tone...if I see a clear difference then I could tell you if that would matter or not.
Original or refinished dial doesn't matter.
Must be automatic. Can be 180 or 360 wind. His original was 180.
If the watch is almost a spitting image of what my dad had and is in wearable, serviced condition, I think my budget might be around $900? Is that fair or is that unrealistic?
If it's not quite what my dad had but still looks good, or if it has some flaws (pieced together somehow, Frankenwatch?) then maybe in the $350-$500 depending on what was done to it?
The watch in the picture is good, I'd prefer to have the 4 numbers on it. BUT, if something is in great condition and a good price, I would look into the details before discounting it. So yes, I'd consider the watch you posted if the price were right.
Having it before Christmas would be ideal, but I'm perfectly fine letting him know that I'm on the hunt and he'll get it when I find it, and he wouldn't care one way or the other.
What I DON'T want to wind up with is a project watch that would get laughed at if a real watchmaker looked at it.

Please correct my numbers and expectations above to keep them more in line with reality.

 

I would think your expectations are spot-on and very obtainable.
When,..... that is the question!

As a collector's forum, we don't really follow and aren't fond of redials, but if you truly are ok with a repaint, ebay should provide a quick answer in that $350-500 range.
With patience, the $900 range will afford a very nice watch that will meet your wishes, go up in value and , unfortunately, probably get you hooked on vintage watches.
I'll send you a private message with some ideas of what is out there.

 

Sonja,
After our discussion, I feel bad about your Dad's watch being stolen and commend you for working so hard to do him proud.

Your grail search for a 1950's Omega Seamaster Bumper Automatic with white dial, stainless steel case and dial furniture (markers), Arabic numerals at 3,6,9,12 and center sweep second hand is out there!

A lot of us here look at watches every day and hopefully someone will help us find it.
I personally hope it ends up all original but it sounds like your Dad would be as happy with a nice redial.

 

Thanks for the support! Looks like the one I was considering on ebay was sold....MSNwatch's post scared me because the picture he posted looked nothing like the one being sold on Ebay! While a repainted dial is fine, I'm not sure if one that has been so drastically changed is a good thing because it makes me wonde what else was tinkered with! Arabic numbers not preferred.

 

This is exactly what I'm looking for (in looks), only instead of gold numbers, it would have stainless numbers. Slight variations on the dial face (crosshairs or other markings) don't matter to me. I'm willing to make a few cosmetic concessions (like Arabic numbers) if it's a good watch for a good price.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-195...es_Watches_MensWatches_GL&hash=item4875430fd3Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network