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New Here, Just Bought This Seamaster On Ebay - How Did I Do?

  1. MidnightWarlock Apr 1, 2013

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    http://www.ebay.com/itm/171016447424?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network


    I'm ecstatic to receive this, always wanted a smaller vintage watch. The fact that it's an Omega only makes it that much sweeter. Hopefully I made a good decision following through with the purchase. Also, if anyone knows what decade this came from or has any interesting anecdotes regarding pieces similar to this one, I'd love to know. Thank you.
     
  2. LouS Mrs Nataf's Other Son Staff Member Apr 1, 2013

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    What in heck does the seller mean "Two-tone dial?" Is he seriously referring to white and black as if it were out of the ordinary (oh, pardon me, "extremely rare")?

    The dial is repainted - you can pretty much count on that If you buy a watch from India - and the case has some bad dings and scratches (look at the left upper lug, and the root of the lugs underneath the newer bezel) despite being pretty aggressively polished. Movement is in indifferent shape, but better than most from the high humidity environment of the subcontinent (i.e. not actually rusty). I don't know what your intentions for the watch are - if it is meant as a curiosity it's fine (you overpaid a bit, but it doesn't matter). If you are a burgeoning collector, chalk this one up to tuition.
     
  3. MidnightWarlock Apr 1, 2013

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    No, not a collector. Not new to watches, but this will be my first vintage Omega. My first Omega at all, actually. My only intent was to finally own a watch from my favorite company until I can afford to purchase one new from them directly. The movement was serviced recently according to the seller, so that may have something to do with why it looks decent. I think as a starter vintage piece it's more than satisfactory, and being that I'm really liking this forum so far, I doubt it'll be my last. Thank you for the info! Out of curiosity, what would you have paid for this particular piece?
     
  4. LouS Mrs Nataf's Other Son Staff Member Apr 1, 2013

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    You'll want to wait for a few more opinions, MW, from some of the real experts - it's all about consensus.

    Not to layer on the cynicism, but that assertion isn't worth the pixels its written in for most any watch on Ebay unless it is from a very small number of well-reputed sellers.

    I hope you will hang around - it's a good place to pick up all kinds of knowledge, some of it having to do with watches. :p

    I'm not quite sure how to value it, as I wouldn't have paid for it - but let's say $200 or under.
     
  5. kendrick Apr 1, 2013

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    The good news is if you are really unhappy with your purchase, the seller allows for returns within 14 days of receiving the watch. In the future, don't hesitate to ask for a recommendation before you pull the trigger. Everyone on the forum is really nice and helpful, not snobbish at all.
     
  6. hoipolloi Vintage Omega Connoisseur Apr 1, 2013

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    The font "Seamaster" was added when they repainted the dial, an Omega Seamaster must have a waterproof case
     
  7. MSNWatch Vintage Omega Aficionado Staff Member Apr 1, 2013

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    Not a good buy I'm afraid. Dial is clearly a refinish and the movement aside from not being a desirable one is in poor shape - the copper plating is gone from most of it - I'm guessing there was a lot of corrosion to begin with and by heavily cleaning it they managed to strip off a lot of the plating. Or they could have just kept it in the cleaner for too long unintentionally. Either way it's not a good end result. Plus the case has quite a bit of corrosion as well.

    And Hoi is right - that watch isn't a seamaster.
     
  8. Dablitzer Apr 1, 2013

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    If you get your money back there's a lovely Omega Genève in the FS section...;)
     
  9. sumerian Gold Constellation Magpie Apr 1, 2013

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    -
     
  10. MidnightWarlock Apr 1, 2013

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    Agreed, I don't usually fall so easily for "noob-bait" like that, so I don't buy that they did anything more than open up the watch and do a very basic inspection. Not what I would call a service, but I thought it might have possibly played a part in the condition of the movement, since you mentioned it's better than most.


    Could it be that the caseback is aftermarket? I've seen quite a few that say waterproof on the back and this particular one doesn't, so you're probably correct. Or is there another trait on the piece that clued you in to an un-waterproof case? The seller has assured me the dial has its "original" paint, but "original" leaves a lot of room for interpretation...

    Yeah, that was a big part of what led me to making the purchase. I think the watch just enticed me due to being an Omega and only being $300. Next time I will definitely come to you guys first!

    Also, a question for everyone: I personally like the simplicity and look of the watch, but what makes it not worth what I paid? I hope I'm not coming off like a smart-ass, but I'm genuinely curious and wanting to learn! Thank you all.
     
  11. Dablitzer Apr 1, 2013

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    Ha, not referring to my Seamaster..nice try though! ;) But Alpha has a nice Geneve.. :)
     
  12. MidnightWarlock Apr 1, 2013

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    Allow me to rephrase the original question:

    On a scale from 1-10, how badly did I screw up? Haha
     
  13. MidnightWarlock Apr 1, 2013

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    Is there a possibility to recover the original paint somehow?
     
  14. LouS Mrs Nataf's Other Son Staff Member Apr 1, 2013

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    Waterproof caseback should be a screw-on not a snap-back.

    What we've been talking about - redial, subpar movement condition, poor case condition.

    In general, two factors account for value in vintage watches - condition and originality. This one measures up pretty poorly against both yardsticks.
     
  15. LouS Mrs Nataf's Other Son Staff Member Apr 1, 2013

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    No. Watches get redialed because the original paint is gone or in miserable shape.
     
  16. kendrick Apr 1, 2013

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    Look as long as you like it, everything is good. Now was it the best value? probably not. Why? because it has a refinished and inaccurate dial, (the dial accounts for 60-70% of a watches value), potentially not a Seamaster or has wrong caseback and has a dinged case... Its not the best value because its not an original representation of the watch and you could have purchased one for roughly the same amount of money... That said, none of this matters if you happy with it.
     
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  17. ulackfocus Apr 1, 2013

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    I'd say that was only a 4. A pretty average screw up when you factor in it's your first vintage Omega purchase. It's not a totally grotesque redial, and for $300 things could have been worse. I'd still return it but that's because experienced collectors wouldn't want a redial.
     
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  18. MidnightWarlock Apr 1, 2013

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    And I am, you're right. It's a genuine Omega at the end of the day, I'm not looking to sell it any time soon, so resale value isn't very important to me. It presumably runs well enough, and the way I take care of things, it should last a while. All I'm concerned with is exactly how long that while will be. Will the repainted dial patina in the same way it would have before? Will it patina at all? Does the movement stand a chance at lasting very long?
     
  19. MidnightWarlock Apr 1, 2013

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    Haha yes, I wouldn't expect that any of you guys would want to keep it after knowing all the flaws with it, but being that (like you said) this is only my first vintage Omega purchase and it can only get better from here, I'd say I'm pretty content with the buy.
     
  20. gatorcpa ΩF InvestiGator Staff Member Apr 1, 2013

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    I have a name for watches like these..."Mumbai Special". India is famous for having chop shops for all sorts of mechnical items and watches are no exception. This one is better than most from India, but it has still been very harshly treated.

    Caseback is correct for this watch, but is highly corroded and in very poor condition. This is as a result of being used in a hot, humid climate for years (India, anyone?). Here is the listing from the Omega Vintage Database for this watch:

    http://www.omegawatches.com/spirit/history/vintage-omegas/vintage-watches-database?ref=15491

    [​IMG]

    Don't worry about the case, these usually came in gold, gold capped and steel. I'm sure it's correct.

    The only thing original about the dial is the metal used. There is no question that this is a redial. Genuine Omega dials from this time period (early 1950's) used shellac as a sealer. Even a new-old stock dial would have toning from this natural finish. This is a common dodge used by eBay sellers the world over.

    Like most antiques, collectors usually want total originality. The closer it looked like it did when it left the factory, the better. This one is nowhere close, so you have an extremely limited market should you ever want to sell. Add to that the fact that someone added the Seamaster name to a watch that is clearly not a Seamaster, and I see this as being a very, very hard sell later on.

    It might be perfectly fine as a functional vintage watch, but not as a collectible,
    gatorcpa
     
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