Newbie advice on Seamaster model and question about refurbishment

Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen,

I’m a complete newbie to the world of watches, let alone vintage Omegas, so please excuse my naivety and the length of my post.

Whilst looking at more modern Omegas, I came across some pictures of vintage Seamasters and to be honest, I´ve been bitten by the bug. The sheer style and class are breathtaking. This leads me to my dilemma; not only am I new to watches, I have absolutely no idea about vintage watches and would like to avoid the obvious pitfalls. I’ve been studying the Vintage Omega section (especially ConElPueblo’s excellent thread “Learning how to fish”) and also some of the watches for sale in the Private Watch Sales section, but just haven´t found the “right” one.

As this will be my first Omega, let alone first vintage watch, I will want to keep it, wear it on a regular basis (smart casual or suit) and have no interest in selling it. Bearing this in mind, I have a number of questions and I’m hoping that more experienced owners and collectors will be able to point me in the right direction.

I think I understand what a franken watch is (different parts from different models, even if all the parts are from Omega) and I also understand that as soon as one part of a watch is changed (even with original parts from the same model), it loses it’s attractiveness to a collector and falls somewhat in price, but where exactly do refurbished vintage Omegas come into play, or is it more a subjective matter depending on whether you’re an enthusiast or a collector ?

This question is more for the future as I have to learn to walk before I can run, but if a vintage watch is in a less than very good condition and definitely needs work on it, how much work can be done before it loses all appeal to collectors and becomes an enthusiast’s watch ?

Basically I´m looking along the lines of a vintage Seamaster Automatic in a good to very good condition.
Stainless steel case
White or black dial
Non gold markers
Black leather strap or newer strap with Omega buckle
Is this realistic (with patience), or do I need to redefine my parameters ?

I’ve just reread this post before hitting send and it would also seem that I’m also trying to figure out whether to join the collector or the enthusiast faction 😀 I guess I’ll be able to answer that one myself once I become a proud Omega owner.

My thanks in advance for any advice, hints, tips, abuse and banter ! Also a heartfelt thank you to ConElPueblo for writing such a fascinating and educational essay !

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I think you’ve just helped me with the terminology by differentiating between “original” and “genuine”. By my limited understanding a refurbished watch is one where certain parts have been replaced by other original parts from a different watch, but of the same make and model. I think the word I should have been using is genuine. Looks as if I’ve flunked my first test 😀

Thank you for posting those photos and also the tip on what to avoid ! All five watches look very good indeed and the 2nd Seamaster is very, very close to what has been going through my head. I’ve also taken a closer look at the 1st one and a Milanese strap is starting to look very appealing as well 😀

I was in a similar position to you last November. Thinking of buying my first vintage watch, and apprehensive about the various pitfalls.

One idea is to identify a piece your interested in, and post pics of it asking opinions about condition, redialing and so on. The piece I found (pics here and here) had some refurbishment in the sense you mean (the crown and, I think, crystal). I am not a collector, so replacement parts were not a concern for me (as long as they were Omega parts).

I say stick with it, and as you are doing pay attention to the posting conventions here (loads of pics, and as much detail as you can), and you'll find plenty of friendly advice. Another tip - give posters plenty of opportunity to post pics to show off their own pieces for comparison to yours. One thing I've noticed - folks around here love any excuse to post a pic of their own watches 😀

Obviously, me too.

Quite a coincidence, I was just reading your thread about the Constellation in your first link 😀 I’d actually clicked past photos of Constellations due to the metal strap. Nothing to do with metal straps per se, just didn’t look (feel right) to me personally. Having seen yours with the leather strap, it’s broadened the horizon and given me some new research to do.