I recently bought a Seamaster De Ville but I'm a little confused because I can't find any photos online of a similar looking one. The main thing is that the hour markers 12, 3, 6, & 9 have four thin bars and the rest have two. Most of the De Villes I am seeing have two bars and one for the rest. (or some other combo that doesn't match mine) The jeweler I bought it from said it is solid 14k gold and was from around the 50's. I paid $1500 for this and am a little troubled. Did I pay too much? Is this even authentic?
99% sure authentic. to be 100% we would need to see the internals. For every model, there were lots of different dial configurations, so no need to be worried based solely on that. PS: love the avatar picture!
Thank you! That's very reassuring! Assuming everything inside is what is supposed to be (the jeweler claimed that it had never been opened), was the price reasonable? (PS I'm having alot of fun looking at your avatar picture too hahaha)
I have an original black dialed one with the four bar markers and same case back. Not sure about that crown though... Gold content should be stamped between the lugs.
It is. That pic does not give a true representation of the colors or dial patina. This one shows it a bit better.
I couldn't get a good photo of the stamping because of the strap, but it does say 14k Gold. There is also an issue I'm finding where the second hand sort of stutters and pauses whenever it reaches the right side of the dial. Is that normal...... Here is a photo of the crown:
I would say that there is a problem with spring that dampens the action of the second hand. This is a very fine leaf spring that exerts a small amount of pressure on the lower end of the second hand pinion to prevent backlash in the gearing. It won't cause any real problems, but I would recommend that you have repaired. Although the jeweller says it has never been open, I doubt it. This spring was more than likely damaged when the second hand was pressed on after service without supporting the lower end of the pinion and spring during fitting.
There is also an issue I'm finding where the second hand sort of stutters and pauses whenever it reaches the right side of the dial. Is that normal...... It is normal, but not how it is supposed to function. You may need a new sweep second friction spring. A couple of my Omegas do this. Great watch!
Don't replace that poor spring. Loosen the screw then turn the spring sideway. Push it down to give it more tension then turn it back into the original position, tighten the screw and no more stutters.
You're a brave man! Al would say you've probably put too much tension causing unnecessary drag there. For someone inexperienced like the OP, trying to open this watch could very well cause more serious damage to the gold case than the fix's worth.
Just an FYI for the origional poster...the Seamasters De Ville watches were made from 1963 to 1967, not a watch from 1950s.
No more stutters, along with lower amplitude, possibly worse timekeeping, not to mention having to remove the back without getting debris inside, and having to strip the automatic winding off to even get at this part. Definitely a DIY job! And if the spring is damaged from improper hand installation, it is better to replace it... Cheers, Al
As Al said above - let a professional take a look and see if the tension needs to be adjusted or the spring needs to be replaced. I've seen that exact dial set-up at least 3 dozen times..... and I'm pretty sure I even owned one like it. No worries there. $1500 is a little on the high side, but it is a solid gold specimen so it's not like you were totally ripped off. Looks like the crown is a replacement. No biggie there though. It's also a front loading watch so don't attempt to open it.
what are the chances that the insides aren't authentic as well... can you tell if the crown is gold? Im feeling like i've been gypped...............
crowns are often replaced at service - as dennis said above its no big deal. The crown would also not have bern solid gold originally to improve durability, so no real issues there either.