Omega Seamaster 300 2531.80 (thinking about buying one)

Strikehard · Feb 25, 2022

Hello everyone!
I am thinking about buying my first ever Omega, an Omega seamaster professional. I've looked at many auctions and made a few bids but unfortunately got overbid...
But a new auction has started yesterday and it's a automatic full size blue Omega Seamaster 300 (2531.80) from 1996 and seems to have a decent startingprice without bids atm.
The owner has owned it for 1 ½ years and has bought a planet ocean, while this beauty just lay in its box. The seller don't have much feedback but the feedback that is there is only positive.

However I have a few question marks, since it's from 1996 it doesn't have the red pictogram cards (warranty card and COSC) but it's a white/crème warranty card and the cosc seems to be a white "piece" of paper is this accurate?

The box is red so it can't be the original one right? Since I thought the red box came in 1999/2000? (Might be wrong)

Another thought I have is the serialnumber, when I look it up in a decoder, it says the watch is from 1999 the watch number start with 6014xxxx, meanwhile on the warranty card date of purchase was in 1996, is this common? Is the decoder wrong? Or is it something sketchy going on?

Thanks in advance guys!

Best regards
/Strike

140dave · Feb 25, 2022

Pictures would help, this model overlapped the warranty card change from cream to red if I remember correctly so not necessarily a red flag on that part... but did you double check that the numbers on the card actually matches the watch? Serial numbers are not always exact on the date charts but usually close so would warrant looking at it closer.

padders · Feb 25, 2022

Low 60m on an SMP is around 1996-8 but we can date the watch to a certain extent based on what lume material is has. Post a photo if you can, or if you can't, do the hands and dial lume both look green-white, or is the dial lume slightly more beige than the hands? Online serial decoders are mostly useless by the way.

Red boxes were used from around 1995 so yes it could be correct, though will most likely be shedding red dust as the coating disintegrates. The white card and paper COSC were also seen mid to late 1990s so could well be correct.

Strikehard · Feb 25, 2022

140dave
Pictures would help, this model overlapped the warranty card change from cream to red if I remember correctly so not necessarily a red flag on that part... but did you double check that the numbers on the card actually matches the watch? Serial numbers are not always exact on the date charts but usually close so would warrant looking at it closer.

padders
Low 60m on an SMP is around 1996-8 but we can date the watch to a certain extent based on what lume material is has. Post a photo if you can, or if you can't, do the hands and dial lume both look green-white, or is the dial lume slightly more beige than the hands? Online serial decoders are mostly useless by the way.

Red boxes were used from around 1995 so yes it could be correct, though will most likely be shedding red dust as the coating disintegrates. The white card and paper COSC were also seen mid to late 1990s so could well be correct.

Thanks guys for responses here are some pictures, looks like the lume is tritum and not superluminova right? (don't know if it's tritum is replaceable by omega?).
I can't see the watchnumber on the picture on the watch itself but i am provided by the warrantycards full number, I removed the last 4 digits for respect of the seller. He lives far away, but I have buyers protection from the auction site, so if the number don't match with the cosc certificate and with the engraving on the watch, I should get my money back.
It also have a "star" engraved/stamped which should mean that it went through extra quality checks during production if I got it right?

shoejohn · Feb 28, 2022

I love the look of this watch! I’m new to the watch world and this is my first post. I bought my first watch (Oris Diver 65) last April and got sucked into the vortex. I’ve been considering a 2531.80 or an Aqua Terra as my next watch. I appreciate all the information I’ve learned here.
In my lurking, it seems that the early 2531’s are very confusing. Differences in lume, movements, weird serial numbers, boxes, polish, pearls, stars, etc. I even saw one with a sword minute hand! I’ve heard the horror stories of people buying Frankenstein watches. With so many variables in play, I don’t feel comfortable pulling the trigger.
Is there a definitive place online for information on this model? Are these variables just part of the “fun” in buying a vintage watch?
Thanks in advance for any insight.
John

Turpinr · May 28, 2022

S shoejohn
I love the look of this watch! I’m new to the watch world and this is my first post. I bought my first watch (Oris Diver 65) last April and got sucked into the vortex. I’ve been considering a 2531.80 or an Aqua Terra as my next watch. I appreciate all the information I’ve learned here.
In my lurking, it seems that the early 2531’s are very confusing. Differences in lume, movements, weird serial numbers, boxes, polish, pearls, stars, etc. I even saw one with a sword minute hand! I’ve heard the horror stories of people buying Frankenstein watches. With so many variables in play, I don’t feel comfortable pulling the trigger.
Is there a definitive place online for information on this model? Are these variables just part of the “fun” in buying a vintage watch?
Thanks in advance for any insight.
John

I never think of my 2531.80 as being vintage, though I definitely am.
It is iconic though, or is that just bias?

Omega Seamaster 300 2531.80 (thinking about buying one)

Strikehard

140dave

padders

Strikehard

shoejohn

Turpinr

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