Omega seamaster automatic 2846-2848 poss 1959.

Hello all.
im just looking for some advice for my mum if anyone could be so kind please. Please see attached pics. She has had this omega watch for some time.

I’ve established (I think!), that it’s an omega seamaster automatic, 2846-2848 possibly made in 1959. I have the serial number from inside the watch which starts 160 and it’s marked 20 jewels and 501movement.

The only thing I know about this watch is my mum inherited it from her mum and it’s sat in her drawer untouched for 20years as she kind of forgot about it. It belonged to my grandmas second husband. Basically my mum was having a sort out of old jewellery and she came across it again. she’s not sure if its real, whether to give it to a grandson or if it’s worth selling to someone who actually wants a watch like this. Obviously there are scratches to the face and it needs cleaning so it’s not in the best condition at present but if it is real we aren’t the right people to clean it! It’s still working great.
Any info would be appreciated. Thanks!

Rarely do we see a watch hidden in a drawer in this condition. It's all orginal and unmolested. The crystal ("glass" in the UK) is scratched but is easily replaced.

It is quite valuable. I don't know UK prices, but high three figures are attainable. Please keep it in the family if you can, and take it to the recommended UK watchmaker of your choice to be cleaned and oiled. The crown and gaskets will also be replaced for water resistance purposes (these crowns are still available new).

You have a precious heirloom. Please do not sell it cheap.

This is what we called "gold capped". by the way. There isn't enough gold on there to ruin it by selling the case and throwing the rest away.

I honestly do not believe that dial is refinished, but it's possible it's a service dial. It's just waaaay too good with where the minute markers line up with the hands.

I like you used to think "they aren't uniform" was evidence until I sat down with my watchmaker and we discussed it in some detail.

For example, I have a Lemania dial of the same age, and the registration is off by a mile. On the other hand the markers are flawless, the printing is otherwise flawless, and the lume were tiny biscuits instead of blobs.

So nowadays I try to look for multiple things wrong instead of just one. I also have that one Seamaster that has a misregistered dial. Apparently they didn't care so much back then what a person could see under a microscope!

But we'll never know unless and until that watch comes apart and we see some better evidence.

Right. And I am surmising that larger errors get through, why not this one?