Omega Seamaster Calendar ref. 14701-2 SC (1960) - family watch, looking for insights

Dan S

Welcome to OF and thanks for posting photos of your family watch, we can certainly give you some feedback on the watch. Unfortunately, AI is not very good at authenticating watches so you need to be critical of what the LLMs tell you.

@Passover has given a good analysis of the watch. Clearly someone cared a lot about maintaining this watch and keeping it looking good. Presumably, the dial became aged or damaged at some point and the case was also probably dented and scratched. As a result, they wanted to watch restored to look good and they had the dial repainted and the case refinished. Apparently the watchmaker servicing the movement didn't have access to authentic Omega parts, so replaced the crown with a generic part to improve water resistance. When this type of restoration is done locally, it looks a bit amateurish to the eyes of collectors, but the condition reflects the original owners desires, so you can appreciate it as a piece of history.

Dan S

Unsigned crowns were not used on Omega watches at the time the OP watch was delivered, or installed during an official service in the last 60 years. You have a generic crown, unsigned and with the wrong size and shape.

The language in your original post suggests that have been using AI to get information about vintage Omega watches. We see this a lot from new members on the forum, but unfortunately the LLMs spew a mixture of good information and complete garbage, with equal confidence. Unsigned crowns were used much earlier (e.g. 1930s and much of the 1940s), but not at the time of the OP watch. Collectors are extremely well-versed in the appearance of correct crowns, and are easily able to distinguish original parts, from authentic service parts, from generic aftermarket parts based on their experience.

In good all-original condition, a watch like this (head-only) would have a fair-market value of $700 - $800, IMO. This is not retail or dealer pricing, but what a private seller could realistically realize. Because of the condition issues, I would say that the value is in the neighborhood of $400, mostly because of the value of the movement.

17401 calendar

Thank you very much for taking the time to explain and for sharing the comparison photos - I really appreciate it.
I understand the points you are making, especially regarding the dial details and the crown, and I find the comparison with the 14700 very helpful. To allow for a more accurate evaluation, I will upload a higher-resolution close-up photo of my dial that I’ve just taken, so you can have a better look at the lettering and details.
Thanks again for your patience and willingness to share your expertise - it’s very helpful for me to learn and better understand this watch.
Best regards

SOG53

If you compare the font on your watch with this, you can see significant differences in the font, letter spacing, and alignment of the OMEGA AUTOMATIC and also Seamaster text. This does not impact the wearability of your lovely heirloom watch, but it shown for comparison to help in the assessment of dial originality. Noboby but us collecting nerds would notice this of course! You should enjoy and wear your watch.

skand

This is my 14701, cal 562

17401 calendar

I would kindly ask the experts on the forum for their opinion: assuming the dial is replaced with a correct one for the model, the crown is replaced with an original Omega crown, and an Omega strap is fitted, could the watch then be considered fully original from a collector’s standpoint?

Also, in your view, would it be worth doing this, or would it be better to keep the watch in its current condition, especially considering its historical and sentimental value?

Thank you in advance for your valuable advice.