Omega Seamaster Cosmic, 166.036, 752, 18K

[tekarun]

Hello everyone,

first of all, greetings from Austria - and sorry if my English isn't perfect.
Not too long ago, I got gifted an Omega Seamaster Cosmic by my father in law.
Because I rather liked it, I brought it to a watchmaker who cleaned it completely, oiled it, and changed the glass (which was difficult ..), as well as the strap.
The glass only got changed, because it broke while trying to open the watch, even though the watchmaker used the exact tool by Omega which is necessary .
However, eventually everything turned out well and I have been very satisfied.
There was no polishing or whatsoever done, because I liked it in its shape which (for its age) was in extremely good condition. (the watch spent decades in a drawer, so there are no major scratches or anything)
I think, it is a nice piece of history.

Omega Seamaster Cosmic (Day-Date, in German)
Casematerial: 18k Gold
Movement: 166.036
Caliber: 752
Year: 1968

The main reason for this post is, to preserve the information also for other people who might be searching for information about this particular watch, or this movement, etc.
Unfortunately I did not find anything about this watch (combination of exactly that movement and dial in an 18k case)
As far as I know, there is not a single identical watch on the internet.

I want to share some photos, including some of the watchmaker:





















Have a nice day!

tekarun

 

[dsio]

Great condition and a very uncommon piece indeed, it’s nice seeing one of these with the edges all intact as they get soft very easily if polished or mistreated. I’ve seen a handful of them over the years come up for sale but they tend to be very rounded off and rough looking for the most part.

 

[Brett2444]

Servus
Thats a lovely looking watch!

 

[tekarun]

Servus und daunksche
Thanks!

Btw. when I got the watch, it was on a third party 14k mesh strap which I wasn't really a fan of.
That's why I got rid of it and ordered this leather strap together with that vintage pin buckle which is only gold plated because the 18k buckles are stupid expensive.

Have a nice day!

 

[tekarun]

The edges are still in wonderful condition, I just photographed them in order to show.
Also you can see the narrow surface with its polished appearance.

 

[drose224]

Very nice watch!

 

[tekarun]

Thanks

I will not sell it, because it has highest emotional value to me and I will pass it to my children one day.

However, I would like to know an approx value, so I can make a note for the 2024 value.
- Freshly serviced
- Super condition
- No polishing done
- Movement also as new

Anyone a brief guess?

 

[tekarun]

Anyone an idea?

 

[cristos71]

Ok, it has plus points and minus points:

Plus points: condition, 30g plus of gold, rarity.

Minus points: not a highly collected model, busy dial (day/date), 30g gold (limiting buyer pool)

I find it very difficult to price, unfortunately I'd be starting with the gold price and adding something on like €400-€500 max for the actual 'watch' if that makes sense.

For more than that I think it would really struggle. Replacement/insurance value will be a lot higher of course.

 

[tekarun]

Understood, thank you very much for your comment.
This would mean, from today's perspective, approx EUR 1200 for the gold + 400-500 = EUR 1600-1700

I don't know of how good as a reference chrono24 is, but there are approx 10 Seamaster Cosmics in STEEL which are more expensive than EUR 1600,-
There are listed only 4 watches in solid 18k total, all of them in worse condition than mine, starting at EUR 2.800 - 6.000.
I think, that on such site, there is some room for negotiation calculated, and in the end of the day it only matters how much a potential buyer will pay.

Seems quite difficult with such "rare and not really collectable" watches.
Furthermore, I was not aware that a day-date complication might decrease price (??) as you are mentioning.

 

[X350 XJR]

Many (most) chrono24 asking prices are laughable.

SOLD listings on eBay are a far better barometer for current values as they are for actual sales.

 

[cristos71]

tekarun

Understood, thank you very much for your comment.
This would mean, from today's perspective, approx EUR 1200 for the gold + 400-500 = EUR 1600-1700

I don't know of how good as a reference chrono24 is, but there are approx 10 Seamaster Cosmics in STEEL which are more expensive than EUR 1600,-

Furthermore, I was not aware that a day-date complication might decrease price (??)

Ok to adress a few of your points:

I agree and see €1.6K as being very low for your watch, but would it sell? Yes.

I see €2.8K as being very high for your watch, but would it sell? Maybe...but I think you could be waiting a long time. Above €3K I don't think is realistic.

Perhaps somewhere around €2K -€2.25K would be a pricing sweet spot

I've sold a few nice black dialed steel Cosmics and another with one also with a sought after dial configuration recently here and I sold them all for under €1K each.

You may not be aware of a DD function decreasing price but we are, the majority prefer a less busy dial lay-out.

 

[padders]

As a data point I sold something similar last year, a solid 18k gold C cased Geneve Auto no date. Was like new with original unworn strap (original plated buckle) and box. After a struggle it fetched £1,600 so circa €1,875. Though very nice, I can’t see yours being worth much more. Talk it up all you like but the folks on here do know the market. Look on the bright side, since you never intend selling it, a more modest value than you thought will make insurance worries easier.

Edited: Jan 26, 2024

 

[tekarun]

Thanks guys, your input is highly appreciated.
Since I don't want to sell the watch, it is not that important.
I will write down a note for the 2024 value at around EUR 1.800-2.200 as this should be realistic.

My goal was, to find out the realistic value, and that's a quite difficult task for me since I'm really not much into this vintage-world.
However, I just started doing research and I must say, I really like vintage watches though it is super difficult and someone can make a lot of mistakes.
Personally, I also understand the point with a clean dial (without day-date), it was just that I thought that a complication might increase the value.
I rather also would pick a watch with a clean dial when it comes to some models, not all though.

So, thank you again everybody.

 

[padders]

tekarun

Thanks guys, your input is highly appreciated.
Since I don't want to sell the watch, it is not that important.
I will write down a note for the 2024 value at around EUR 1.800-2.200 as this should be realistic.

My goal was, to find out the realistic value, and that's a quite difficult task for me since I'm really not much into this vintage-world.
However, I just started doing research and I must say, I really like vintage watches though it is super difficult and someone can make a lot of mistakes.
Personally, I also understand the point with a clean dial (without day-date), it was just that I thought that a complication might increase the value.
I rather also would pick a watch with a clean dial when it comes to some models, not all though.

So, thank you again everybody.

It is a reasonable assumption but as Christos says above, in fact many vintage Omega collectors where there are variants prefer the symmetry and cleaner lines of a no date version meaning the value of these can be higher (though not always), you see this with classic Constellations for instance. Day-date is even lower down the pecking order for many for the same reason. This is not the same in the Rolex world where for instance a date Sub seems to fetch more than a no date. Personally I like a date function but there it is.

I see a full hunter pocket watch in one of the shots, we like those here too, even if not Omega, and there is a thread specifically for them. By all means post pics of it there if you need any info as some here are very knowledgeable.

Edited: Jan 26, 2024

 

[tekarun]

Thank you padders.
And indeed, you have good eyes ..
It is my Junghans J15 from 1923 in a 14k gold case.
Nothing too special, but super rare in gold and in perfect condition.

I will look for the correct thread to post pictures.