Hi,

I am new to the vintage watch world and would be grateful for some advice.

So, I have decided to go for a 1960's Seamaster and have pored over a number of auctions and read a lot of articles to find the right watch.

I have fallen for with the one in the pictures. According to my eye it seems in reasonable condition and original, except for the crown and strap. How much importance should I attach to the unoriginal crown and strap? Would it in your opinion be worth buying and at what price?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

The strap is not an issue. The movement is. Get pics of the inside caseback and movement before making any decisions.

 

Hello is it me or is there a little space between the dial and crystal? You MUST ask for the case ref and movement. The strap is not an issue. You can find a crown for 50 bucks or less. Can I ask you the price?

 

Thank you very much for your inputs. I will try to ask for pictures of the movement. However, I do not think that the seller is accustomed to selling watches, including taking the back off.

As regards the price, I left it out on purpose in my first post to get an opinion of the value which is as unbiased as possible. But I expect to be able to buy it for around 500 dollars. Does that sound fair (of course depending on the movement)?

 

well the price looks decent BUT :
if you have to change some parts :
- 10 dollars for a generic crystal, 60 for an Omega genuine one
- around 30 dollars for a crown
- service history unknown : possibly 200 dollars of service.
this must be a 565 inside. This movement needs a very good service as it can often be tricky.

 

I would negotiate…with the wrong crown, as a bargain chip

$400 feels more correct to me, without movement images

I would also like clearer pictures of the dial, just to be absolutely sure… you are not buying a lemon

 

I do agree. for this price you need to be sure on what you get concerning the movement.

 

This guy has a point!

 

Thank you very much for all the replies. I went back to the seller and asked about service history, images of the movement as well as a better close-up of the dial.

The watch has undergone service "regularly" (he is the second owner of the watch). The last time was approx. 2 years ago. The watch is probably from around the mid sixties, which I guess is consistent with Kwijibos assessment that the movement is a 565.

As I suspected, the seller is not into watch collecting as such and therefore doesn't have the tools for opening the watch. Hence, no pictures of the movement. I do have the tools myself and could probably be allowed to take a peek inside if I decide to go there in person (seller lives rather far away though).

The seller provided the additional photo below of the dial. But that doesn't really bring much new info, I'm afraid.