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This looks genuine, though I wonder what the heck is going on with those blue tinted hands (which he admits are replacements, but are they from omega?).

I still want a SM300 and wonder if this would be worth purchasing and restoring. Anyone have an opinion on this one? And what is a reasonable price for this particular specimen. Anything that needs to be pointed out that an amateur like myself would miss? The dial doesn't have any real patina so maybe it was replaced at some point in the past.

 

I'm not an expert on these by any means. It looks genuine, but the lume has been washed off the dial markers, hence the lack of yellow/orange indicies. It also looks as though the hands were re-lumed rather than replaced.

 

I just heard from the seller. Seems the watchmaker re-lumed the hands. So that explains why they look off-kilter.

 

No clue on prices with these nowadays. 2003 I used to buy them for $350 and last year or the year before Watchco was selling a number of similar looking (with original hands) and they were going for about $1100 on or about.

Movement is super clean. original or replacement from a dress watch?

Case is right. Bezel has a few cracks, but nothing major

Looks like someone removed the luminous in order to avoid a clashing of color of the relumed hands. 5 index still has some of the original at the tip

Use completed Ebay auctions to compare condition and get a price

DON

 

The dial and hands have zero appeal.
Do you have a budget range? I would pass on this.

 

I don't really have a fixed budget. For a watch like this I would end up replacing the dial, hands, case-back, crystal, crown and having the case itself restored (sacrilege, I know). So the key is not to overpay considering how much it will cost me to purchase all of those parts.

 

Why not just search for an honest example that doesn't need everything replaced?

 

In the kind of condition I want they get quite expensive. 4k+ is beyond my means. I would be quite happy with a "Watchco" since I want to have one I can wear daily, take in the water, etc.

I can always go for this RARE Mickey Mouse SM300.
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And I am only half joking on that. If the movement was not sourced from a Geneve or other such non-SM300 donor piece it might suit my needs once I purchase a genuine dial and hands. But I am no expert so I'd need help making sure the case, case-back and bezel were genuine.



This next one appears genuine.
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The hands were replaced at some point and the bezel replaced recently. Seller claims 565 is genuine for the actual piece.

 

That should be a 552 in there without a date, or a 550.

 

You are referring to the Mickey Mouse watch?

 

No I thought your comment related to the no-date below. Apologies if not.

 

Okay sorry. Just wasn't sure which you were referring to. The one at bottom has a 552. The hands were replaced a while back, the bezel more recently. Seller states it was serviced last year. But I would replace the dial, crystal and crown to get it back to water resistance spec (or hope that would do the trick). I might even sell the original dial.

Here is a pic from the auction. I am not even close to familiar enough with movements to judge the look of this one.

How can I research the serial number with Omega to find out of it's legit or had been pulled from a donor? The seller will give me the serial number if I request.

 

If you're willing to spend for all of that and you'd be happy with a Watchco style as you said later, it might be easier and cheaper to just buy a Watchco. I don't know the price of a built one at the moment but, you could just buy all the parts and have someone put it together.

Worth a look on Otto Frei or Cousins to price everything. They are not cheap anymore though.

Cheers, Chris

 

Chris, I tried that last year and it didn't work out. I won't get into what happened but it just turned into a very unlucky experience. Sometimes sh*t happens and one has to roll with the punches. It was just bad luck.

And since that time the prices have gone through the roof. If you can find a "Watchco" for sale they are overpriced, to say the least. There is one on eBay now for $3700 and the seller won't budge. He was asking $6,000 for it last year. $3700 is just a fantasy.

Should I go for the original on the Bay listed for 3k (that's the one pictured in the above two posts, not the first/original post) I would not immediately send it in for the servicing and parts replacement. I'd keep it on my wrist for a while to enjoy. I am going to China in October for a full year so when I come back I could drop it off at Nesbits in Seattle (we are visiting friends there) and have him do the work. His work on my Seamaster 200 was tops.

I must admit that it would feel better knowing I own a genuine SM300 movement. It doesn't really matter since one 552 is the same as another. But for resale value it's a plus and should i ever need to send it into Omega it's also a good thing. One never knows when they will will decide to stop servicing SM300's with donor movements.

 

Sorry to hear about that. I may have missed that discussion if it was on here. Just looking at Cousins, I would say that they are now $2500 to build (head only) plus what you pay a Watchmaker. So, not cheap at all.

The 552 looks to have led a hard life. I don't find it that attractive a case and its a bit mismatched with it's new bezel. The movement also looks like its fairly marked and is losing some plating. $3000 seems a lot for that watch but it may be the market is there.

I don't know about Omega possibly stopping servicing of put together watches but, it hardly seems likely to me. There are so many 550 series movements with what look like mismatched bridges that you can't trust the serial numbers unless the colouring is even over the whole movement. Would they turn the money away? I'm not so sure.

I look for an original one of these occasionally and it's tricky. The prices and conditions are all over the place so, I might stick with my Watchco style. Did I see your 200m on here? Which model?

Good luck. Chris

 

Just looked at that. You can build a brand new one with bracelet for less than that and the 58 second marker will be intact. Plus, the bezel will not be slightly out of alignment. You'd hope to get a movement where the auto bridge does not look a different colour and the movement is not dirty looking (look at the writing on the rotor, the pin you push to remove the crown for examples). Too much, as you say.

 

My Seamaster 200 two-toned was a beauty with the 1441 quartz movement. I sold it to a gent in the UK. I bought an NOS auto (Cal. 1109) version from one of this forum's members and it is a gem, to say the least.

A Watchco build that has a decent movement and price is the easiest way to happiness, I suppose. I do love a brand spanking new watch (well, most of a Watchco is new). The one on eBay for $3700 looks very nice. I just wish the seller (who does sell outside of eBay for less) was reasonable on the price.

Here is the movement in that particular watch.



My Cal. 1109 Seamaster 200, followed by the 1441 2-toned with the SM300 (both no longer mine):

 

The 200m is nice in all steel. I looked at one recently but nothing like as nice as yours. Too many watches I want to buy and not enough time (or cash!).

I was commenting on that eBay $3700 watch. The dial is damaged - look at the 58 second marker. And the bezel is not aligned with the movement. And on the movement, look at that picture you're showing with my comments. You could definitely do better, for less. I was luck to get in before these price rises and I don't see them going down again, unfortunately.

Cheer, Chris

 

Sh*t! How did I miss that damaged dial? Thank you for pointing that out. Question though... How is the bezel not aligned with the movement? What am I looking at so I can see that?

Sometimes I want to give up on my SM300 quest and just buy a 2500D Planet Ocean because of how hard this it. The first gen PO is a stunner (I dislike the new ones), but it's the SM300 that attracts me the most, dammit.

 

Don't feel too bad, I've not noticed missing bezels before now.... (not on a dive watch but on a dress watch).

In the first eBay photo, you can see the bezel triangle is not in the middle of the 12:00 marker. It could be the movement needs a slight rotation in the case or it could be a trick of the photo.

It shouldn't be hard to find a Watchco model with your budget but, it might take a little while. I'm not sure why you sold the other but movements are not expensive to buy or, in general, to repair. Look for a trusted seller on here?