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Opinions on this garage sale Seamaster Calendar 2849

  1. Tansydot Aug 19, 2018

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    Hello all! First off I want to express my appreciation for the expertise of this forum. There is no way I would have been able to track down what info I could without your opinions and photos.

    I will try to make this brief. I love to go to garage sales and thrift stores. Usually I hunt for sewing supplies and fabric, books and teapots, all of which I already have an excess. I went to a huge charity sale this past week and spent 5$ (Canadian) on a Tupperware container full of sewing supplies. When I got it home I discovered a sterling silver thimble which was a treasure in and of itself but at the bottom I found a watch wrapped in a handkerchief.

    This watch.
    5C32AE36-D009-4E22-8791-EB72BF9AF79C.jpeg

    I knew it was old but that was it! Provenance wise I went back to the sale and asked. The lady seemed delighted that I’d found a treasure but all she could tell me was that a woman in the neighbourhood had died at 87 and her family had taken advantage of the sale to drop off all the junk they didn’t want.

    I believe this is a Seamaster Calendar 2849 from 1958 or 1958. I was thrown off by the lack of “calendar” on the dial until I found an example here. 34.5 diameter, 503 caliber Automatic. Arrowhead markers, and the hands would have been radium.

    All that being correct I have a few questions - would the markers be gold or silver gilt? I have seen both referenced. What is your opinion of the condition? What would have been the original colour of the dial? To me there is an obvious scratch and the hands are quite corroded but I don’t know how bad this is relative to the age. It doesn’t look over polished or redialled to my novice eyes. The crown seems to be correct. I have no clue about the crystal, I’m assuming it’s been replaced at some point.

    I have narrowed it down to two watch shops to have estimates for service done and I’ll have them open the case back and take pictures of the movement. If anyone has a recommendation or warning against someone in the Ottawa, Ontario area I’d love to hear it.

    How much should I expect to pay for a full service? Should I bother if I’m thinking of selling it? Part of me wants to sell it and split the money with the charity and part of me wants to put it on a nice brown strap and give it to my dad for Christmas.

    Either way this has been an exciting foray into a world of pretty things! Not bad for 5$.

    So much for being brief. I can take more pictures if needed. Thank you in advance for opinions - be as blunt as you like!

    B2C448B5-9456-4646-B70A-05EDD52632AD.jpeg 8B7022F6-23EB-4966-9282-516E73BD2A14.jpeg 479F772F-98D5-4203-B8D5-BE67179CDEC5.jpeg A97EAEA9-05A2-4C00-AF2D-B4EB185D96C0.jpeg 3FF71C1D-68EC-48BA-9B31-FC52CDED1B33.jpeg A33BBCB6-97AC-44DC-967C-7EB52D561210.jpeg 86EB2169-9F5E-4E6D-9226-59E366B92747.jpeg 79B337AA-7677-4D9F-B79E-16EA62A7B063.jpeg 80D8DF1A-6635-498E-9663-4F5235B7E5A4.jpeg
     
  2. efauser I ♥ karma!!! Aug 19, 2018

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    I like it, especially for 5 dollars. Take it to a watchmaker to have it opened. Take photos of the movement numbers and inside the caseback. All info is located there and will confirm or refute what you think.
     
  3. harrymai86 Aug 19, 2018

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    Dibs anyway :)
     
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  4. Tansydot Aug 19, 2018

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    That’s my plan! I did briefly consider trying to open it myself (watched some videos! How hard can it be!) but thought better of it. I’ll post pix tomorrow hopefully.
     
  5. X350 XJR Vintage Omega Aficionado Aug 19, 2018

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    Cool score!

    Be sure to get the movement serviced before wearing it. Absolutely do not let them polish the case or touch the dial. The crystal is original and should polish up well.
     
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  6. stefman Aug 19, 2018

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    Wow! Very nice and for $5, can’t go wrong.
     
  7. Tansydot Aug 19, 2018

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    Thank you! I’m very excited about it and no one in my circle thinks it’s interesting other than what I can get for it! What are the indicators that the crystal is original?
     
  8. Tansydot Aug 19, 2018

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    The best part of the 5$ is that I also got a Victorian sterling silver thimble worth about 10$ in the box. I would have been happy just with that.
     
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  9. X350 XJR Vintage Omega Aficionado Aug 19, 2018

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    Blow up your first photo and you can see the tiny Omega symbol in the center.
     
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  10. krogerfoot Aug 19, 2018

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    You have definitely come to the right place to ask your questions (and you seem to have a knack for taking the kinds of photos that people around here want to see). I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but as you've probably noticed by browsing around, people get very excited to see old Omega watches that haven't been tampered with over the years. I'm sure we'll all be interested to hear what your watchmaker has to say.

    Whether you invest in some maintenance and sell it or give it to your father, you'll most likely have put a very handsome watch back into the world where it can be properly appreciated.
     
  11. Tansydot Aug 19, 2018

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    Thank you. I was stressing about the photos so I’m glad they passed muster. I wondered if it was her husband’s watch and she wrapped it up and put it away when he died. Or it could have been hers. I’ll never know for sure but it’s fun to speculate.
     
  12. VetPsychWars Wants to be in the club! Aug 19, 2018

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    I disagree, a light polish by a master buffer won't hurt it at all and it will look a LOT better.

    As for your question, silver or gold markers on the dial, the answer is that they came both ways.
    Roughly, the progression in gold levels:

    - silver markers and hands, stainless case
    - gold markers and hands, stainless case
    - gold markers and hands, gold over stainless case
    - gold markers and hands, solid gold case

    Service cost will vary a lot depending on where you go. I would expect a median of $300. Service will likely include a new crystal, new gaskets, and a new crown for proper water resistance. Sometimes the gaskets in the crown can be replaced. Do not get hung up on keeping that crystal, the chances are that it's the same one that came from the factory are low. Genuine replacements are still available from Omega and they're identical to what you have there.

    Some will disagree with me because they are collectors first and wear watches second. You will have to decide for yourself whether you would rather wear this watch or "collect" it.

    I recommend also a nice 18/16 deployant strap and the Omega deployant buckle. Aftermarket straps are not expensive and the genuine buckle is not too bad, either. Because it's all silver, a beige or tan calf strap, black if you prefer, would be appropriate.

    Tom
     
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  13. BenBagbag Aug 19, 2018

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    Great find. Here was a no-calendar Seamaster Calendar I owned. Same reference. Mine sold for $625 in a flash.

    SOLD Sea Calendar Sold.jpg
     
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  14. Dan S Aug 19, 2018

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    Great find, congratulations. Looks very nice to me as well. There's no need to get it serviced (you won't recover the cost in a higher sales price) if you are going to sell it, but you will still want to have a watchmaker open it so you can take photos of the movement and of the inside of the case-back.
     
  15. Tansydot Aug 19, 2018

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    All these comments are so helpful! Thank you for the info about servicing - it makes sense as it seems that serious collectors have their watchmakers that they trust. I will also keep in mind the advice about practicality if I decide to keep it. It feels like a responsibility too.
     
  16. VetPsychWars Wants to be in the club! Aug 19, 2018

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    I think you should keep it! This watch is right in the sweet spot of decent automatic movement with classic styling... the shield and arrow dial was introduced in the early 50s with the caliber 353 bumper automatics and I think it really stands out.

    If you decide not to keep it, I might be interested... but I think you should. It's a fantastic watch and classic Omega.

    Tom
     
  17. seekingseaquest Aug 19, 2018

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    I wouldn’t complain much with two 0s added to that price.. pending a clean movement that is.
     
  18. Tansydot Aug 19, 2018

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    It’s funny because three days ago I wasn’t even considering keeping it. I found it, was like “Cool, an old watch, maybe I can get 50$ for it on Kijiji.” Did a little research and was like “Oh my god it could be worth THOUSANDS!”. Did a little more and was like “Oh no it’s probably a piece of crap redial with a rusted out movement not even worth anything even for parts.” Now I’ve settled on “Nice watch, probably worth a modest bit depending on what’s inside. Had no idea watch people were so entertaining.”
     
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  19. marturx Aug 19, 2018

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    It has a not so nice scar in the dial between 12 and 1, so bidders be aware of that
     
  20. Dan S Aug 19, 2018

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    The OP mentioned an obvious scratch on the dial in the first post.