My Xmas gift from my thoughtful gf..ignorantly, I didn't get the #'s from the folks that did the work. Would appreciate any observations, positive or negative, as I want to learn. Havent seen an example with same numeric fonts..If anyone could guess on date of watch, it would be much appteciated..Thanks, and I am sorry I'm such a newb! Pls see attached pics.

 

Soooooooo....

They polished the case, meaning most of the fine edges are rounded, gave a new strap and buckle, and relumed the dial as part of "refinishing" it. They also changed the hands.

Either it is an excellent full reprint, or the dial is original and they performed a "refinish" by removing the original varnish and applying a new layer before reluming the markers, as you can still see some specks of dirt on the dial, and the Omega logo shows some discolouration.

So basically you have a vintage watch with a lot of new parts that have made it lose its appeal to most collectors. That said, it's pressure tested, so at least it will block out water to an extent. It is also your father's watch, so that bears a sentimental legacy. While the hands are new, they do match the style (as seen in pics below) although may not be the right colour.

The price is exceedingly high for the work involved, and I believe an expert watchmaker sympathetic in keeping the watch's original condition would have been able to service it at a much lower price.

For reference, these De Ville case Seamasters are from the early 60s and can be found in "A Journey Through Time:"



These numbers and font style were applied to Seamasters of the late 50s and early 60s:

 

Let’s not be too critical, it is a nice job they have done. Many collectors wouldn’t want a watch to be dial refinished or polished under any circumstances but this has resulted in a tidy piece. Too tidy for many collectors perhaps and it certainly wasn’t cheap but I have seen much less sympathetic work and if you prefer the factory fresh look to lived in then this was about the best you could have hoped for.

 

I agree that this is some excellent work done. I pointed out what I could observe that's all

To the OP - would you have pictures of what the watch looked like before service?

 

It’s a beautiful watch! Yes may have been serviced over the top but it will last many more years to come. Do nothing and enjoy!

 

I think the most important point here is that your GF clearly loves you to bits!

She’s a keeper.

All the best

Nathan

 

My girlfriend gave me a romertopf...

 

Thanks so much to all for the feedback. I am shortly heading to the local jeweler that arranged the restoration to hopefully get any relevant numbers and hopefully a pic of "before". They took a reference photo when I dropped off watch, so I assume they can pull the image out of their system and email or print. No crystal, mangled hands, etc.

As I am not sure I want the local person to open the case, I am hoping they will contact the restoration company and if lucky, there was a record made of numbers, and perhaps additional photos of inside of case, movement, etc.

With that in mind, I would greatly appreciate one of you kind, knowledgeable gents or ladies aiding me in asking for the correct info. Just not sure how many numbers are needed, what the proper terms are, etc. in order to more accurately identify watch. (Hope you liked this newb's attempt to butter someone up for help).

Again, thank you all for taking the time to reply and I look forward to any additional feedback, positive or negative....I am learning a great deal, albeit drinking from a firehose!

Peace!

 

Caliber and referencenumber like this

 

And modelnumber like this

 

Very much appreciated! Hopefully I will be successful on this quest and can complete my first post with all the relevant info. Thanks again for your kind (and extremely fast!) reply.

 

Cropped screenshot of email from jeweler with info, plus pic of watch prior to work. Thanks in advance for any additional info!

 

@Rfree - Well, looking at it now, I can see why the repairers went the way they did.

I'll admit, it is a lot more appealing to the eye than it's original condition

So changes from original condition to now:

* Dial is a redial, however an excellent one that is in keeping with the original style (although they replaced 12/3/6/9 o clock lume plots with lines)

* Minutes and seconds hands were replaced due to them being bent and damaged, and hours was also replaced to match new set of hands

* Case and lugs were polished - you can see how on the lugs it looks slightly softer/rounded compared to the original

* Crown was replaced, as stem probably had rust

So overall...this is a great memento of your father!

 

Thanks for the info and opinion....Much appreciated!

 

So circa 1960 then.

Omega page for it

https://www.omegawatches.com/watch-omega-seamaster-omega-ck-14725/

 

Thanks!

 

The restoration was done quite well IMO - the watch appears to be in much better aesthetic condition than it was prior to the restoration. I believe 1960 was the first year of production for this particular Seamaster, so you have an early model. A great looking watch and fantastic memento!

 

I concur with all that's already been said. The fee seems exorbitant but the work looks very good for a restored watch and as it was your Dad's I highly doubt you would ever sell it so the knock to any "collectible value" in price seems sort of irrelevant in this case. Wear it, enjoy it, hopefully pass it down to your son one day, and appreciate the woman that gave you such a thoughtful gift.

 

I will honor both of your suggestions, as I already appreciate the wonderful woman who made this happen and already have a 17 yo son into watches and has requested this peice (as well as my Martin HD-28) . The boy has good tastes! Again, thanks to all for the help bringing this process full circle!

Peace!

 

Considering it's your father's watch, and considering the condition which it was in, it makes sense that they'd bring it up to a "brand-new" finish. After all, this is probably a piece you'll want to hand down to your children someday, and it ought to be keeping time when that happens.