I'm new to this whole vintage watch world and this is my first Omega purchase. Eventually, I will take it to a workshop and have it opened up to see the mechanics.(btw does the Omega Boutique work on vintage?) But for now, just by looking at it, does the watch itself look genuine or fake? Vintage Omega Seamaster Deville 14k gold filled. Automatic. No luminescent. Thanks.

 

It’s the real deal and it looks nice! Remove that bracelet from it ASAP as those types of bracelets tend to wear through the lugs. Also, is the top left lug a little bent?

Omega will work on vintage but we typically don’t recommend you bring it to them - they will replace many of the original parts with service parts which will hurt the collector value. Yours seems quite original so that would be a shame. Find a local watchmaker who works with vintage pieces, or provide where you live and someone may have recommendations.

 

Wow the community is fast in replying. You guys are awesome. Thanks for the super helpful info. And woah, I just now noticed that the left lug is bent! Thanks for pointing that out. How did that even happen? Is there a way I can get that fixed? I plan on switching the speidel band for an 18mm leather strap. I hope the bent lug doesn't affect it in any way. But overall, I'm happy to hear from someone that the watch is genuine. Huge reassurance. And I'll steer away from the Omega Boutique. Btw, having the watch cleaned (or even polished) is something I should also avoid?

 

Should be caliber 550. Case reference KM 6292 made by Ross watch case co.

 

I looked it up and you are 100% correct sir. Nice! Thank you for the valuable info. Would the caliber and reference information be found inside the case? I plan on getting it opened in the near future by someone professional. I'm afraid to mess with it myself.

 

Don't mess with it yourself. Period. You'll ruin it. The caliber number is on the movement, the case number is on the inside of the case back.

 

Yes you can find these on the inside. it's a unishell (monocoque) case which means you can open it only from the dial side and you have to remove the crown.

Beautiful example by the way! Enjoy!

 

Interesting! Awesome. Yeah if I'm not mistaken, all the vintage DeVille cases are like that? Thank you! I'm super excited with my first Omega. I can't wait to pop this baby on a vintage style blue leather strap!

 

Gotcha! I'll give you guys an update when I get it opened. Thanks

 

@JwRosenthal recently had a watch with a bent lug, maybe he can kindly share his experience with repairing that

 

Anything would be much appreciated! Should I message him or can he see this post since you tagged him in it? Also, doggo avatar is best avatar.

 

I was tagged so I saw this- thanks Dave.
I recently got my step-father’s 18k Universal with a bent lug- the same one as yours cooincidentally. Gold, as beautiful as it is, is a crappy material from which to make something that gets beaten around like a watch- it’s too soft.
I spoke with my watchmaker about it and he said he will take the case (after he removes the works) to one of the jewlers for whom he does repair work (he has one in particular that does in-house repairs and has a spectacular reputation) and they will straitened it out.
The process most likely involves the correct application of heat, the correct tools, and a specific method of applying force- do not attempt this yourself as you can distort the shape of the case as it bends or even snap it off.
Be sure to specify to the watchmaker that you do not want the watch “machine” polished in any way (machine polishing removes material and rounds those crisp edges off every facet on the case) even when the jeweler does the work, only a light hand polish (a simple rubbing with a Cape Cod cloth can make these things look like new without removing any material).
That’s a lovely watch- enjoy!
And make sure you buy good leather. Don’t put a $20 strap on a watch like that- get genuine croc, lizard-or good calf leather.

 

Hi, out of interest, can you explain what you mean? I have a BoR on a 1959 Connie and I was wondering whether how this extra searing works. Thanks.

 

The flexi bracelets with the spring loaded endlinks were drug-store variety bracelets for the most part, designed to fit most any watch with a lug width of 16-19mm. They exert pressure on the insides of the lugs to keep the beauty cover over the spring bars. Wearing them for years with the up down friction and rotation- coupled with the outward spring pressure on those sharp ends of the beauty covers will eventually wear into the metal of the lugs- even faster with gold than stainless. Fixed endlinks like on your Connie may leave some marks over time but there is no outward pressure so won’t wear much. If they are fitted properly (no wiggle) they shouldn’t wear much at all even after decades of daily use

 

Thank you for taking the time to reply. All this insightful info is much appreciated. I wish I can bring my watch to your watchmaker then lol. I'll have to find one near me. If you don't mind me asking, how much did the repair cost? Thank you! Oh and I plan on pairing this baby on a blue calf leather from Crown&Buckle!

 

Aha, now I understand. Thanks!

 

Sadly my watchmaker is retiring in the next decade and has been scaling back his workload- he no longer takes private clients- he only takes work through the jewelry stores that contract to him (he doesn’t want to deal with customer bullshit anymore). I have been grandfathered lucky as I have been using him for over a decade.

Where are you in the world and someone can recommend a watchmaker near you. Most watchmakers have relationships with local jewelry stores- if they aren’t comfortable doing the case repair themselves (as mine is not- he is a watchmaker, not a jeweler) theyshould be able to handle outsourcing the repair.

Edit- to answer your question- I haven’t brought it to him yet as he has a few other of mine in cue. He would just add the repair of the lug to the cost of service if the jeweler charges him anything.

 

Oh, and blue is killer on gold-
My lady’s 50’s Omega (30mm men’s dress watch) on blue croc

 

I'm located in Knoxville, TN. Hopefully, I can find some professional watchmaker out here. I'm willing to make a trip too. There might be a few in Nashville I'm assuming since it's a bigger city.

 

What a beauty. That blue croc and gold case combo is fire! I forgot to ask, did Omega ever make Seamaster Deville models for women back in the 60s? My Omega wears similar to that 30mm than a 34mm. I'm wondering if it's a women's watch. I just got it recently so I need to measure the case. I'll upload a pic soon. My wrist measures 6.25 inches.