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Potential 168.024

iosist
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Hello again,

I'm back on my Seamaster hunt after a week of travelling (in which I sadly missed a beautiful example sold by a forum member), and was hoping I could get some experienced eyes on this one. The seller seems fairly reputable on Reddit and Instagram, and says it was serviced last month. They will hopefully be following up with me tomorrow with some more information and photos from their watchmaker regarding that service. To me the watch looks pretty great for the price ($985 USD shipped). I don't love the date magnifier and I'll have to find a BOR bracelet but those seem to be relatively easy to remedy. The only thing that struck me as unusual was the color of the gasket - examples I've seen before were black rather than tan. Anything you else stand out to experienced members here? Thanks a ton!

RDT_20250814_112324582924439486176997.webp RDT_20250814_1123323737506708143843552.webp RDT_20250814_1123364891789956743521917.webp RDT_20250814_1123406437364556241989507.webp RDT_20250814_1123464162988483073181869.webp RDT_20250814_1123494766439469076801647.webp
 
SOG53
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Quite polished
Original gaskets were yellow, doubt this gasket is original but not an issue.
 
AG77
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I saw that Harry sold one or two of these recently and I actually wondered if you were the buyer. Lol

I think the price is fairly reasonable for this watch, understanding it is a bit polished and no bracelet. Chronometer versions will sell for more than the 166.010. I still see brushing on the sides. Dial looks great, with what I believe may be onyx indices I know you're after. You could do a lot worse for sure. Most of the replacement gaskets I see are black, but that's probably neither here nor there.
 
iosist
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SOG53 SOG53
Quite polished
Original gaskets were yellow, doubt this gasket is original but not an issue.
Polish is something I still have trouble discerning the severity of. On on a 1-10 scale of overpolishing, where would you place this one?

I've been told that most of these older references will have at least some polishing, and that it's really a matter of degree. Now that you've pointed it out I do see that the bevel, caseback, and lugs are much shinier than other examples - but it's hard for me to tell how much metal has really been removed and how much that reduces the watch's desirability. The worst part I'm seeing I think is this lug, but I'm not quite sure yet how much it would/should bother me.

RDT_20250814_112324582924439486176997~2.webp
 
TexOmega
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One way to distinguish polishing is to know what an original, non-polished example looks like and put the 2 pictures side by side.

Mostly look for sharp line-angles and factory brushing of the midcase.
 
AG77
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The caseback looks especially polished on this one. Around the medallion. Can notice polishing of the top of the lugs and bezel too. Honestly, on the wrist I think this watch would look great. Most of these 50-60 year old watches have been polished at some point, to some degree. I also prefer the date magnifier, for practical reasons.

Feel free to post any new pics you get from the seller.
 
HorsinTime
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iosist iosist
Polish is something I still have trouble discerning the severity of. On on a 1-10 scale of overpolishing, where would you place this one?

I've been told that most of these older references will have at least some polishing, and that it's really a matter of degree. Now that you've pointed it out I do see that the bevel, caseback, and lugs are much shinier than other examples - but it's hard for me to tell how much metal has really been removed and how much that reduces the watch's desirability. The worst part I'm seeing I think is this lug, but I'm not quite sure yet how much it would/should bother me.
It might just be the exposure of the photos, but the bezel and tops of the lugs do look very shiny - picking up all sorts of reflections. Then again, so does the caseback and the backs of the lugs in some shots, which is what makes me think it could just be the vagaries of digital photography. You can still see the brush marks on the sides of the case and lugs, which is a good sign.

If it worries you, ask for a couple of different photos, maybe without the studio lighting😀 Otherwise, I think the dial, hands and indices look to be in fantastic condition. It's a really nice watch.
 
Dan S
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iosist iosist
Polish is something I still have trouble discerning the severity of. On on a 1-10 scale of overpolishing, where would you place this one?

I've been told that most of these older references will have at least some polishing, and that it's really a matter of degree. Now that you've pointed it out I do see that the bevel, caseback, and lugs are much shinier than other examples - but it's hard for me to tell how much metal has really been removed and how much that reduces the watch's desirability. The worst part I'm seeing I think is this lug, but I'm not quite sure yet how much it would/should bother me.

RDT_20250814_112324582924439486176997~2.webp
If you can't tell that it's polished, then maybe you shouldn't worry about it. Buy and enjoy, ignorance is bliss. 👍
 
Porteroso
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I like it, at that price. The magnifier reduces the audience a bit, which helps you. If you get it, post pics!
 
iosist
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Dan S Dan S
If you can't tell that it's polished, then maybe you shouldn't worry about it. Buy and enjoy, ignorance is bliss. 👍
That's the thing - I wanted to do my research carefully and make an informed purchase precisely so that I'd end up with a watch I'll cherish long-term and not be tempted to trade or upgrade.But paradoxically, the more I learn the more elusive that watch becomes 😅
 
iosist
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The seller also offered to include this bracelet from another watch with it for an additional $200. Doesn't look like the original BOR so I'd likely pass, but I'm still curious what it is. The buckle looks at least close to me.

RDT_20250818_1523032278395097608921419.webp RDT_20250818_152306274598593348901914.webp
 
Passover
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I don't claim to have watchmaking knowledge but the timegrapher picture tells me:

Wrong lift angle for a 500 movement chosen

Beat error is way to high, amplitude is only in the 'acceptable' range, regulator is not centered.

Anyone more experienced please correct me if I'm wrong
 
AG77
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iosist iosist
The seller also offered to include this bracelet from another watch with it for an additional $200. Doesn't look like the original BOR so I'd likely pass, but I'm still curious what it is. The buckle looks at least close to me.

RDT_20250818_1523032278395097608921419.webp RDT_20250818_152306274598593348901914.webp
Looks to me like a 1037 which would commonly be found on some Constellations.
 
AG77
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I think the condition is perfectly reasonable and would find myself very happy with it. Chronometer version is a nice bonus over the 166.010 too. Does it tick all of your boxes?
 
Dan S
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I think it's a decent example. Regarding the bracelet, the 5-row BoR is more appropriate, IMO.

omega_seamasters_four.webp
 
MtV
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This might work as a first reference regarding sharpness. It’s not perfect, but it’s quite nice:

IMG_8119.webp IMG_8120.webp
 
iosist
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Passover Passover
I don't claim to have watchmaking knowledge but the timegrapher picture tells me:

Wrong lift angle for a 500 movement chosen

Beat error is way to high, amplitude is only in the 'acceptable' range, regulator is not centered.

Anyone more experienced please correct me if I'm wrong

Thanks for bringing this to my attention, I really have no idea what I'm looking at when it comes to timegraphers. What conclusion do you draw from this? Should I get it serviced again after purchase? If so that would definitely make the overall price proposition less attractive.
 
iosist
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I asked about the bear error and this was the response from the seller:
Yes for most watches of this age, to keep running stable usually this is the safe range

But if you require to get it run better, I can take it to my watchmaker's place and regulate the movement for you
I don't really know about the claim that this is the safe range of beat error but what would people advise in this situation? Buy as is and plan on a service fairly early on or try to pursue a path with the dealer's watchmaker? I guess I only hesitate because they initially told me the watch was already serviced a month ago.
 
Archer
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iosist iosist
I asked about the bear error and this was the response from the seller:

I don't really know about the claim that this is the safe range of beat error but what would people advise in this situation? Buy as is and plan on a service fairly early on or try to pursue a path with the dealer's watchmaker? I guess I only hesitate because they initially told me the watch was already serviced a month ago.
Omega requires the beat error in any of the 3 positions tested, to be 0.8 ms or less. So this is a fair bit over that. In addition, as already noted, the lift angle used was not correct, and therefore the amplitude is actually lower than what is shown.

If this is what their watchmaker considers okay, I would get it serviced by someone else rather than have it adjusted by them...
 
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