Question on Seamaster 166.003

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river9

·Aug 26, 2021

Hello Valuable Members
I am offered locally the below Seamaster as reference 166.003 (1st photo).
Anyway I own another 166.003 in totally different case design (2nd photo).
I would like you share your thought about why 2 case designs could have same ref (166.003 engraved on both caseback)? Based on my search the one I own seems legit. So to me the franken watch is on the first photo. Hope I am not wrong!
Thank you in avance.

 

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Passover

·Aug 26, 2021

First one is a .002 IMO

 

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Passover

·Aug 26, 2021

Dial could be repainted and/or the non lume hands doesn't match the "T" Dial

 

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river9

·Aug 26, 2021

Passover

Dial could be repainted and/or the non lume hands doesn't match the "T" Dial

Thank you @Passover for quick reply.
In fact I even missed the anomaly 'T without lume'. Now I see what you meant.

 

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Davidt

·Aug 26, 2021

Passover

First one is a .002 IMO

Agree and dial certainly refinished

 

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mrbreen

·Aug 26, 2021

And those hands do not being to the dial (repainted or not)

 

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river9

·Aug 27, 2021

mrbreen

And those hands do not being to the dial (repainted or not)

Definitely a franken watch🤦

 

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Davidt

·Aug 27, 2021

On a larger screen I’m going to revise my ‘certainly refinished’ to likely refinished but needs better pictures to confirm.

mrbreen

And those hands do not being to the dial (repainted or not)

Not necessarily. If the dial was repainted with Ts added, the hands could be original.

 

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mrbreen

·Aug 27, 2021

Davidt

Not necessarily. If the dial was repainted with Ts added, the hands could be original.

I might be wrong on this David, and I’ll similarly revise my opinion to ‘likely’, but it looked to me that there was a stray lume point or two (or more), left on the dial, so I’d expect luminous hands as well. They may well be blackened tritium, but I really don’t think that’s the case.

 

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Davidt

·Aug 27, 2021

I agree I still think it’s a redial. I’m just not 100% based on that one picture.

 

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river9

·Aug 27, 2021

@Davidt @mrbreen
Seller used to offer vintage watches like this. I already bought from him a UltraChron Longines with dial slightly retouched, applying black paint to cover old lume. In some cases he has beautiful pieces. Below is the UC with T wording but lume is gone under black paint. I think his "niche" buyers is 'nice pieces no matter originality'.