Replacement Bezel Insert for Vintage Omega Seamaster 300 Model 2913 14755

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I would say that unless you currently have in your possession a period-correct bezel, dial and hands, then stay away. Alternatively, if you have unlimited patience, time and money then go for it.



Please help. Looking at 165.014 with no bezel, bad redial and wrong hands. Movement is cal. 550 with 20,323,xxx. Have not made a commitment yet. What advice can you give?
 
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If the original parts are in good condition, pay their value. The parts you need are very rare these days. Don't dream that you can easily or inexpensively put this watch back to original condition. Likely will be a parts watch.
 
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The bezel is correct, but no insert. How do I determine parts value? Thanks for your input.
 
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The bezel might be correct, but it is missing the insert, so to bring it back you will have to have an insert made. To learn more about that you can search OF and read about the difficulties associated with that.

To figure out the value of parts you can search forum FS posts, completed auctions on eBAY and try to find sale prices for these parts.



The bezel is correct, but no insert. How do I determine parts value? Thanks for your input.
 
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The work Aldo does is amazing but his communications and turn around time are a problem. I sent him a bezel, he emailed me to say it had arrived, then four months later I emailed him to ask if it was ready, a further two months passed and he mailed to say it was then mailed to say it wasn't my bezel and he been confused.

What followed was a bit of a nightmare, turns out it wasn't my bezel he'd received it was a bezel from someone else in the UK, my bezel had been lost in the post (which I checked and confirmed, the last time it was tracked was turin) the significant problem (other than losing an irreplaceable bezel in the italian postal service) was that because Aldo had taken so much time to confirm this I couldn't even claim on the insurance.

Aldo does great work but is extremely unreliable[/QUOTE

Update on this post..
I have also waited over 13 months for any progress since Aldo's acknowledged receipt of my Bezel and the €250 cash sent via FedEx at a cost of £50.
All emails are either automated replies that work is not done or they are then completely ignored.
Looks like £1000 Bezel is unrecoverable along with €250 plus FedEx delivery costs are gone.
Be very aware!
Should Aldo resolve this situation I will be most willing to correct this post.
Anyone with concerns are more than welcome me at
[email protected]
 
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very sorry to hear about all these problems with Aldo..... communication was never his strong point. he is a brilliant watchmaker; will need somebody young to take care of the internet age fast communication requirements.....kind regards. achim
 
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very sorry to hear about all these problems with Aldo..... communication was never his strong point. he is a brilliant watchmaker; will need somebody young to take care of the internet age fast communication requirements.....kind regards. achim

I agree he is brilliant and does outstanding work. The only thing lacking on his inserts are hand applied fonts. He must use a digital print and thats the main detail that tells it apart from an original. Otherwise his bezels are absolutely perfect. The wait and communications leave a lot to be desired...my last work from Aldo took well over a year. But once you receive the bezel, you forget all about the delay and lack of communications because his craftsmanship is the best.
Edited:
 
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Here i am, i've just replied to PM , i'm waiting to know who was the sender.
I'm sorry for the trouble.
 
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I am very pleased to report that Aldo has contacted me and I can arrange to courier the Bezel to U.K. next week.
All misunderstanding is now sorted.
Thank you Aldo.
 
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Grazie Mille Aldo!
FedEx today returned to me the most perfectly restored SM 300 Bezel that I desperately needed for my
1964 divers watch.
Yes a long wait but Aldo did indeed live up to his hard earned reputation.
Perfect!
Marc
 
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Super work - the bezel looks great.
Unfortunately, I don't think I'm blessed with the required patience.
I would be tearing my hair out waiting for the finished article.
 
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Super work - the bezel looks great.
Unfortunately, I don't think I'm blessed with the required patience.
I would be tearing my hair out waiting for the finished article.
Been there, done it, but what choice do we have?
 
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Been there, done it, but what choice do we have?

Hiya Colin

I really like @aldo.....thoroughly recommended !

He's not like us from the want/must have it right now generation....he's much more ' old school ' in his approach and very much reminds me of the great Louis Armstrong song:

" We have all, the time in the world
Time enough for life
To unfold
All the precious things "

Guess I had better chase him up on that work....😀

Best - Neil
 
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It is all about expectations. if you know it is going to take a long time then you just carry on. I certainly did not expect to see mine again in a hurry. It was all cool. I respect greatly the effort and hand made approach to this

It is not like most of us only have one watch, or indeed that the watch can not be worn without the bezel.

Five stars from me for the bezel repair
 
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my pal has a 1966 seamaster 300 and needs a new bezel can you guys give me a good name to buy one he is quite happy to have a replica bezel
it is the same as the one in the original post
thanks
Gordon
 
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my pal has a 1966 seamaster 300 and needs a new bezel can you guys give me a good name to buy one he is quite happy to have a replica bezel
it is the same as the one in the original post
thanks
Gordon
I decided to take the plunge and do it myself I bought an insert replacement off of eBay it came from France it was over €420. It’s shaped perfectly the font is very nice the letters pop out because there’s a clear layer on top of them and they look a little 3-D so it was a good base for what I wanted to do.

I decided to use custom fishing rod high-build epoxy, From my research it would be clear hard tough and most importantly not too brittle like Bakelite.

first thing I did was lay it on there to see how it sat, and it looked great. I bought a set of fine tipped brushes and was ready to attempt the application!

This is the first time for me to attempt anything like this, but it looked like it should work so it was too tempting, had to do it!

So I went ahead and mix equal parts of the epoxy and mix them very well for at least a minute, folding mostly to keep the bubbles down. I tested applying it on my big silicone mat that I was using. This brand didn’t have many bubbles and I tapped the bottle cap a little bit and got the few that were in there out before I applied the epoxy on top of the insert.



I took these pictures right after I applied the epoxy and right at the beginning of the curing process. One day in and curing is going very well and I have to say I’m happy with the results so far!