Hi all, I've come a across an auction of a vintage Seamaster De Ville with some very bad pictures, none of the movement (confirmed to be hand wound and working) All I could tell from the pictures was; signed dial, crown and back. I've asked the seller for a better picture of the dial (gotten one!), see attached. Also attached is one from the back lid, not too good. The crystal seems signed, but also has a deep scratch or even a crack. Any thoughts about originality of this one? Would it be worth around $350? Apart form the crystal, I don't see (hear) any alarm bells... but my knowledge of the subject matter is minimal. Dial looks rather good, maybe that's suspicious. 'Swiss Made T' seems reasonable to be, so do the hands - although the seconds hand is somewhat blocking the hour hands in the picture. Would love to hear your expert remarks! Thanks!
There seem to be nothing tricky about it. It looks genuine. It most likely is hand wound as there is no "automatic" written on the dial and it hides either cal. 610, 611 or 613 and probably has ref. 136.020, maybe 136.010. If scratch between 8 and 9 is deep it would require crystal change unless you can live with it as it is on the edge and does not compromise reading the time. I would find the price of 350$ fair and you should probably count on service as case looks like it has not been worn for a while. These Seamaster De Ville models have risen in price rapidly recently as they gained extreme popularity and count as some of the top vintage Omega dress models.
That is one swift reply, cheers! I've asked about the scratch or possible crack, no response yet (I'm sure it won't take long, seller's been replying promptly so far). I love that this crystal still has the small Omega sign, hopefully something can be done about the issue without having to give up this original crystal. Can this be polished out, or does that only work for slight surface wear?
Reasonable! So authorised dealers are able to trace crystals for vintage Omegas as well? Would this be a hesalite plastic one?
Get it serviced by a authorised watchmaker and they will be able to get the crystal, a authorised dealer would not have serviced the watch for that price.
That crystal, IS CRACKED. Be certain that you get a genuine Omega replacement crystal! A lot of shops try to get by with a cheaper generic replacement. The reflector ring in a genuine Omega crystal is unique, and different to the reflector ring in a generic crystal.
Thanks! I've already started searching the webs for an authorised watchmaker in my city (don't have 'a guy' yet as this would be my first watch worthy of taking good care of).
Well that went quickly. Looks like I bought it for even slightly less than mentioned 350. Thanks to you guys for your input, quite helpful!! Will update as soon as it arrives - if anyone's interested. Found a well-reputed local watchmaker, plan on taking it there to have it serviced. Looking forward to get my hands on it Thanks again guys!