Hey all, I’m considering this late 60s Seamaster 166.009. The case seems somewhat overpolished, but my biggest concern is the dial. If it’s a redial, it seems well done, although that would certainly be a dealbreaker for me. Thoughts?

 

At first look my subconscious prompt was redial.

The word OMEGA is too centred on the E, should normally be a bit more to the right. That, and the cross hairs confirm my opinion that it's a redial.

 

Interesting, I didn’t notice the alignment of the E, and I think you got a point. My only real suspicion was that the dial looks to be in much better condition than the case.

 

Looks certainly like a well done redial. With the movement in a rusty condition like that, there's no way the dial can stay that nice. In addition to Jim's notes above, looking more closely at the crosshair, the vertical line seems thinner that the horizontal one.

 

A better well lit/well focussed pic would make it easier to tell.

I'm still with redial and have ignored the rest of the watch.



Some tend to think of redials as a mortal sin and the watch should be burnt at the stake, but if the price is right, the rest of the watch is acceptable and the dial matches contemporary finish, font and layout and the owner is aware of it then I can't see a huge problem.

 

Good points all around. Theoretically I can understand why a redial would be OK, but it’s a dealbreaker for me. I’m a vintage guy. When I look at my watch, I want to see an old, well-made object, and a repainted dial substantially compromises that.

 

I would say 100% redial

 

While bad photos with digital cameras can give the effect of blurry or even thicker lines, this one is probably a redial. Dome dialed Omegas with crosshairs have the lines extending to the edge of the dial plate, here they stop at the markers. Comparing with other 166.009s it would appear that the Seamaster font is incorrect too.

I don't think I would have considering verifying the dial authenticity after seeing the condition of the rest of the parts, though..!

 

I got the original one