Seamaster 166.010 with Black Dial

[Davidt]

Anyone that’s familiar with my watch collecting knows I love Seamasters with black dials and finally, I’ve managed to find a Seamaster 166.010 with original black dial. Now I’ve been after one of these for a while, but they’re extremely hard to find in any condition.

This one came from the original owner who bought it at the NAAFI in Singapore in 1966 and wore it around the world for 20 odd years.
The dial has suffered serious degradation and the case back gasket has melted to a goop that’s leaked out everywhere so safe to say a clean and service are in order. It also needs a correct crown which I’ve hopefully got a lead on. But it will look wonderful when it’s been sorted.

All examples of this black dial variation appear to share the same characteristics;
1. Black dial with gilt text
2. Swiss Made T dial (ie single, not double T)
3. Hour markers inlaid with luminous strip (not a lume dot).
4. Many seem to show degradation of the dial surface.
5. Although a very limited sample size, all seem to come out of East or South East Asia.
6. Standard 166.010 case, caseback, crown, crystal and bracelet as shared with common silver dial version.

There is a limited number of this variation, I can only find one previous example on OF, a beautiful example sold by @tomvox1
https://omegaforums.net/threads/vin...-w-original-black-dial-on-bor-bracelet.79292/. Quite honestly, this is the best one I’ve ever seen and I regretted not buying it.

So, do any other OFers have one of these rare birds or have any links to other examples?

Here’s my one:


The one sold on OF linked above


A couple for sale/sold by TimeAnagram in Japan:


One currently for sale on eBay (again from Japan):

 

[krogerfoot]

Very handsome watch. I had a few of the regular champagne dial 166.010/168.024 and now wish I still did.

The cyclops crystal in the third example is supposedly incorrect but I’ve seen quite a few in Japan with them.

 

[MtV]

Brilliant find, congrats! Yes, the dial is technically very much degraded, but it looks spectacular. Big fan of the way some of those gilt dials age.

Drop me a PM if it doesn’t work out with the crown, I think I should also have an original spare one.

Most of all: have fun wearing it.

 

[Shabbaz]

I was a bit to late with the one from @tomvox1. It was a killer watch with a killer price. But I bought a nice black dial tudor just before that 166.010. It was the best black dial 166.010 I have ever seen.

 

[krogerfoot]

This post made me intensely interested in finding a black-dial 166.010. One seems to have fallen right into my lap, arriving today.



I need to take better photos in daylight, but I’m pretty stoked with this acquisition. The cyclops crystal looks worse on this model than on the standard silver-dial versions, but as I mentioned above cyclops crystals are commonly seen on 166.010s here in Japan. I’d wanted to get my hands on a 166.010 with an original crown for years, so I owe @Davidt thanks for spurring me to find this one.

 

[cnjackson]

krogerfoot

This post made me intensely interested in finding a black-dial 166.010. One seems to have fallen right into my lap, arriving today.



I need to take better photos in daylight, but I’m pretty stoked with this acquisition. The cyclops crystal looks worse on this model than on the standard silver-dial versions, but as I mentioned above cyclops crystals are commonly seen on 166.010s here in Japan. I’d wanted to get my hands on a 166.010 with an original crown for years, so I owe @Davidt thanks for spurring me to find this one.

Looks amazing!

 

[Davidt]

krogerfoot

This post made me intensely interested in finding a black-dial 166.010. One seems to have fallen right into my lap, arriving today.



I need to take better photos in daylight, but I’m pretty stoked with this acquisition. The cyclops crystal looks worse on this model than on the standard silver-dial versions, but as I mentioned above cyclops crystals are commonly seen on 166.010s here in Japan. I’d wanted to get my hands on a 166.010 with an original crown for years, so I owe @Davidt thanks for spurring me to find this one.

Wow beauty! Congrats!!

Another one from Japan?

 

[Noddyman]

I have one which I bought on eBay (uk) as a buy-it-now. It was listed for seconds when I found it and knew I had a quick decision to make on it’s authenticity. Luckily all checked out but it was a nervous few seconds at the time.
I will keep you posted @Davidt if I ever decide to sell.

 

[sheepdoll]

I keep thinking I do not have any Black dialed seamasters. Untill I do remember I do have one.


Which is my second favorite watch, Although the new watches have been getting much more writst time. This one is in need of a service although it runs quite nicely. At least I can service it myself, although I do not have access to new gaskets for the pusher and crowns.

 

[krogerfoot]

Davidt

Wow beauty! Congrats!!

Another one from Japan?

Indeed. I really want to open it up and take a look inside but I’ve never encountered a caseback on so tight.

 

[krogerfoot]

Noddyman

I have one which I bought on eBay (uk) as a buy-it-now. It was listed for seconds when I found it and knew I had a quick decision to make on it’s authenticity. Luckily all checked out but it was a nervous few seconds at the time.
I will keep you posted @Davidt if I ever decide to sell.

Crosshair dial for the win!

 

[Davidt]

Noddyman

I have one which I bought on eBay (uk) as a buy-it-now. It was listed for seconds when I found it and knew I had a quick decision to make on it’s authenticity. Luckily all checked out but it was a nervous few seconds at the time.
I will keep you posted @Davidt if I ever decide to sell.

That’s is a stunner! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a crosshair variation but it looks completely correct.
It also appears to share all the characteristics of the non crosshair dial

 

[Furze]

Interestingly non of the black dial examples are of the Chronometer Certified version which came in silver dial. Does anyone think a black dial Chronometer 166.010 exist?

 

[Davidt]

Not my watch, nor do I have any affiliation with the seller, but this is one of the only original crosshair variants I’ve seen.

Case is soft and obviously the dial isn’t perfect so I feel the price is too high, but interesting to record this example.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/22591022...aMjpz0rSAy&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

[hoipolloi]

Here is the only one I have, with pink gold furniture.

 

[Davidt]

I now have another another black dial 166.010 in the collection as I quickly regretted selling the one in my OP. Really like these. The 166.010 case wears so well and the black dial, well, it’s just beautiful.

Edited: Dec 17, 2023

 

[Noddyman]

Perseverance paid off, great find, much nicer than your first example.

 

[Davidt]

Noddyman

Perseverance paid off, great find, much nicer than your first example.

Yeah I agree this is a ‘nicer’ example but my first one had an attraction and a really beautiful look in person.

 

[bardamu]

Wow this is so cool, dibs!

 

[krogerfoot]

Back from the watchmaker—he had to get the heavy equipment out to open the back. Confirmed that the last service was in 1985, but the original crown was not replaced. Final countdown to 2024 commenced (though I managed not to focus on the date wheel in transition from 31 to 1).