Hello OF.

I have a question about gold watches and ill use this 166032 as my example.
Without opening the case back, as the watch is not in my possession in this case, can you tell (or get a good idea) whether or not the watch is plated, or solid gold?
Do only solid gold watches typically have a gold caseback, or do gold plated versions sometimes have a gold caseback as well.? I have searched through images for hours and cant seem to see any gold plated versions of this reference that have a gold caseback. they seem to have two toned case backs or fully SS.
Am i right to assume this ?

with that being said, this 166032 has a gold case back, but the owner, who i know, does not know if it is plated, filled or solid.
from looking at other images i would guess this one is solid gold, but i do not see the small imprint stamp on the back of any of the lugs..

Just a question in an attempt to learn something.
This specific watch was recently serviced at omega which cost the gentleman $800. according to him thats the original sticker on the back ??

I noticed the dial is also missing the T SWISS MADE T - does this mean it was redialed at some point or that the lumed hands were possibly added ?

Thanks all
i know the photos are blurry but they are the only ones he sent me at the moment.

I have tried to edit some of the photos to make then more legible

 

I would bet on the case being gold, it's uncommon for case-backs to be plated. If the reference number is known, it seems that someone has probably seen the inside of the case-back. The photos are bad, but I don't think the hands are lumed.

 

In your picture, I can't find any lume on the hands. They seem to match the dial. The dial doesn't look like a redial, judging by this poor picture.

 

The fella says that he sent it to omega for the service and that they said the only way for him to find out was to pay for the extract in order to see the case material during manufacture. He also does not want to open it now so he doesnt scratch it.
Its for sale at the moment for $1300 canadian. which would be a great deal if its solid gold ?

I see now what your saying about the hands, i mistook the black line as the lume line. i guess those are typically white.

 

This case is solid gold because it has the wording "waterproof" additional to the "Seamaster" on the caseback

The price is good for a solid gold SM of this reference - go for it! Consider the value of the recent service...

 

Thank you i see that now.

 

that is also a brand new omega strap that was $300, according to the gentleman.

 

Yes, $1300 CDN would be a good deal.

 

Yes. It's a very good price...

 

The condition is hard to judge, but there is lot of value there for $1300 CDN. I think you will be happy with it.

 

This was purely a hunt for me to learn something new.. however i now may consider it.
Thank you Dan.
I appreciate your activity on my posts.

you guys are all awesome. and so fast !

 

IMO, it is not a Swiss case, it could be a 9k gold English case. It doesn’t look like a french case, judging by the hallmark.

 

So you don't think it's a 166.032?

 

The owner of the watch stated to me it was a 166.032.

I did not know there was a difference in case production location

 

I would tend to have great confidence in the opinions of @mac_omega and @X350 XJR. Omega probably verified the reference number when it was serviced, and it may even be on the invoice.

 

Hallmarks?

Without clearer photos it's going to be hard to say what the karat of the case is, but we do know it is solid gold. Even if it were only 9K, it's still worth the asking price.

 

These double hallmarks might be Portuguese...

 

Thank you,
so what does that mean if its Portuguese? Metal quality ?

 

If you can get better photos of the hallmarks, your questions will likely be answered.