Hi guys,
Just a bit of advice please... so I've seen a couple of 2254 sword hand Seamaster now and I'm currently bidding on one. Everything going well untill noticed a marking on the case back (pic shorthly), anyway I couldn't tell what it was and asked the guy - he said it was a logo signifying the watch has sapphire crystal glass. I haven't seen this before and had just assumed they all had sapphire. I'm waiting on a better photo but was hoping somebody could help.
Does this all sound legit?
Do only some 2254's have sapphire?
How come I've not seen the logo before - shoul it alwayd be there?
Thanks

 

Here's the pic I have to go off for now...

 

Umm, if that's what the seller told you I'd stay well away from this piece. No such thing as an Omega icon to signify a sapphire crystal. Lot better options for purchasing a 2254 than a shady ebay seller.
Also, which icon are you referencing? If you mean the smaller circular logo on the left of your pic then it's supposed to be the Omega anti-counterfeit icon, but the one in your picture looks like a counterfeit. The actual Omega anti-counterfeit logo is laser-etched while the one in the pic looks roughly engraved.
Too many red flags on this listing. Stay. Away.

 

I assume you are talking about the Globe/Omega etching on the left side? It has nothing to do with having a sapphire crystal. It's a anti-counterfeiting mark. Don't remember when Omega started doing it -- maybe sometime in the late 2000s. Some of these watches will have it, many won't. All new ones do have it.

Be careful, though. Just because a watch has that mark does not mean it's real. All the fakes have that etching now, too.

 

Yes it's the etching. Here's the link...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291760159528Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

 

Not everyone knows what these symbols mean, and I would not reject a seller just because they are misinformed personally...

Looking at the watch in the link, it looks legit, and I have confirmed that the serial number shown is for a ref. 22545000.

Cheers, Al

 

A couple of things:
-Your posted screencap was degraded and cropped from the original pic. That being said, the anti-counterfeit Omega Globe logo still looks too deeply engraved. Looking at my own 2254 the logo is definitely laser etched. Maybe the original listing pic doesn't show it well, but as shown it's suspicious.
-The original listing pic also shows the red dot on the edge of the caseback, which usually signifies that the caseback hasn't been opened and the watch hasn't been serviced. Some independent watchmakers keep the red dot there even after service, but it's Omega policy to remove it whenever the caseback has been opened. The cards included in the listing show an original purchase date of late 2006, so if indeed the watch has never been serviced it's been 10 years which is on the long side.
-That being said, if the globe logo is indeed laser etched then the listing looks decent. I would request the following just for added peace of mind: in-focus pics of the bracelet text, serial number on the lugs, and front and back of COSC certificate letter.

Good luck with the search.

 

yinzerniner - the globe symbol is laser etched, but having seen hundreds of these in person (on a wide variety of watches), they are all not exactly the same in appearance, and depth of engraving can vary.

I have a lot of experience with laser marking in an industrial setting - as a project engineer in my "old life" I spent millions on laser marking systems at $250-$300k per system, ran them off at the manufacturer, installed them in production lines, and trained people how to use and maintain them. These were used to mark steel parts and I know that varying conditions can change the look of the mark quite substantially. Not just changing parameters like Q-switch settings, lasing speed, or focus of the beam, but degradation of the lasing medium, age of the lamp, cleanliness of the mirrors and/or lasing cavity, condition of the coolant, etc. can all have an impact over time on the appearance of the mark.

If the watch has been serviced or not is a valid point, but separate from the issue of authenticity. I agree seeing the same serial number on the lugs would be a good idea just to make sure it matched.

Cheers, Al

 

Thanks for the extra info, although in my experience the "globe" etching on Omega casebacks has been remarkably consistent. Granted, the sample size is dozens to your hundreds (if not thousands) of watches but they've all been pretty clearly a surface etching as opposed to a deep engraving that could catch a fingernail if run across it, although they've been mostly for modern Omegas from 2005-on. Whether this globe's pictorial inconsistency was due to environmental or procedural factors is up for debate.
Nonetheless, if the serial numbers all match up and @Archer's extranet search shows it matching the model number then all signs point to authenticity.

 

The "globe" etching is the "anti Costco copyright law abuse" logo. Real watch. Seller a bit misinformed?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_S.A._v._Costco_Wholesale_Corp.

 

This has been a great help fellas I've asked for a lug shot as a double check.

 

That watch is genuine. But you are still taking a risk. The seller is 100% but only has 4 transactions.

 

I let this one go in the end - I'm 90% sure it was ok but the guy could only send me blurry images of the lug / serial numbers and when I clicked on the pic he emailed me it prompted me to login in to Polish ebay... Just didn't seem to ring true - there are no excuses for a very very poor quality pic and when I asked for another I got a similar quality one...

Anyway it went for £1280 in the end and I'd set a limit of £1250!

 

Yeah and I think you can probably snag a 2254 for [significantly] less than that from fairly reliable sources (this board being one of them).

 

Guess I should just hold out and keep an eye on sales corner or wait long enough so I can post a wanted ad. Out of interest what the feeling on how much a 2254 should go for? Looking at ebay / chrono24 etc £1200 seems to be the minimum...

 

Ebay and chrono24 are often the worst places to gauge authenticity, historical prices, reliable sellers, etc. Use watchrecon or lionseek, or do searches in the "For Sale" or "Feedback" sections here, WuS, TZ, Chronocentric, et al.

I'm not sure if there's a direct currency correlation, but in USD the going rate is anywhere from $1400 (good shape, no box/papers) to $2200 (NOS with recent service and full kit).

Since you're in UK best bet is to deal with UK or EU based sellers. Kringkily would no doubt be able to source you a 2254 that fits all your needs, but international shipping, insurance and duties can get tricky since he's US based. There are plenty of other EU based sellers, but none that I can name off the top of my head.

The 2254 is not a rare bird, so as long as you do your homework, set your price and stay patient you will get one.

 

Good advice in this post. I'm hardly an expert but the bolded generally lines up with what I've seen. Anecdotally 2254s seem to fetch a little more than the other variants of the time period (Blue Bond, electric blue, &c).

 

So $1400 is roughly £960 +20% import / VAT tax = £1160 which is more or less the £1200 I've seeing them for... Don't suppose one of you American chaps are coming to the UK anytime soon so you could fetch one over on your wrist for me haha
Think I'll just have to sit tight and wait it out.

 

Been looking at this model a lot myself really fancy one now. From what i have seen they seem to go for £1200ish without cards and about £14 to £1500 for a minter with box and cards. I think the one on ebay with the seller who had 4 trans history sold for £1555.50. Slightly rich for me. So if someone is coming from America and you have two wrists and hopefully hands to keep them on them i will have one as well hehe

 

Definite classic!