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Seamaster chronograph cal. 321
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Dan S
·I can’t get as good of a photo as yours, but the feet are flat but the shape a bit different. This is a 1966, what year is yours?
That is not what is meant by a "flat-foot" crown from that time period (aka Type A1, as shown in the previous post). Yours is more modern. But I wouldn't get worked up over it, it's a legit Omega part, and crowns are routinely replaced during service.
Edited:
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pdxleaf
··"I cut it TWICE and it's still short!"Your crown is the same as others I have seen on similar references. EDIT: Yours has more teeth, making it a service crown, which is not a big deal.like DanS said.
Also, the asymmetrical clutch bridge is on later production years. It looks like this
A symmetrical clutch bridge was on early years. You would identify an early years based on the serial number.
Here's a post from @Spacefruit that has a picture of a symmetrical clutch bridge - https://omegaforums.net/threads/321-some-things-i-look-at.19070/
To me, the only possible flaw in your watch are the freckles, and as i mentioned earlier they aren't a flaw, just something to keep the watch from being more expensive. You have a nice watch. The seems very good and it's a reference that is popular and thus getting more difficult to find. I don't have the sources other folks have that are cheaper than this watch. I think people might be remembering $3500 321 Seamasters. I am not seeing that anymore. This is just my opinion, which admittedly doesn't come with extensive knowledge, but I have watched for a few lately. 5k is good ball park money for this watch, unless you intend to flip it, which it doesn't sound like you do. You gotta pay to play, and you sir now have a lovely Seamaster.
Strap ideas. Here's one on a green strap. I wouldn't have tried this color but seeing it I like it. The current strap on yours is nice.
It belongs to a friend that keeps dangling it in front of me. I'd be happy to give him 5k
Also, the asymmetrical clutch bridge is on later production years. It looks like this
A symmetrical clutch bridge was on early years. You would identify an early years based on the serial number.
Here's a post from @Spacefruit that has a picture of a symmetrical clutch bridge - https://omegaforums.net/threads/321-some-things-i-look-at.19070/
To me, the only possible flaw in your watch are the freckles, and as i mentioned earlier they aren't a flaw, just something to keep the watch from being more expensive. You have a nice watch. The seems very good and it's a reference that is popular and thus getting more difficult to find. I don't have the sources other folks have that are cheaper than this watch. I think people might be remembering $3500 321 Seamasters. I am not seeing that anymore. This is just my opinion, which admittedly doesn't come with extensive knowledge, but I have watched for a few lately. 5k is good ball park money for this watch, unless you intend to flip it, which it doesn't sound like you do. You gotta pay to play, and you sir now have a lovely Seamaster.
Strap ideas. Here's one on a green strap. I wouldn't have tried this color but seeing it I like it. The current strap on yours is nice.
It belongs to a friend that keeps dangling it in front of me. I'd be happy to give him 5k
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Big_G
·That is not what is meant by a "flat-foot" crown from that time period (aka Type A1, as shown in the previous post). Yours is more modern. But I wouldn't get worked up over it, it's a legit Omega part, and crowns are routinely replaced during service.
“All parts are original. Original movement parts, original signed crystal, original case including pushers and crown.”
I think trust is extremely important in these types of transactions and if he didn’t know, he shouldn’t have made that statement. Also, the price I paid was for an “all original” watch, but I may have not received what I was told I purchased. Makes me wonder what else isn’t original assuming you’re correct.
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Big_G
·Your crown is the same as others I have seen on similar references. EDIT: Yours has more teeth, making it a service crown, which is not a big deal.like DanS said.
Also, the asymmetrical clutch bridge is on later production years. It looks like this
A symmetrical clutch bridge was on early years. You would identify an early years based on the serial number.
Here's a post from @Spacefruit that has a picture of a symmetrical clutch bridge - https://omegaforums.net/threads/321-some-things-i-look-at.19070/
To me, the only possible flaw in your watch are the freckles, and as i mentioned earlier they aren't a flaw, just something to keep the watch from being more expensive. You have a nice watch. The seems very good and it's a reference that is popular and thus getting more difficult to find. I don't have the sources other folks have that are cheaper than this watch. I think people might be remembering $3500 321 Seamasters. I am not seeing that anymore. This is just my opinion, which admittedly doesn't come with extensive knowledge, but I have watched for a few lately. 5k is good ball park money for this watch, unless you intend to flip it, which it doesn't sound like you do. You gotta pay to play, and you sir now have a lovely Seamaster.
Strap ideas. Here's one on a green strap. I wouldn't have tried this color but seeing it I like it. The current strap on yours is nice.
It belongs to a friend that keeps dangling it in front of me. I'd be happy to give him 5k
The strap came with the watch, but I think I’ll change it out soon.
I’m going to take this to my watchmaker to check out today and see what they say.
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Big_G
·👎👎
One other thing on price is that this watch was supposedly serviced and comes with a 1 year warranty. The other watches I saw did not have this so that’s an additional $1k right after the purchase. This assumes the service was done and done well and the seller backs up the warranty.
Your crown is the same as others I have seen on similar references. EDIT: Yours has more teeth, making it a service crown, which is not a big deal.like DanS said.
Also, the asymmetrical clutch bridge is on later production years. It looks like this
A symmetrical clutch bridge was on early years. You would identify an early years based on the serial number.
Here's a post from @Spacefruit that has a picture of a symmetrical clutch bridge - https://omegaforums.net/threads/321-some-things-i-look-at.19070/
To me, the only possible flaw in your watch are the freckles, and as i mentioned earlier they aren't a flaw, just something to keep the watch from being more expensive. You have a nice watch. The seems very good and it's a reference that is popular and thus getting more difficult to find. I don't have the sources other folks have that are cheaper than this watch. I think people might be remembering $3500 321 Seamasters. I am not seeing that anymore. This is just my opinion, which admittedly doesn't come with extensive knowledge, but I have watched for a few lately. 5k is good ball park money for this watch, unless you intend to flip it, which it doesn't sound like you do. You gotta pay to play, and you sir now have a lovely Seamaster.
Strap ideas. Here's one on a green strap. I wouldn't have tried this color but seeing it I like it. The current strap on yours is nice.
It belongs to a friend that keeps dangling it in front of me. I'd be happy to give him 5k
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pdxleaf
··"I cut it TWICE and it's still short!"Thanks for the info and I agree that the price seemed fair. All my searches showed sold out or from around $4-10k. I could’ve purchase a gold plate one for less than $4k but I don’t like the that look in this watch. Not clear on your post. Do I have the symmetrical or asymmetrical clutch bridge? Mine is 66-67 and the example you show us 65 so what is considered older versus newer?
The strap came with the watch, but I think I’ll change it out soon.
I’m going to take this to my watchmaker to check out today and see what they say.
I was trying to respond to your question about the asymmetrical point brought up by someone else. It's not something that would be an issue for your watch.
I am in your camp also, which is to prefer steel over plate.
It is possible that the seller believed the crown was original based on it being an earlier service replacement, if in fact that's what it was.
Unfortunately, it sounds like you are not as pleased with the watch now. Sorry if I contributed to that, which was the opposite of what I intended.
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Dan S
·Thanks for the info. I get your point that it’s not a big deal, but if the seller says it’s original, then it should be. This was his email to me when I asked.
“All parts are original. Original movement parts, original signed crystal, original case including pushers and crown.”
I think trust is extremely important in these types of transactions and if he didn’t know, he shouldn’t have made that statement. Also, the price I paid was for an “all original” watch, but I may have not received what I was told I purchased. Makes me wonder what else isn’t original assuming you’re correct.
IMO, the time to address this was before you bought the watch. You could have requested better photos and done more thorough research as you were advised. Then, if you found something wasn't described accurately you could have negotiated a price reduction. Instead, you jumped in and bought the watch before completing your research because you felt confident that you could return the watch. Now you understand the difference. A return policy is not the same as the correct price.
You may expect a dealer like this to know everything about every watch, but in practice it doesn't happen. Sure, there are some really high-end specialist dealers who are real experts, but this isn't one of them. He's a generalist, mainly selling mid-range pieces.
In the end you are buying the watch, not the seller, so it's pointless to get worked up about trust and whether the seller was honest and correct about minor originality issues. I have bought a lot of great watches from crappy sellers. Ultimately it's your watch and you need to do your own due diligence.
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pdxleaf
··"I cut it TWICE and it's still short!"Plus, you bought a nice watch 😀
Originality is a concept that gets discussed a lot. If you want to wear a 60 year old watch, you don't want completely original. Parts wear out, and you still have Omega parts. Having a watch you can wear and enjoy is the best compromise.
Cheers.
Originality is a concept that gets discussed a lot. If you want to wear a 60 year old watch, you don't want completely original. Parts wear out, and you still have Omega parts. Having a watch you can wear and enjoy is the best compromise.
Cheers.
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Dan S
·Plus, you bought a nice watch 😀
Originality is a concept that gets discussed a lot. If you want to wear a 60 year old watch, you don't want completely original. Parts wear out, and you still have Omega parts. Having a watch you can wear and enjoy is the best compromise.
Cheers.
It is a nice watch, and after a short time the purchase price and crown will be completely forgotten. 👍
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Big_G
·IMO, the time to address this was before you bought the watch. You could have requested better photos and done more thorough research as you were advised. Then, if you found something wasn't described accurately you could have negotiated a price reduction. Instead, you jumped in and bought the watch before completing your research because you felt confident that you could return the watch. Now you understand the difference. A return policy is not the same as the correct price.
You may expect a dealer like this to know everything about every watch, but in practice it doesn't happen. Sure, there are some really high-end specialist dealers who are real experts, but this isn't one of them. He's a generalist, mainly selling mid-range pieces.
In the end you are buying the watch, not the seller, so it's pointless to get worked up about trust and whether the seller was honest and correct about minor originality issues. I have bought a lot of great watches from crappy sellers. Ultimately it's your watch and you need to do your own due diligence.
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Davidt
·Thanks for the info and I agree that the price seemed fair. All my searches showed sold out or from around $4-10k. I could’ve purchase a gold plate one for less than $4k but I don’t like the that look in this watch. Not clear on your post. Do I have the symmetrical or asymmetrical clutch bridge? Mine is 66-67 and the example you show us 65 so what is considered older versus newer?
The strap came with the watch, but I think I’ll change it out soon.
I’m going to take this to my watchmaker to check out today and see what they say.
You have the correct, (asymmetric) clutch type for the age of your watch/movement.
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Big_G
·🙄😉😉
The watch didn’t do anything wrong, so not annoyed with it. 😉 The dial, movement and case are legit so a service crown isn’t a big deal. Just disappointed a bit on the message from the seller not matching up with the watch. I was actually surprised he would state everything was original as I’m not sure how he could confirm that. How could he ever know that the crystal was never replaced over 50+ years? 👎
I was trying to respond to your question about the asymmetrical point brought up by someone else. It's not something that would be an issue for your watch.
I am in your camp also, which is to prefer steel over plate.
It is possible that the seller believed the crown was original based on it being an earlier service replacement, if in fact that's what it was.
Unfortunately, it sounds like you are not as pleased with the watch now. Sorry if I contributed to that, which was the opposite of what I intended.
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sxl2004
·Sorry to have screwed up the clutch thingy symmetries.
Mea culpa
Mea culpa
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Big_G
·One thing I am happy about, after hearing all of the servicing horror stories, is that my watchmaker said they have no issues servicing this watch and no issues with parts due the relaunch of the 321 movement.
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Big_G
·Forgot to ask one question. What caused those dial spots/freckles? Should I expect them to get bigger/worse if the watch is taken care of?
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Dan S
·Spots like that are often related to superficial damage to the lacquer from moisture. Just keep it dry and you probably won't notice substantial degradation.
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Big_G
·Spots like that are often related to superficial damage to the lacquer from moisture. Just keep it dry and you probably won't notice substantial degradation.
