Second opinion on vintage Seamaster

treatsfortreats · Jul 18, 2023

Hi OmegaForums,

First time poster here, looking for some reassurance on a vintage Seamaster I'm considering purchasing. I'm new to the world of vintage Omegas and want to be sure I'm not throwing money away by purchasing.

From the research I've done, this looks to be a cal. 610 reference 14740.1 with a crosshair dial and date complication from around 1960. This piece features an automatic movement, which seems rare for the crosshair dial versions (I haven't seen any other examples of this in my research). I love the patina on the dial, but want to make sure it hasn't been refinished or given new decals. I've asked the seller to provide a photo or two of the movement and can update this post when I've received them.

Fwiw, this watch is supposedly running flawlessly and is being sold by a very highly rated vintage jewelry store on eBay.

Thanks so much for any info and/or assistance!

nanjingcigaretes · Jul 18, 2023

dial looks original to me, the 6-9-12 markers has a quite unique fonts, case condition is good, however, I think the watch has the wrong set of hands and the so call ‘patinated’ dial looks unatractive.
Edit: More likely a 14770 w cal 562

treatsfortreats · Jul 18, 2023

Thanks for sharing the link to the other example. The BrusselsVintage one shows a manual winding movement, whereas the example I posted supposedly features an automatic movement (according to the dial - still awaiting a picture from the seller), which has me confused.

nanjingcigaretes · Jul 18, 2023

T treatsfortreats
Thanks for sharing the link to the other example. The BrusselsVintage one shows a manual winding movement, whereas the example I posted supposedly features an automatic movement (according to the dial - still awaiting a picture from the seller), which has me confused.

you are right, I didnt notice that, get the movement and caseback picture and share with us 😀. Still think you should not overpaying for it because of the dial condition. Cheers.

redpcar · Jul 18, 2023

Caseback is not an option. Access to the movement on this one is from the top.

X350 XJR · Jul 18, 2023

The overexposed photos are hiding the true condition. The back appears to have some not so insignificant pitting.

I personally would not consider this for my first vintage watch.

treatsfortreats · Jul 18, 2023

X350 XJR
The overexposed photos are hiding the true condition. The back appears to have some not so insignificant pitting.

I personally would not consider this for my first vintage watch.

Forgive my ignorance here... Is pitting purely a cosmetic issue or does it create functional problems? Given its age, I'm not super concerned about the piece being waterproof, but I don't want the case to break down and become unwearable in say the next 40-50 years (if I'm so lucky).

Thank you!

SOG53 · Jul 18, 2023

Hard pass for me dial is flawed case may well have issues, hands dont look right. You can do better for your first watch. Look at Private Sales forum here better option than ebay

X350 XJR · Jul 18, 2023

T treatsfortreats
Forgive my ignorance here... Is pitting purely a cosmetic issue or does it create functional problems? Given its age, I'm not super concerned about the piece being waterproof, but I don't want the case to break down and become unwearable in say the next 40-50 years (if I'm so lucky).

Thank you!

Yes it's cosmetic, but why waste your money on a mediocre watch with issues when there are plenty of nice ones out there?

treatsfortreats · Jul 18, 2023

SOG53
Hard pass for me dial is flawed case may well have issues, hands dont look right. You can do better for your first watch. Look at Private Sales forum here better option than ebay

Sounds good, I'll take a look. Appreciate the advice! Out of curiosity, what is the difference between a flawed dial and a patinated dial? I like the aged look of the patinated/"tropical" dials, but don't want to buy a dud. Thanks!

treatsfortreats · Jul 18, 2023

X350 XJR
Yes it's cosmetic, but why waste your money on a mediocre watch with issues when there are plenty of nice ones out there?

Just was curious. I'm new to vintage watch buying and looking to learn as much as I can before committing my money to something!

SOG53 · Jul 18, 2023

T treatsfortreats
Sounds good, I'll take a look. Appreciate the advice! Out of curiosity, what is the difference between a flawed dial and a patinated dial? I like the aged look of the patinated/"tropical" dials, but don't want to buy a dud. Thanks!

Patina appeal is in the eye of the beholder- in general even patina is preferable to localized patina, things which bring a dial down include stains, scratches, oxidation with multiple deep pock marks, rust or corrosion on indices, discoloration or mold, etc etc.
Just look at a lot of vintage watches and you quickly can decide what you do and dont like.
And more importantly read, and periodically re-read this:

https://omegaforums.net/threads/learn-how-to-fish.52603/

Dan S · Jul 18, 2023

T treatsfortreats
Out of curiosity, what is the difference between a flawed dial and a patinated dial?

Haha ... very good question. 😕

Welcome to OF, I think you have something to contribute. 👍

Second opinion on vintage Seamaster

treatsfortreats

nanjingcigaretes

treatsfortreats

nanjingcigaretes

redpcar

X350 XJR

treatsfortreats

SOG53

X350 XJR

treatsfortreats

treatsfortreats

SOG53

Dan S

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