Thoughts on a 1950’s Automatic Seamaster

Looks to me like it’s not a redial, unrestored, working pretty good with the accuracy (+13sec/day, 233° amp). The crystal (polycarbonate?) it’s pretty scratched up but can be fixed. I prefer these 1950’s and 60’s models over the 1970’s that are very prevalent lately. Aftermarket strap, and an aftermarket buckle. Seller wants approx $500 for this watch. I’m thinking it’s a decent price for a fairly good looking watch and after sending it out for service, cleaning, new crystal, it could be a gorgeous watch.

what’s everyone thinking here?

Sorry to say it but it is a redial. This reference comes up quite a lot so it shouldn’t be hard to find another example that is correct.

Wow! Good eye! What indications did you see that made it so obvious?

What’s your thoughts on this one? I was debating on this watch and the previous one. This one is $500 also.
It’s a 166.0209 from the 1970’s.

Some better photos

Guys I really appreciate the help. I’m trying to navigate this world and jumping in head first! Lol. I prefer the 1950’s/60’s over the 70’s but don’t want to count them out of the mix. I’m going to check that section out now as eBay seems to be a minefield with redials and frankenwatches

As others have said, you should slow down. Diving in head first like this will most likely end up with a purchase that you’ll likely regret. Take your time to learn how to fish and then narrow down a reference you like. There is no need to rush into making a purchase.

Half the fun of vintage watches is the research and the hunt. Once you’re armed with knowledge than you can take the plunge.

Definitely gonna slow down, so far of the 3 or 4 watches I thought were steals, would have bit me in the behind had I pulled the trigger. Thankfully forums like this exist!

+1 on all the advises you received. Once you make up your mind on what kind of watch you want to look for, try and look for any possible information about it on the internet (dial variations, cases, hands, where to find references on the watch etc.). Searching the forum might be a bit confusing at times, first thing I usually do is head to google type "site: omegaforums.net reference number" such as this for example

so google will give you most of the results related to that reference found on the domain you specified (use the watch model name if existent for some further research). On Old-Omegas you can find lots of original old Omega's brochures and catalogues with authentic representations of the watches. Read, accumulate high quality pictures, compare and analyze. Once you know what to look for, start trying to understand the prices and if you did your research, submitting your possible purchases to the forum members will most likely lead to precious suggestions and opinions.

My two cents… having gone through this too:

Define what style you want - there are so many references, it’s really overwhelming. Take your time, browse freely and write down references you like, then start to go deeper on these. The styles (dials, cases, movements etc.) were different in the 40s than in the 50s and 60s and so on. This forum has incredible resources and threads summarising everything you need to know on various refs. Gaining that knowledge on specific refs will give you more confidence and comparison points when you spot the watch that could be yours

Understand what you want - a watch for daily wear, a watch for special occasions? Automatic? Quartz? Vintage or not? Few watches but pristine state? Or plenty of different watches with some wear? What’s your tolerance for being original? It’s easy to go crazy, there are so many nice watches out there. But it’s relatively expensive especially if you start to factor in services. So depends on your budget, but also on how much time you really want to spend searching for them. This is the funniest part for most, but a constraint for others. There are always options to reduce that time, like paying a premium and getting it from specialised vendors who buy/service them - no harm in that either!

Gents, I really appreciate these responses. As another poster stated, the fun is in the hunt and deciding what I really want. I’m going to really try to enjoy that part and slow things down a little and learn from you guys. This forum seems to be different than most others, typically I’ve seen newbie posters get flamed for asking typical questions rather than doing their own searching and so forth. I respect everyone’s opinion and hope to learn along the way