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  1. audiosqueaks Sep 5, 2019

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    Hello everyone! I'm very new to this thread and quite the novice when it comes to vintage watches. A couple months ago, I was traveling for work and came across this Seamaster at a high end consignment shop. It was hidden among a bunch of other various watches, not displayed in any eye catching way, but still managed to draw me in. I know I took a bit of a gamble deciding to buy the watch without any sort of real knowledge of Omegas, but the shop uses 3rd party verification for all items they sell and were willing to come down to a price I was comfortable paying.

    When I came back home, I took the watch a local repair shop who was recommended by the Omega boutique in town to have the watch opened up so I could get a closer look and find out more about my recent find. I was told some maintenance would be good in the near future, but that the watch is running near perfectly (which I was happy to hear). While I'm sure some work has been done on this watch (possible redial?), I would love to get some insight from more experienced folks about this piece. I have no intentions of selling and plan on using this as a daily wear, but if anyone has an opinion of value please let me know what you think. Sorry if some of the photos are a little blurry.

    Thanks for letting me share my newest addition with you all.
     
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    DaveK likes this.
  2. rkman11 Sep 5, 2019

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    The dial has been redone, and they didn’t do a good job I’m afraid to say. And the movement looks like it’s had a hard life.

    This would have very little value to collectors, who cherish originality, but if you like the look and didn’t pay too much, just enjoy wearing the watch.
     
    Dan S and Maybe like this.
  3. KingCrouchy Sep 5, 2019

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    Thanks for sharing, sadly it's a horrible redial so the value is pretty low. Sorry
     
  4. seekingseaquest Sep 5, 2019

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    I concur with the above. I would recommend getting it serviced if you plan to wear it frequently, even if it is keeping good time.
     
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  5. efauser I ♥ karma!!! Sep 5, 2019

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    I was wondering why there were so many photos of the movement.
     
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  6. audiosqueaks Sep 5, 2019

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    I just included all the photos I had taken, not certain of what would be helpful since some areas were blurry in a few photos. Sorry if I included too many of the same thing.
     
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  7. Dr No Sep 5, 2019

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    You could try searching eBay for cal 342 or 344 movements with an original dial attached. I think your Omega is an early '50s ref 2576; can you post a photo of the inside of the caseback?

    Once you find a candidate, post a link to the auction here and ask if it's worth pursuing.

    Best,

    Art
     
    Edited Sep 5, 2019
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  8. audiosqueaks Sep 5, 2019

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    Oops, I completely forgot to post the case back photos. Thanks for the reminder. And thank you for the suggestion.
     
    20190905_141350.jpg
  9. Dr No Sep 5, 2019

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    As I thought, a ref 2576, although I'd peg it mid-'50s now based on the later [-12] production run. The movement was probably made in the early '50s, but cased later.

    I checked eBay and unfortunately there aren't any candidates at the moment, but that's not an issue if you have patience. It might take a while, but eventually a gold-trimmed Seamaster dial will pop up attached to a cal 342 or 344 movement.

    Art
     
    Edited Sep 6, 2019
  10. Rochete Sep 5, 2019

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    Do you know what do those 3d parties verify? Case seems to be gold-capped and seems to be in a more or less decent shape although pics aren't very good. Unfortunately dial has been truly horridly redone, sorry to say.
     
  11. vicakers Sep 5, 2019

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    Hi @audiosqueaks, really interested in what attracted you to the watch? There are clearly some things that caught your eye and so you should enjoy wearing it and don't worry too much about resale value.
     
  12. DaveK Yoda of Yodelers Sep 5, 2019

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    I’m curious what would cause the finish to come off the movement like that. Any ideas?
     
  13. VetPsychWars Wants to be in the club! Sep 5, 2019

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    I bellieve that is caused by the wrong cleaning solution, disolves it right off. That's not gold like some think but rather copper.

    Tom
     
  14. VetPsychWars Wants to be in the club! Sep 5, 2019

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    If this watch hasn't been serviced and you really like it, an Omega service, while horrendously expensive, can get you a factory redial. But only do that if you want to keep it forever because with the redial I think the price approaches $1000.

    Tom
     
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  15. DaveK Yoda of Yodelers Sep 5, 2019

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    Thx Tom. Clearly a sign that someone inexperienced has had the watch apart at some point.
     
  16. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker Sep 6, 2019

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    No, not at all. The idea that this is from using the wrong solutions is pretty much an old wives tale. The plating on these movements flakes off over time, and the older the movement and the more frequently it's been cleaned, the greater the chances of the plating flaking off.

    Sometimes Omega clearly had problems with the plating process as well. Likely poor preparation before plating, and I've seen whole patches of plating flake off in a very specific pattern, like something was stuck to the part during the cleaning, so that area of the plating didn't adhere well.

    In all the cases where people claim it's because of using the "wrong" cleaning solutions, no one ever says what those wrong solutions are that cause this. I can tell you that within the watchmaking community, no one ever talks about solutions removing plating on these movements...
     
  17. DaveK Yoda of Yodelers Sep 6, 2019

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    Than you Archer. Those old wives, they are nothing but trouble ;). I appreciate your time and knowledge on this
     
  18. VetPsychWars Wants to be in the club! Sep 6, 2019

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    The old wife I (wrongly) paid attention to said ammonia.

    Tom
     
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  19. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker Sep 6, 2019

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    Yet pretty much all cleaning solutions used in cleaning watch movements currently, use ammonia...

    The rinses do not, but the cleaning jar is typically filled with a solution that contains ammonia. I suppose if you are going to believe this myth then all the watch brands are using the “wrong” solutions.