Hi,

I'm very new to the vintage watch game and am looking to buy my first piece to get me started.
I came across this piece listed on the shpock app (local classifieds app) in my area and thought it looked a good deal for the price. The seller is willing to accept £120 sterling for it. I would be meeting the seller in person to view the item before purchasing as he says that the battery needs replacing and would be replacing the battery and checking watch functions before purchasing - this would give me a good chance to get a look inside the case at the actual movement.

I have attached the photos which the seller provided so please have a look at these.

After doing some (limited) research, I have found that the 1297/263 bracelet was used on ref 196 0083 models and I suspect it should have an omega 1342 movement (please correct me if I am wrong). The seller has not provided these so it is impossible to say at this stage.

Although the bracelet markings check out, the writing on the clasp is 'flipped over' compared to one example I have seen selling on eBay. I don't know whether this is anything to be concerned about?

I also am not sure about the "seamaster" writing as the top of the letter 's' does not have a flick, and the letter 'm' is not as slanted as I have seen in some pictures of other seamasters. It is also written in a slightly bold font compared to how I have seen it on other models.

In addition to this, the word 'Quartz' seems a little small to me as most quartz seamasters I have seen have the letter 'z' of the quartz ending right underneath the second 'e' in seamaster.

I am a complete novice at this and have no experience in this field so any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance for all your help, and I hope to be starting my vintage collection soon!

 

Its genuine, but it's QUARTZ so not really collectable.

I'd save up for one with a mechanical movement.

 

I would hold out for an all original, mechanical/automatic piece in the $200-$250 range if your budget allows it.

 

If that movement isn't working then run away since parts aren't widely available for the 1342 any more. It's an ok price for a 70s GP quartz model but not a huge bargain. If it is working it may be worth more as parts sadly.

 

As well as all the advice you've received, you are locked in forever to that integrated bracelet.

No nice leather straps.

No nice mesh bracelets.

No nice NATOs (Yes! NATO! I can say it in my country so try and sue me, NATO NATO NATO).

PS: The use of NATOs regarding this watch is a joke.

The use of the word without fear of legal action is not.

 

Thank you all for your input with regards to this watch and your advice on holding out on a mechanical piece.

If I'm being honest I wouldn't consider this piece an investment, rather something I would use regularly without too much fear of damaging the watch/scratching it due to the low price paid.

With regards to the bracelet I don't mind having that as the only option (I assume that it can be shortened like most other bracelets?). I have a fairly small wrist at around 6-6.5"

Taking all this into mind, would you still advise me to hold out and put my money towards a mechanical piece? And if so, could you recommend a good beginners watch (if such a thing exists?)

Kind regards

 

I agree. More power to you my friend. NATO NATO NATO

 

I agree. More power to you my friend. NATO NATO NATO

 

When saying you would hold out for an all original piece, do you mean to say that you think this may be a redial/restored watch?

 

No it's fine, it's just not that desirable. If working right, and it is a big if, this could be an easy cheap way into Omega ownership. Yes you can find a nice mech piece at £200-300 but if it needs a service and it invariably will at some point, you may be looking at a further bill of £150-£250 and suddenly your classic mech watch isn't such a bargain any more. Do your homework before jumping either way.

There is also a cheap half way house option, the early 70s Omega f300Hz hummer watches. These are cheap to buy and cheap to service (here in the U.K. at least) so may be worth a look.

 

Thanks padders that really does help.

Being a student currently, I am concerned about the cumulative cost associated with long-term ownership of a mechanical watch. Roughly how often would one of those pieces need to be serviced?

I will definitely have a look at the f300hz watches and see if that may be more up my street.

Thank you for your help

 

Well an ebay or pawn shop purchase of a mechanical will probably need a service almost immediately and you should factor that into the purchase price. Unless it is specifically stated with documentary proof that it has been recently serviced, it is best to assume it hasn't. The service interval of older mechanical watches varies but bank on needing to shell out at least every 5-7 years to keep them healthy. Some on here may decry this and quote examples of pieces which have run for years longer without needing a thing but the longer you leave it the more you risk serious damage and in any event in my experience, the timekeeping will suffer after that kind of period so it will become obvious something isn't right. People routinely lie on ebay and if the hands move at all claim that the piece is running great. A cheap timing machine soon uncovers the truth.

A hummer can probably get away with longer intervals as it has less moving parts, quartz need the least and can easily do 10-15 years before showing deterioration (other than the odd battery change) but as I say, parts availability can be a problem with any older watch, particularly the early quartz movements ie 1980s and before.

 

I would definitely be servicing regularly if I were to buy a mechanical piece as anecdotal evidence of not needing servicing does not have much evidence to support it and I would be looking after the watch to the best of my ability.

I agree eBay may be a difficult place to find a genuine piece in good condition so I will definitely look for a seller with good feedback in that regard.

I am aware that there are multiple smartphone apps that can measure the timekeeping of a watch - would you recommend that I use these or would it be more beneficial to use a cheap timing machine?

 

The apps are free so you may as well try them. Twixt isn't bad but they can't match a timing machine for an instant answer. Problem is even a cheap one is ~£130 so not exactly pocket change.

 

Definitely not pocket change, a good old app will have to do

 

Hi everyone,

Thank you all for your help.
I ended up getting the watch in the end - a combination of being able to talk the seller down to parting with it for £100, it being in a good condition, and having seen the movement inside which is almost spotless. I'm glad to report it is keeping good time (hasn't lost a second in 24 hours - I guess I'll get a better idea over the coming weeks).

I've attached some pictures just for reference (sorry none of the movement)

 

That was a good price. FYI it will look very like this, I have a 1342 in a gold Tissot piece: Omega and Tissot occasionally developed and shared movements together in the 70s. Setting can be a pain, it has quickset hour and date but a fiddly push button for minutes and seconds, google for instructions or go to old-omegas.com before messing with it:

 

Yes exactly! It looked almost exactly like that except the circuit board is a black colour rather than translucent, and all the components are exactly the same. I hope you've been getting as much joy from your tissot as I'm getting from my new omega!

 

What sort of battery life do you get from your tissot? I've read on some other threads that it can be as low as 10 months due to the newer mercury-free batteries. I've also seen that some people have altered their battery holders to allow for bigger batteries (though I wouldn't do this as I want to keep it in its original condition - and there's always the chance that fiddling with it could cause damage).

 

Not sure, I only got mine within the past 6 months so not much help. I would be surprised if it is really as small a life as that. I get 18 months plus out of my Omega Hummers and they are thought to chew through batteries so I would expect a quartz like this to do as well or better, particularly with a decent high quality cell. I know the very early quartz movements were terrible on batteries but this is late 70s, not early 70s.