Hi all, I posted about this watch on another watch forum, but I figured I would come straight to the forum of Omega fans to see what they thought!

I received this watch from a relative a few months ago. He wasn't able to remember when he got it, only that he, too, received it from a friend. Attached are some pictures of the watch

I know nothing about Omega watches, but when I was looking at the watch and comparing it to pictures of vintage seamasters online, some things jumped out at me:

(1) the crown doesn't look like crowns on other vintage Omegas
(2) The "Seamaster" font on the dial seems different than on other vintage Omegas
(3) The numbers on the dial seem to have an italic quality to them. In pictures of other vintage Omegas, the numbers seem straight.

On the inside, what looks like the serial number is in the 13,000,000s. There are several numbers on the inside of the case back.

I would appreciate if anyone could tell me about this watch and if it looks "right" to you! Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

 

Welcome! Pictures aren’t that clear and the lighting is poor, but I see a SS crown on a gold watch with a redial. Lume on the hands but not on the dial, perhaps a number of mismatched parts. Let others weigh in before you act on this assessment. What did the other forum conclude?

 

Hello and welcome,

your observation is right - the crown is a wrong replacement.

Serial number is in the proper range.

Movement seems to be a cal. 354 and is in rough condition.

Dial: well, the photo is out of focus, so it is hard to tell but likely a re-done dial. We need large very clear photos to help you.

 

Attached are some higher res pictures of the dial, movement, and caseback (btw, the number that is etched in the case back but hard to see is 2577 12). There was one response on the other forum which agreed with the crown assessment here, but didn't opine further.

Given the movement is rough and the dial may be a re-dial:

(1) Being rather uneducated in watches--> Can the movement be disassembled and "cleaned" to make it look less-rough?
(2) Is there a way to get a replacement, era-correct dial? I would assume those must be very, very rare.
(3) Can you guys indicate the style of crown that would be appropriate for the watch?

Worst case scenario, I still have a watch I got for free that I think looks nice-ish and has an authentic Omega movement (though I have read these "bumper" style movements from the 50s aren't the best, haha).

Thanks again for your time and thoughts!

 

Serial is early 1950s, circa 1952-3 maybe. Crown is wrong, should be a clover crown. Steel case with gold bezel, haven’t seen that combo before on a 2577. Dial likely been repainted and has at the very least had the lume removed. Possibly wasn’t black to start with. Lugs look very skinny for a 2577. I wonder if the caseback has been swapped onto another reference. The more I look the less I like.

Edit see below, 100% sure it’s a redial.

 

Smoking gun for a repainted dial is the T SWISS MADE T Those marks indicate tritium which wasn't used until 1962, this watch is about 10 years older and would have used Radium lume. Text is misaligned with the AML too.

 

Given the quality of the pictures, it is one of the better redials I’ve seen on watches from this period.

 

The movt. can be serviced.
Put a decent crown on it, & you have a good wearer.

 

Would this crown be period correct for the movement?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Omega-clov...d:sc:USPSPriorityFlatRateEnvelope!94541!US!-1Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

 

It is interesting: The lugs are stainless steel, while the bezel (not sure if I am using the correct terminology-- the circle around the glass) appears almost rose gold. I am not sure if a gold-plated crown would match...

 

You will find one that matches. Gold bezel watches are reasonably common, & the crown is meant to match the bezel.
Discuss it with the watchmaker you choose.

 

Thanks for the help everyone. What are your thoughts about the re-dial. Is there even an option of finding a period correct dial (or at least having the dial remade to look like it would have when the watch was made)? Part of me feels that that way, even though the watch would not be "original" given the work/addition, it would at least look appropriate.

 

My 2 cents:

Although the dial has been re-done it looks attractive - keep it as is. it is not woth the money to spend on another re-dial as it will remain a re-dial even after a new attempt...
Given the overall condition of the watch (rough movement with lost plating) I would not invest much money - save it for another watch.

But: let it be serviced (cleaned and lubricated) by a good independent watchmaker (not Omega), have the crown replaced and wear the watch and enjoy it as it is - it looks attractive.

 

You guys are the best - Thanks for all of the info and letting me know the story. I will take it to the person who has serviced my vintage Hamiltons and have him service the movement and replace the crown. One last question. Based on this website, would an 069SY42023 crown fit this watch? http://www.ofrei.com/page700.html That is the one they list there for a "2577" case number, though, as one stated above, this may not actually be a 2577 case, just such a case back. That model crown, though, sure does seem to fit a large number of models!

 

This is an interesting point, and I noticed another point of difference between this watch and other 2577s I have seen by googling images: This lug does not have lug holes on the outside of the lugs (see attached picture). This makes me wonder - were there any vintage Omegas that looked like a 2577 but with thinner lugs and no external lug holes? It seems like every vintage omega I see in photos has holes on the outside of the lugs. Is it possible this case did not start out life housing an Omega movement?

 

The case looks very polished to me, however Omega did of course produce 2577 cases without visible lug holes:
https://www.omegawatches.com/watch-omega-seamaster-omega-ck-2577

 

Great first post OP! I think you will enjoy this watch after the service and new crown. A more period correct strap, IMO, would be a finishing touch to get this watch ready to wear. Perhaps black croc - try a few when you are at the watchmaker.

 

Thanks again for all of your input! I will update the pictures after the movement is cleaned/serviced and the crown is replaced!

 

Just picked this watch back up. Looks great a service, the rose gold grown (matching the bezel), and a new brown lizard strap. I'm happy with this as a daily wearer I don't have to worry about.

One question: Can these old bumper movements be overwound? If so, how many times should I wind the crown?

Thanks for all your help!