Ive really been looking at vintage JLC, RLX, Omega, and a few others but have been outbid a couple times on pcs that were complete sets from 1950-1960s which really made me rethink my approach. I was just outbid on a minty solid gold 1960s JLC complete set even with original band which I was really hoping would be my first vintage pc. So I've started searching for personal sales, jewelers, forums, etc.... And I've found a rather nice Omega 18k solid gold pc from the 50s but no box or papers which is ok but not my dream first vintage purchase other than I truly love the watch. This leads me to my main concern with vintage Omegas in general. Will they service it and give an archive paper? I've seen the same model listed somewhere else that stated fresh from omega with archive papers but since I've been a member here I've read all kinds of bad stuff regarding omega watch servicings. I could handle sending it to a trusted vintage watch shop to gently service it and touch up any imperfections (only if really needed on the latter) but being able to get archive papers on a watch this old would be really an added bonus and make the purchase that much easier. I'm sure it's very limited and would say what it is but don't want someone else to snatch it up before I make up my mind lol. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all Alex
Well now I'm not so sure it's as great of a deal so will post pics of he two I've found. They both claim to be original but one looks like it has the wrong crown. I like the color of the first one better but it doesn't have 6 sides on the crown. That isn't correct is it?
The second watch has the correct crown. The 6 sided crown is the right one. The 10-sided ones are for Constellations. Like Constellations, these Seamaster XVI's are very difficult to assess using internet pictures. They are not cheap and rarely come with the original box and paperwork. We are lucky to have access to an original brochure for these online. http://www.old-omegas.com/seaxvi.html Hope this helps, gatorcpa
What would be a reasonable price for the correct crowned model. It doesn't appear to be in as good shape as the red gold one but that doesn't really mean much by pictures. The red gold one with incorrect crown was supposedly just handled by Omega so obviously they made it appear better looking most likely. The yellow gold one is supposedly unpolished which if true is only a matter of personal preference I guess. So for the yellow gold one with correct crown, what would be a reasonable price? No papers or box. $2000-3000 or $3000-$5000? The one with wrong crown comes with all papers and box but asking price is way higher than I'd pay. Like $8000-$10,000 I think.
Boxes on these are worth quite a bit. They were only used for these watches and go find another. I really can't give you a good assessment on price because I have no clue of the condition of these watches. That's going to drive the value with a hard-to-get watch like these. Another factor is the dial. Since they are so minimalist, they are very easy to reproduce in a redial. There were a limited number of gold dials on these, but since many non-gold dials have patina that makes them look like gold dials, this can get tricky also. You really have to trust your seller or inspect in person to be able to get a good idea of the value of any Seamaster XVI. gatorcpa