Hey guys,
Was shopping around for a halloween costume and I found this watch on sale at Goodwill for $2.99. Needless to say I took the gamble, just seeing if you guys have any idea what it is.

*Photos are below*
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Let me preface with these two items.
1) The watch has been seen by a watchsmith and he CONFIRMED the authenticity of the watch, he lacks the tool to unlock the back (I am also a poor college student)
2) Being that I am a poor college student, I have not been able to find the time or money to open that back. Any other imaginative ideas would be appreciated.

I Did some research already and found out some of the following (some of it is be incomplete)
- It is a Men's watch dating made no later than somewhere in the 1960's
- It's 10k-gold filled.
- I believe it to be a precursor of, or a Omega Gent's model watch.
- Dial Cover is made of a plastic-like material (very scuffed and sounds sharp to the tap, like hard plastic)
-The band is a Speidel 10K.G.P. top caps (not sure what the K.G.P. stands for but I assume something with karat gold)
^ above is important because I believe Speidel only made watch bands for a limited time in the mid 50's.
- The only text on the actual watch is "Omega Automatic" on the face, and "10KGOLDFILLED" on the back
- The backplate holes are consistent with Omega's however the diameter of mine seems to be small than that of the ones I have researched. Simply put, more of the watch case is present on bottom than other watches which seem to have their holes closer to the sides.
- I have found many similar watches online like the mariner (I believe) and a couple that also had the gold face plate, however their arms were straight and mine are slightly curved
- It seems the automatic mechanism (don't know my watch stuff) has a very short life. Maybe i'm not twisting it enough, or it is just worn out. The Omega symbol on the knob is very worn out. See photos below.

Any information would be greatly appreciated. Did I get a good deal or not

Check out the photos below for more

 

Suggest you find another watchsmith, he couldn't open it

 

I go to college in a small town. I am pretty sure he is the only one. Might have to wait till I get home. All the same, any ideas to what it could be?

 

You want him to spend 150-200$ on a 3$ watch? What kind of advisor are you?

Just kidding, nice catch. The movement alone should be 150$

 

It means 10 karat gold plate, and as far as I know the speidel part is not important, they are still making cheap bands. Ditch that band and get something decent.

 

To answer your question, yes you got a good deal. The value of parts alone is worth a hell of a lot more than what you paid for the watch.
To gain more information you will need to have it opened. The tool to do this is a VERY basic tool. So if the watch maker does not have this you may want to find someone else.

 

Thank you everyone for your response!

Gatorcpa, thanks for the information, that is very helpful.

Joe, I was hoping it would be worth more than $2.99 haha.
Is there any way I could open it myself, or would advise against that?

Also, any idea what it would be worth on the open market today? Or after a little restoration?

 

Also, from what I have seen, the SeaMaster, what this is a reference too, sells for much less on the market than watches more similar (no other signage than "Omega Automatic") to mine.
This seems along the lines, maybe a later model, HERE
But it still lacks the curved arms, and the face doesn't seem as vibrantly gold. Also the omega sign on the dial on mine seems to be indented, where this one sticks out. This is the closest match I have so far.

*I found this picture on google and this seems to be intriguing, but it is from ebay and the files are long gone, is there a way to view an archived version of that page to confirm? Here is the link, HEREPurchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

 

$3, its a steal, problem is fixing it will cost you least 50 times your purchase price.

 

Thanks for the info gatorcpa,

I am new to all these watch terms. Hippocampus? Like a seahorse? Also what does a crystal do?

Its possible it is raised. Its been worn away and almost all the gold on knob on the horseshoe is worn off. Its really hard to tell, it being so small.

 

New Development: Just took another look at the watch and there appears to be some sort of scribed letter, probably a "C". It's also possibly part of something bigger that was worn off by time. Maybe the C stood for 'C-master'

Any ideas?

 

Looks similar to, but not exactly like, my dad's watch. I can confirm that the Speidel Twist-O-Flex will dig into the lugs 'till the cows come home; he used the exact same bracelet as what's on yours and the gouges inside the lugs are pretty pronounced. Mine is on a black Hirsch croc strap now.

It's okay to spend the money on a Goodwill find. You'll have a wearable vintage Omega for less than a couple hundred bucks or so.

 

Nice find-these are the stories that keep me hunting

 

winfieldhj, to answer your initial question, yep you got a good deal, though you will have to invest to reap the reward of that deal..

If your watchsmith did not have the tool to get the back off, he is no watchsmith, IMO. Even I have the tool for that, and I am no watchsmith. You can see the scratches on the case back where someone has slipped before, hopefully that was not your "watchsmith."
If you are mechanically minded, here is the tool that I use, or very similar.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/WATCH-BA...51?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item2c8bdc6b5bPurchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

It has suited me fine, and touch wood, I have not scratched up a case back so far.

I figure you may need some help to find someone trustful, in your area, to service your watch, then you will have a beautiful watch for virtually nothing, apart from the service fee that we all have to pay one day. Ask for help if you need.

As stated, as is, the movement probably has more value, than the whole watch.

I feel I can safely state, that every member on this forum dreams of doing what you have done, that is, finding an Omega (any Swiss mechanical really for $2.99 would suit me) I know I do. Seems you have a good eye. I hope this little hobby grows on you.

 

@gatorcpa
Good day to you. Can you pls also help me with your expertise on this automatic omega watch which my father wanted to.get fixed but until.now we cant find the right watchsmith. Seems it has alot of missing parts. Do you thonk it can still be fixed and at what estimated price??

 

I estimate it will cost a lot of cabbage to fix that one.