Vintage Cal. 351 SeaMaster - Seeking Some Information

Hello everyone,

A few years ago I’d gotten some great preliminary info on here regarding what I’d hoped was a vintage Sea Master (I’d gambled $100 buying it sight-unseen from a classified poster in my condo’s laundry room).

I’ve since had it looked over and serviced and believe I’ve dated it to ~1950.

I’ve been wearing it every day since, and was hoping that somebody may give me a few pointers:

A) is it worthwhile replacing the crystal, or should I be leaving it as is? (There are a few minor scratches and scuffs, but nothing substantial).

B) would anybody have a rough idea of value? I definitely plan to keep it, but wouldn’t want to risk breaking/damaging anything too valuable.

Any further/other info or insight would be much appreciated.

Thank you,
Jacob

That's a lovely gold-filled, waffle-dial Seamaster 351 bumper you scored. If your watchmaker did not replace the crystal then it's unlikely that it really needed it. I don't see much in the way of scratches. You may want to search the use of polywatch to diy on any scratches you see. There are plenty of 351 bumpers on ebay, search listings and better yet completed listings. I'd guess $450-$700 range, better hi-res & close up pictures including inside the caseback will provide more accurate values.

Thank you, Fulton8or. I've updated the post with an image of the case back, which includes an inscribed "2577 - 11 SC". Will look into polywatch.

Hi @StudentAcadia ,

at 100$, you certainly did very well. While it's not quite as early as you guessed - a 2577 from 1950 wouldn't have "Seamaster" on the dial or if so then on the top half), this is a ca. 1953 or so example with a cool configuration: honeycomb dial, blued second hand. The serial number points it to one of the earliest examples after the switch to the model name on the bottom half of the dial, cal. 351 is correct for that period, looks good. The crown is a service replacement, but has the correct style. The case is the only let-down, as it's been heavily polished. You can see the base material coming through what's left of the gold layer on the lugs and the case back used to have a circular brushing. Accordingly, the high end of the range guessed above is slightly optimistic, in my opinion. 450-500$ could be possible, though, if you have a recent and good service receipt maybe a tad more. Omega produced 2577s in vast numbers, so spare parts are accessible, even spare cases pop up on ebay regularly.

Regarding the plexi: As stated above, get yourself some PolyWatch for a 5er, a cloth and polish away! You'll find YouTube-tutorials if needed, but it's a very easy process. Alternatively, go to a good watchmaker near you and have him do it. Shouldn't cost a fortune.