Vintage Seamaster Legit or Frankenwatch?

Dan S

I wasn't suggesting that. I was just saying that when the crystal is so scratched up, it can make the printing look bad and uneven by causing distortion, even if the dial is good. So it's hard to judge the dial.

michael22

My reasons for thinking it a redial:
1. The "swiss made T" doesn't look quite right.
2. If it is right, there should be tritium lume on the dial.
3. Tritium doesn't usually turn completely black, & the lume in those hands looks black, like Radium goes.

It also may be that the dial is original, but has had a cleaning. After the cleaning they decided to reprint the "swiss made T", but not replace the lume.
The pics just aren't good enough to be sure either way.
We'll just have to wait for a watchmaker to dismantle it. Please, ask for pictures to be taken, or to take them yourself, of the inside caseback, movement, & bare dial.

Foo2rama

Swiss made T can denote only tritium on hands... rare... and anecdotal evidence is the single T denotes only the hands and not the dial.

Tritium can go and will go black.

Theoretically it could be in the window for radium with that logo.

Hence the need to see inside, so the watch can be dated and checked vs known variants and labeling in that time period.


If it is a redial it’s darn good. And the watch is very good looking.

U ulackfocus

I used to think the same thing until a few veterans corrected me years ago. Whether there is one T or two T's depends on the amount of tritium lume used on the display (dial, hands, markers, etc.). Now, it makes sense that if only the hands have lume, then one T would be used, but not always. I can't quote you the actual quantity, but there was a line that if the amount went above that limit, two T's were used regardless of where the luminous material was. And yes, tritium lume can get very dark.

I think radium stopped being used in favor of tritium around this period too (early 60's), but maybe a Speedmaster guy can be more definitive about that. @Spacefruit @gemini4 - can either of you help out on the luminous material switch?

Also, if I were wagering I'd be betting that's an original dial. If not, that's an excellent reproduction of the coat hanger S from that era.