Watch ID: early 1960s Seamaster

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Hi,

I've just bought an Omega Seamaster at a small auction in Tasmania, Australia.

It's the first Swiss watch I've ever owned, and I bought it because I thought it was beautiful. I am hoping to learn exactly what it is. I've got no prior knowledge, but from my pre-auction research I determined that this is a Seamaster from the early 1960s, and is considered "pre de ville", meaning that it is in the "de ville" style, but before that variation of the Seamaster actually came out.

I took the watch to a local jeweller and asked if they could open the watch so I could read the relevant codes inside. He said he would rather not, and said that this particular watch actually opens from the front. He was concerned that he might damage it, so suggested I take it to an Omega specialist instead. He did think it was a genuine Omega watch, which was a relief to me.

I quite like the watch and it's keeping time since i picked it up 2 hours ago. I would appreciate some help:
1. Could anyone identify this watch specifically, or tell me anything about it?
2. Advice on how to get the crystal changed to a new one? (this one is scratched)
3. Suggestions for the ideal watch strap
4. Whether I should get this serviced given that it seems to be keeping time ok

Thanks in advance,

Bo

 
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Welcome to OF, Bo, and congrats on your first vintage watch.

It's hard to see the dial well because of compression artifacts (or perhaps AI filtering) in the photos and scratches on the crystal, but my gut feeling is that this is a fully legit early 1960s hand-winding Seamaster. The dial has sustained some damage and it looks to me like someone has attempted to clean it, seeing some loss of the printing and of the lume that I believe would have originally been at the outer ends of the applied markers. The gold hands and dial furniture with the stainless case makes for a stylish design. There is a lengthy thread highlighting such watches, you can add yours to the end.

You are correct that the general style, with the thin straight lugs falls into the "pre DeVille" category, which is just casual terminology, not a technical definition. As an FYI, DeVille was not only a variation of Seamaster (as in the SMDV line), it was also a line of slightly dressier sport watches apart from the Seamaster line. There was a lot of overlap in the Omega catalog in the 60s, between Seamaster, Geneve, and DeVille. The watch probably has a series 600 hand-winding movement and the movement is accessed from the front.

Most reasonably skilled watchmakers will have the tools and knowledge to easily open the watch. However, they may not want to do it just to satisfy your curiosity.

This is a nice starter watch, in that the movement is high quality, but simple - without automatic winding, a date mechanism, etc. Very likely, with a simple service performed by a watchmaker, this 65 year old watch can give you many more decades of reliable timekeeping.
 
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Dan S,

Thanks so much for your comments. I've just tried to take a better photo of the dial. I will add this watch to the of the forum as you suggest.

 
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Yeah, that's better, and I can confirm that your watch is totally legit and original. It has just lived a life. If you do choose to have the watch serviced, please have the watchmaker take photos of the movement (including serial number) and the reference number in the back of the case, and you can add them to this thread.
 
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That's great Dan, thanks. I was lucky to stumble upon it at that auction. I'll get a new crystal and strap for it, and hopefully will keep it going to it's 100th birthday, or longer!
 
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Dial looks reasonably clean. There is some loss in the hands of course, which is unfortunate, but repairable. Crystal is in rough shape too, and the case has seen a heck of a life too.

You're absolutely going to want to get that to a watchmaker for a service ASAP though. I'm guessing it has been a while since it has been serviced.

They can also get you a reference number. It is very difficult to tell just by looking at the dial/case, since Omega themselves had plenty of very similar references, and many dials for each (many of which are undocumented!), so the only real way to tell any info about it is to remove the case back (or remove the movement in cases where the rear of the case doesn't come off). ALL of that is made particularly complex by the fact that in many countries they had a local (non-Omega company) case the watches for tariff/import reasons.
 
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If you plan on wearing it regularly I would get movement serviced, replace crystal and get a nice brown leather strap after measuring the lug width (probably 18mm)- any one you like will do but you can research leather strap sources here on OF lots of chatter about that. There is no "ideal" or even "original" strap just what you like.
No dial cleaning, nothing more than light case polishing (better none) - to preserve vintage qualities.

some info regarding vintage straps on this thread- you dont want an old one they would be degraded and brittle- but there are old-style straps made by many strap makers