What do you think about that Seamaster 2937 offer? Is it a seachero?

[maumerstrubbi]

https://www.ebay.de/itm/186273821869

It is a 50s seamaster with a dial that looks like one from a ranchero. They even call it seachero in the offer but it isn’t a really a seachero because it’s pre-ranchero and not the right transition reference. Or can one still refer to it as a „seachero“?
It also contains the manual wind cal. 267 which was used for that kind of reference.

What do you think about that offer? How much do you guys think that’s worth? And is it even worth the biding over all?
The current bidding stands at 700€ but I think it’s going to go way higher considering there is 6 days left on the auction.

Does it look like a legit watch? Or a reworked one?
I didn’t find a lot about this reference being made with a dial so similar to a ranchero. For me it looks legit and there is aging on the dial and the case hasn’t been polished completely and shows some aging as well. So overall the condition looks nice in my eyes but I am just not 100% sure if it is alright and checks out correct.

Edited: Jan 29, 2024

 

[maumerstrubbi]

Can anyone give me advice or tell me anything more about it?

And may be also tell me what you would be willing to pay for it…

 

[gbesq]

This looks legitimate to me. I've seen a few of these come up for sale in the past and they tend not to go cheaply (usually in the 5k USD range). I'll see if I can find some comps. The 2937 is sometimes referred to as a Seachero, particularly when you see them with broad arrow hands, but in my view it isn't. Keep in mind that there is no such thing as a "Seachero" in the Omega catalog. It's just a name that collectors have given to a watch that has a Seamaster dial in a Ranchero 2990/2996 case. If memory serves, the 2937 case came out before the Ranchero even existed, so calling it a Seachero is a stretch. Keep in mind that, like the Ranchero, those hour markers and hands contain radium based luminous paint and a lot of it. Radium is highly radioactive and has a half life of 1,600 years, so if that makes you uncomfortable, think twice before buying. Also, that top left lug is a mess.

Edited: Jan 30, 2024

 

[gbesq]

Here's one that sold back in 2019 on OF, presumably for 5k. Nice watch, but for this money you're getting into Ranchero territory which most would consider to be far more collectible.
SOLD - Omega Seamaster ref. 2937-2 'Broad Arrow' radium dial (circa 1956/57) | Omega Forums

 

[maumerstrubbi]

gbesq

This looks legitimate to me. I've seen a few of these come up for sale in the past and they tend not to go cheaply (usually in the 5k USD range.

thank you for your detailed answer. I was hoping that you would clarify for me that it shouldn’t be referred to as a seachero since it is from before the ranchero and with a slightly different case. Since you seem to have a few similar watches from that time period I am going to take that into consideration in my decision to bid on it.

But what I didn’t expect is that this reference to be this thought after and didn’t expect it go in a range of 5k. I was hoping it would be somewhere around the 2-3k marker. Since other ones with that reference and with other dials go for less then that sometimes.

But the radium amount won’t effect your health or is so much applied that it could effect once health?

 

[maumerstrubbi]

gbesq

Here's one that sold back in 2019 on OF, presumably for 5k. Nice watch, but for this money you're getting into Ranchero territory which most would consider to be far more collectible.
SOLD - Omega Seamaster ref. 2937-2 'Broad Arrow' radium dial (circa 1956/57) | Omega Forums

If it goes as high up as that I could indeed just start to go on a hunt for a ranchero, which is in my eyes as well more interesting and more collectible! Of course it is probably even harder to find one for a decent price but since it’s a collectible I can take my time looking and some day I might find one. That’s I think nothing one should rush.

But we will see what happens and since u also think of it as a legit offer and a legit watch I am going to bid on it and see what happens.

And yes the top left lug has experienced a bad time. But I also think that’s Sth that makes this vintage watch a bit more unique and also shows that it had a past.

 

[gbesq]

maumerstrubbi

thank you for your detailed answer. I was hoping that you would clarify for me that it shouldn’t be referred to as a seachero since it is from before the ranchero and with a slightly different case. Since you seem to have a few similar watches from that time period I am going to take that into consideration in my decision to bid on it.

But what I didn’t expect is that this reference to be this thought after and didn’t expect it go in a range of 5k. I was hoping it would be somewhere around the 2-3k marker. Since other ones with that reference and with other dials go for less then that sometimes.

But the radium amount won’t effect your health or is so much applied that it could effect once health?

Here's a photo of two of my watches, a Ranchero and a Seachero, side by side:

What they have in common is an identical case, the 2990/2996 (2990 for small seconds, 2996 for sweep seconds). As you noted, the 2937 case preceded the Ranchero which debuted in 1958 and was only made for two years. So even though the watch you posted looks very much like a Ranchero due to the triangular radium markers and the broad arrow handset, it is not technically a Seachero in my view because it's not a 2990/2996 case. Others in the OF community may disagree. It's impossible to know what the watch you posted will sell for, but as I noted, in my experience they do not go cheaply, particularly because of the broad arrow hands and the triangular radium markers. As for whether watches with radium lume are a health hazard, some say yes, some say no. What is generally agreed upon is that you should leave servicing a watch with radium lume to a qualified watchmaker as breathing in ANY amount of radium dust is not a good thing. You should also store a watch with radium based lume separately from your other watches and keep them in a well ventilated area because radon case is a natural byproduct as radium degrades over time. You'll have to read the literature about radium based lume and decide for yourself whether it's a risk that you're willing to take. Hope this helps.

 

[Bruce235]

[QUOTE="maumerstrubbi, post: 2295083, member: ]

But the radium amount won’t effect your health or is so much applied that it could effect once health?[/QUOTE]

Take these precautions and you will be Ok:
Don't eat the dial or hands
Don't open the watch and inhale deeply
Don't keep in a sealed container, then open and inhale deeply
Don't put the watch under your pillow every night.

 

[maumerstrubbi]

gbesq

Here's a photo of two of my watches, a Ranchero and a Seachero, side by side:

What they have in common is an identical case, the 2990/2996 (2990 for small seconds, 2996 for sweep seconds). As you noted, the 2937 case preceded the Ranchero which debuted in 1958 and was only made for two years. So even though the watch you posted looks very much like a Ranchero due to the triangular radium markers and the broad arrow handset, it is not technically a Seachero in my view because it's not a 2990/2996 case. Others in the OF community may disagree. It's impossible to know what the watch you posted will sell for, but as I noted, in my experience they do not go cheaply, particularly because of the broad arrow hands and the triangular radium markers. As for whether watches with radium lume are a health hazard, some say yes, some say no. What is generally agreed upon is that you should leave servicing a watch with radium lume to a qualified watchmaker as breathing in ANY amount of radium dust is not a good thing. You should also store a watch with radium based lume separately from your other watches and keep them in a well ventilated area because radon case is a natural byproduct as radium degrades over time. You'll have to read the literature about radium based lume and decide for yourself whether it's a risk that you're willing to take. Hope this helps.

I love that picture of those two watches side by side. I think I have seen that in another post of yours. 😉 lovely pair.

I love the case design I think it’s one of the best designs for an omega watch from that time period. If it’s a seachero or not the case and dial combination is really nice. So in the end the discussion if it is a seachero or not is irrelevant to me. But I totally agree with you that it shouldn’t be referred to as a seachero since it has been produced before the ranchero.

And thanks for the quick info and background about how to handle a watch with such radium hands! And I will definitely take that into consideration read more about it and take my precautions.

 

[maumerstrubbi]

Bruce235

Take these precautions and you will be Ok:
Don't eat the dial or hands
Don't open the watch and inhale deeply
Don't keep in a sealed container, then open and inhale deeply
Don't put the watch under your pillow every night.

thanks for the precautious steps that should be taken with that kind of watch!

The first three definitely make sense to me but not taking it to bed with me every night is going to be really hard if I should win the bids 😉

Edited: Jan 29, 2024

 

[Dsplash]

So, did anyone from Of get it?

I liked its looks and bid up to a point. My issue was that the seller never gave me pictures of the reaction of the lume to uv light but he told me the afterglow was almost a minute after turning off the uv, which definitely seems too long for radium :/

 

[maumerstrubbi]

Dsplash

So, did anyone from Of get it?

I liked its looks and bid up to a point. My issue was that the seller never gave me pictures of the reaction of the lume to uv light but he told me the afterglow was almost a minute after turning off the uv, which definitely seems too long for radium :/

I was biding as well up to a certain point but didn’t get it either. I didn’t want to go all in on the offer. I asked the seller a few questions as well and he responded quick but also just in real short, „annoyed“ sentences.
And then there are view negativ reviews on eBay.
So after all It wasn’t worth to me to go all in for it either. Didn’t feel it to go all in on it.

 

[gbesq]

I wasn’t interested in purchasing it because I own a Ranchero and a Seamaster 300 Heritage that have a very similar appearance, but out of curiosity I messaged the seller and asked him whether the hand and marker lume is radium. He replied and said that he doesn’t have a Geiger counter so he doesn’t know what the lume is. He did say that the lume glows in the dark. If it were radium, with a watch this old, it shouldn’t glow at all because the phosphorescent material is long since completely degraded. That leads me to believe that the watch was relumed at some point with tritium. If that’s true, it would negatively impact the value significantly. The crystal and crown are not original and the watch also needs to be serviced. Buyer may not have gotten as much of a bargain as he or she thinks.

Edited: Feb 4, 2024

 

[Davidt]

Beautiful watch. Whatever they’re called, Seachero or not, I prefer them to Rancheros. I think the seller perhaps knows more than he’s letting on here and it’s may or may not have had some lume work. Personally I think it might be original but even if not, it’s of such a quality that it’s worth more than one with mouldy green/dark lume.

I wasn’t bidding as I’ve bought too many black Seamasters recently but I like it for what it is

 

[maumerstrubbi]

Davidt

Beautiful watch. Whatever they’re called, Seachero or not, I prefer them to Rancheros. I think the seller perhaps knows more than he’s letting on here and it’s may or may not have had some lume work. Personally I think it might be original but even if not, it’s of such a quality that it’s worth more than one with mouldy green/dark lume.

I wasn’t bidding as I’ve bought too many black Seamasters recently but I like it for what it is

It’s definitely a beautiful watch but I am still happy in the end I didn’t get it with the questionable situation of the watch and the seller and everything else different of member encountered. All of us didn’t seem to confident with it in some way. So overall it’s probably good that we didn’t get it/passed it at some point. 😀

 

[Davidt]

It could still be fine and there’s nothing wrong with a relume if it’s so good we can’t tell. It’s more the sellers response that makes me slightly concerned, saying it glows for a minute. Radium shouldn’t do that. It doesn’t make the watch a ‘no buy’, it just means adjust your bud slightly.
If the buyer bid assuming it was relumed then it’s a good buy imo and there’s the chance the dials fine.

 

[Dsplash]

Well, if the lume really behaved as the dealer said, there was definitely something wrong with it indeed!

That being said, he said his uv light was very strong, for uv printing, and I have no idea if this could cause the longer glow…

Edited: Feb 4, 2024

 

[maumerstrubbi]

Davidt

It could still be fine and there’s nothing wrong with a relume if it’s so good we can’t tell. It’s more the sellers response that makes me slightly concerned, saying it glows for a minute. Radium shouldn’t do that. It doesn’t make the watch a ‘no buy’, it just means adjust your bud slightly.
If the buyer bid assuming it was relumed then it’s a good buy imo and there’s the chance the dials fine.

that’s propably why it went for a still decent price. After communicating with the seller I decided to set my maximum bid below 2k. Which would have been a good deal I guess also with a relume. But still happy that I didn’t get it.

A watch like this is probably still to complicated and too much/above my knowledge… for me as a person that relatively new in the vintage omega watch game 😉