# Assistance With Vintage Omega



## AndrewHat (Oct 27, 2013)

Hi!

I am new to this forum and indeed a newbie on vintage watches. I've read as many online articles that I have been able to find, but I realize this is a topic which requires a lot of time to master. Right now I'm just basically looking to buy my first vintage watch, but it's a jungle out there. I like (surpsie suprise) the old Omega Seamasters (De Villes are nice), and I've been checking Ebay. My budget is around Â£350. Would you guys recommend buying a Seamaster on Ebay? Or should I go to some vintage dealer, although many of them seem to be charging much more for what corresponding watches cost on Ebay.

I've spotted one watch I like (the URL is http://www.tradera.c...aster-fran-1961). Any reactions from you would be greatly appreciated: how does it look? does it seem to be in good condition? importantly, is it real or a fake/franken? The seller writes that the watch is from 1961 and has the Omega 268 caliber, but he has no documents to back it up. It's supposed to have been recently serviced by a professional. The serial number is said to be 18386xxx, but I can't find any information based on this in the Omega vintage database. The current bid is around Â£180 but the action ends in a couple of days so it's likely to climb. What's a reasonable price for this watch, presuming it's real?

Thanks so much!

Andrew


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## kevkojak (May 14, 2009)

First of all, it's easy to check the date. The "Dating vintage watches" thread should be your first stop;

http://www.thewatchforum.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=50202

An 18 million serial looks like early 1960's (it isn't always exact from their archive, allow a year either side).

The one you link to looks very clean - refurbished case and a serviced movement are always a plus, but a re-finished dial hits the value massively and I think that one looks too fresh NOT to be a repainted dial.

That means it's had more spent on it (I'd guess Â£400 +/- for service, polish, dial work and new strap) and frankly I think that's all it's worth.

I rather prefer to pick them up a little rougher than that (but original) for Â£150-Â£250 and sink another Â£80-Â£100 into a very sympathetic restoration (service, plexiglass, light polish maybe).

Average condition but still very much wearable Seamaster watches still pop up under Â£200, but if you want the Seamaster De-Ville you're probably looking at mid to high hundreds (steel usually fetch Â£600, gold ones maybe double that).

Course, if you just want a standard De-Ville there is a nice one in the sale section right now at a keen price!!  :yes:


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## aroma (Dec 11, 2009)

Hi, Its a 14389 and is on the Omega database (http://www.omegawatches.com/spirit/history/vintage-omegas/vintage-watches-database?ref=14530). The 268 movement is correct for the watch and the serial number relates to 1961 to 1963. The case is made by Erwin Piquerez SA according to that strange logo on the bottom line of the inner caseback. The dial looks OK to me - if you look closely, you can see the original radium lume in the notch on the outside of the hour markers - that is difficult to fake and most re-dials just have an empty notch there but beware some collectors and watch repairers don't like radium. There are some scratches on the dial which you need to keep in mind if you bid - to most collectors, dial condition is important. By and large, it doesn't look a bad watch - it just depends on the price.

Good luck


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## AndrewHat (Oct 27, 2013)

Thank you both so much for your answers! I watched the bidding closely. In the end I decided not to continue bidding since I wasn't sure what a reasonable price would be. For your information, it went for Â£280. Would you consider this a "good" price for this watch?

Thanks again!


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## kevkojak (May 14, 2009)

Probably about its market rate at the moment that.

I've seen the 50's models go as cheap as Â£100 and as much as Â£400 - I thought this would have been the top end of that with the restoration.


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## aroma (Dec 11, 2009)

Yes, I reckon that's about right for an ebay sale. Keep following these sales as that is a good way to educate yourself on values and condition.

Cheers


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