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I'm considering an old 3 hander, basic Seamaster, I believe, probably from the 60's, or possibly modern of similar design.
There appear to be so many variants that I'm not sure what's what!
I suppose I'm looking for something like the pic below, but ideally as large as possible; most appear to be 34mm; are there any larger ones in this style?
Is there a good online resource for the different models/specs?
Many thanks for any help.
Cheers
https://i.imgur.com/1O3pX3i.jpg
Omega forums may be a good place to look / ask?
The slimmer lug models like that tend to top out at 34mm but there are some nice 36.5mm models from the late 60s which look pretty modern on the wrist and have a similar presence of the Datejust. They aren't silly money, minters can be found in the high hundreds of £.
They are also available with plain and sparkle dials and as chronometer and non chronometer, no-date, date and day-date flavours. Try model 166.032, or 166.022 or 168.028 to name but 3 but there are many other case numbers that look similar so you might have to do a bit of digging. Here is mine, now gone:
https://i.imgur.com/oEzPkAJ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/RmZdA3k.jpg
Whilst definitively vintage, for me the 166.010 takes on a more modern aesthetic. Beautiful watches with the 562/5 family of movements that are still inherently serviceable.
Terrible pic of mine when I had it, the case size is 35mm, wears very similar to a Datejust for the sake of reference.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...1e456e9b37.jpg
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If you want to get a sense of what you like then the Omega Vintage Database has most of Omega's output and will allow you to identify what you like.
There's a vast range of sizes and ages, but if you want to minimise risk on your first purchase, I'd go for a three hand Omega Geneve model without a date. This allow you to access quite a lot of the golden age range of simple sports watches - the Geneve range were entry level, but had exactly the same movements and cases, just cheaper dials and levels of initial set up. It will also help you avoid most fakes, redials and frankens, simply because if you are going to fake, redial and franken, you'll turn it into a Constellation or Seamaster. Finally, a simple three hander avoids a significant number of ways a more complicated watch can go wrong. Finally, I'd rather buy an honest watch with no history cheaply and then pay for a service and a new crystal than a shiny one, That way I know exactly what I've got. Find a few models you like and get used to them - look at a few examples and compare what you might want with the best of them - ignore battered crystals, in fact, battered crystals can be a good sign as it means it's unmolested. Once you know what you like then work out what you want to pay and then just casually keep an eye out - don't worry about distance, worry about feedback - I'd rather 99.6 over 500 deals from Lebanon than 97.2 over 10 from Leeds. The older the better - the 2 series are IMHO better than the 6 (although some would disagree) and the 10 series are a bit marmite.
I hope this helps. You might also want to have a look at older Zenith, Certina or Universal Geneve, which always seem to be undervalued for reasons I've never grasped.
Shh. You're giving away the secrets.Quote:
Originally Posted by M4tt
Thanks very much for the replies, info. and pics; all very useful :encouragement:
M4tt - when you refer to feedback are you suggesting ebay could be a good source?
Cheers
If you do your research and due diligence, then I'd argue it's the easiest way to find decent watches at decent prices. If you grab the first thing you see, it's appalling. Give Walkerwek a shout and ask roughly how much he'll charge to sort out a handwind watch and pop in a new crystal and then take that off your budget.Quote:
Originally Posted by wadsy
I think it is. As has been said, Omega Forums could also be a good link but I'm not up to date on how many posts you need to operate on their version of SC. As a first step - can you see this?Quote:
Originally Posted by wadsy
https://omegaforums.net/forums/private-watch-sales/
Mine was serviced by Brendan, about £300 .00 but that included a crown and winding tube.Quote:
Originally Posted by M4tt
Yes, I can see that thanks :encouragement:Quote:
Originally Posted by Carlton-Browne
Just checked; I have an account on their too - it's obviously been a while!
I can highly recommend.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...197c5f7cc3.jpg
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Some crackers on here, beautiful
I agree there is some great pieces here .
Just take your time OP and get a good example and you won't have any regrets . These are solid watches and if you chose a manual wind the 30 mm movement was won of Omegas best !
Enjoy the hunt
Nice :cool-new:Quote:
Originally Posted by PawG
What model number is that one please?
Cheers
There are a lot of Frankenstein watches of this style, refinished dials, worn out movements, mismatched parts
If you're spending more than a couple of hundred, ask on the Omega forum about a specific watch.
M
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As always when it comes to old Omegas: what Padders said.Quote:
Originally Posted by Padders
Also this:
I'd be looking for an automatic (full swing, not bumper) and original dial. After that, the world's your -- well, not Oyster obviously but you will have Mastery of the Sea.Quote:
Originally Posted by snowman
There's an absolute corker on SC at the moment:
https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.p...Seamaster-2639
beautiful pictures in this thread. i always thought if i had to have one watch it'd be something like these. sadly ageing eyes mean im probably going to need more military dials in future.
Looks like a 166.010 to me.Quote:
Originally Posted by wadsy
Thanks again for all the replies and input :encouragement:
I tried a friends (34mm) Seamaster de Ville yesterday.
My thoughts: maybe a little small for my taste (and eyes!), so I would think I'd probably need something bigger, with clearer/bigger hands/indicies and more contrast for hand and indicies... oh, and new specs, definitely new specs!... any suggestions as to which model may have these characteristics? (watch, not specs!) :thumbsup:
https://i.imgur.com/UOuz4Tz.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/BG1yI0t.jpg