Thoughts on this watch before I purchase, please.

[rw16610]

Surprise, surprise! I'm looking at adding another watch to the collection. I've decided that my 2021 watch will be the Planet Ocean Chronograph - 9900 movement. 

Anything else to me is a setback. However, after having to painfully part with my vintage Seamaster from Carl to make the GMT Master II happen while it still could. This has left a void, without a doubt. I love the Omega brand, always have and they're getting harder to find in good shape at a decent price. 

Anyway, the same seller in Japan I got my Breitling from has this for sale. He owns an actual brick and mortar shop and has hundreds of watches listed on eBay. Fast DHL shipping, etc. For a repeat customer he's offered a few dollars off as it's already competitively priced at just under $700 USD (he proposed $650 USD).

Anyway, shortly after he responded to my message last night he went on vacation mode on eBay. The store is closed until January 5th when they return. I'll likely buy this and transfer the funds once he's back to adjust the price, just so I don't lose out. 

What do you guys think of this piece? Condition, pricing, rarity / originality? I miss the look of that beads of rice bracelet on my wrist carl















Also note, this brick and mortar business has an appraiser / authenticator on site, they're legit but with vintage I always wonder as I haven't seen this spec before. I do like the magnification of the day / date though.

Baco Noir you're also a vintage Omega guy if I recall correctly, so your input along with the others like priamo is very much appreciated! I'm excited to pull the trigger!

[Baco Noir]

I’m not a big vintage guy but my best source to verify authenticity is Omega Forums. They can be a funny bunch but man, they can spot a redial, relume, mismatched bracelet/case/hands, etc in short order

[rw16610]

Baco Noir Thanks! I registered but await verification of my account so I can post.

In the meantime I tried posting on watchuseek.

Chances are I'll go ahead with the watch anyway but it never hurts to know as much about the piece as possible.

I actually prefer this case style now with the top loading setup. A lot of the 60s and 70s Seamasters I saw in listing pictures with the case back off to showcase the movement seem to have corrosion around the gasket area on both the case and case back. As aforementioned, this style seems like it could be a way of avoiding that potential issue down the road.

[priamo]

My 70s Dynamic is a top loader. And I don't want any more top loaders. When I sent it for overhaul Omega said it needed restore because the dial was damaged so that it was not a proper fit when reassembled. The dial appeared fine when viewed by me but Omega service discovered there was damage. Seems the top loaders are unfamiliar territory for a lot of watchmakers. My acrylic was gouged on the side from sketchy removal. You could not see that from top angle. Any photos of the movement? I notice many top loaders have no movement photos because it's too difficult for the seller to disassemble top loaders, so they say. Any service history on this watch?

[rw16610]

No service history or images of the movement in this case. The only reason I'm considering it other than the seemingly low price is the fact I had such a good experience with my Breitling from this seller in Japan.

So true with regards to no movement images for these top loaders. There's a very good chance I would never send this to Omega for service but like you say finding someone with the tool and skill to properly remove the crystal is key.



The seller does time watches though and this one is running at -15 seconds per day.



Someone on watchuseek said he has one and this magnification lens is not a red flag Once it was an option.

The dial looks clean he said also. The corrosion on the hands is a shame but not too bad.

I'm SO tempted to do it. It's a shame because the one I got from carl was in perfect condition. The added complications are cool and the bracelet seems to have most of the links and be in decent shape.

[priamo]

Do you know that is an authentic Omega bracelet? What is the ref. # of this watch? It's good you've had prior relationship with seller.
Here's an "original condition" Cosmic on chrono24, ref. 166036. Seller says bracelet is "original". Cal. 752, no photos of movement.

[rw16610]

The listing images don't show the bracelet code but it looks very much like the beads of rice bracelet on the one that got away.







This bracelet looks and feels so nice on the wrist, I truly miss it. The additional movement features could be a bonus for me. This watch (if I buy it) will only be wound, strapped on, and worm on rare occasions so I'm not as concerned about the timekeeping (can't believe I just said that).

The sellers image of the back doesn't show the Seahorse clearly but that too is in tact for the most part.

[priamo]

I wonder about the originality of the red seconds hand for this model.

[rw16610]

Thanks for including those images priamo Someone on watchuseek just mention the second hand as a potential as well. Omega did make those crystals but it might be from another model.

I'm sure it won't be simple either to source the crystal (as a backup), hands, or anything else I would want to at least have on hand so it could be put back to original specs. I'm going to have a look at Chrono24 now to see some of what's listed there for ideas.

[priamo]

That's a chrono24 image I have posted. And I recall I saw a vid on youtube where the watchmaker had a machine to hold the watch. He removed the crown, then applied air pressure to pop the crystal off the top loader. I believe he said this is the proper way to disassemble a top loader. There must be a ring under the crystal that holds the dial in place so there's a bit more to these top loaders than meets the eye. I'm very happy with my top loader now that Omega has restored it fully. But I found that prior servicing of these top loaders can cause damage if a watchmaker is unfamiliar. And if you can nail down before you buy that the bracelet is authentic Omega that would be good so you don't have to do that later in case you want to sell it.

[rw16610]

priamo I was just on Chrono24 and saw the same watch you posted. Having a fully restored one would be so ideal. The dilemma I now face is do I go over budget for this piece and take away from the Planet Ocean Chronograph savings? That's where I'm leaning towards a pass for now as it seems tough to find anything in better shape, 100% original spec for under 800 USD.

I remember years ago (10 or so) these vintage Omega watches were much more of a bargain. This very thing that's happening in general has promoted me to try collect anything that appeals to me ASAP.

I bought my 2225.80 last February and for what I paid, including taxes here and the Omega service it's still less than most listed on eBay or Chrono 24 as we speak. Certainly stresses urgency to me!

So I guess I'll pass on the one I originally posted here. The only way I would buy it is if it was WAY less or of I had easy access to the necessary parts.

One thing I'm seeing here is that Omega watches are slowly becoming harder to find pre-owned. This is especially true for a good vintage the day of this post.

[priamo]

"Cal 752 date: quickset by repeated pulling the crown", per Dr Ranfft. So the thing is you can't really be sure how stable this mechanism is. Will the crown pull completely off after you get it as mine did on my Dynamic? This pulling on the crown to set the date is a lot of stress over time. Nothing that can't be fixed. It's just a potential problem/headache if the watch hasn't been serviced in a while.

[rw16610]

Dec 28, 2020 18:11:10 GMT -6 priamo said:

"Cal 752 date: quickset by repeated pulling the crown", per Dr Ranfft. So the thing is you can't really be sure how stable this mechanism is. Will the crown pull completely off after you get it as mine did on my Dynamic? This pulling on the crown to set the date is a lot of stress over time. Nothing that can't be fixed. It's just a potential problem/headache if the watch hasn't been serviced in a while.

Another excellent point here! It's one of many reasons I typically go for the Lord durable, modern watches. Even if I do end up with another vintage Omega it'll be a safe queen to look at and wear only on certain occasions.

I watched the crown get removed in that video and it's one of the first things that came to mind. I want this to be fun, not stressful and I see a lot of potential for stress with these watches.

It was my understanding that these are stainless steel but I've seen even more with the removable case backs off where rust is on both sides.

Anything approaching $2,000 CAD I would rather add more funds and get a modern piece.

Buying vintage is a minefield because even if all else checks out the watches aren't close to the same with regards to durability. How long does Omega stock parts for these at their service centres? If it's tough for me to find parts now I can't imagine in 10-15+ years.

[priamo]

Well, I'm very happy with the restore from Omega on my Dynamic. $1,600 but it almost as new I'd say. Not that I planned for that. I wanted an over-haul (around $450) but they said dial is damaged so watch must be restored or they will return the watch (no band-aid approach). They even replaced the bracelet buckle. So my Dynamic is not original but it is authentic Omega, restored by them in Switzerland. I actually like their re-dial better than than the original if you can believe that... I'd say the 166081 is now worth what I paid in total (around $2k, $350 for the watch). I plan to keep it. Ideally you want a vintage that has been competently serviced, or little worn, I'd say. And next month I'm going to request an extract. I have the serial # Omega supplied from the restore (serial [HASH]s are hard to get from the top loaders). So my experience is that if a vintage Omega bites you, Omega can bail you out (don't think they stock vintage bracelets). It may take 8 months.

[carl]

Rommel, I hope it works out for you. I really don't know what advice to give you about this one, as I am certainly no expert on vintage watches. And the only few I bought were ones I saw in real life. First time I have seen a magnifier on an Omega Day/Date. To be honest, if I was buying for myself, I would go with "simpler is better" and try to get one with either no date at all, or date only. Happy hunting anyway!

Cheers,
Carl