I am not hugely into vintage watches, but I have recently come into possession of my late uncle's Omega Seamaster - his sons had it for the longest time but weren't restoring it, so I decided to take action. I'm hoping to get some help with determining the year of production, as well as well as some clarity regarding the unique dial.
Based on the information found when we opened the caseback, it has a serial number of 15475169, the movement is Cal. 471 and the model reference is 2828. Based on this, does anyone know the year of production or how to determine this? Also, while the inside of the caseback indicates it is a 2828, the dial has a crosshair on it, something which I can't seem to find on many other Seamaster 2828 references. Were any 2828 references produced like this? Or is there a chance that the dial was modified at some point?
Thanks for your help!
Last edited by Statick; May 28, 2017 at 07:25 PM.
Reason: Adding pictures
The reference #2828 belongs to Omega Seamaster International Collection presented in 1954. I believe it used the cal. 470 and, after 1955, the cal. 471. Your comment regarding the crosshair on the dial is pertinent and it may be a replacement from another series or a redial, but I'm not sure. However, the crown is obviously wrong.
The production's date - as Geoff and William pointed out - should be between 1956 and 1958.
Thanks for all of the help, gents. I've had a local & trusted watchmaker take a look at it and will be having the movement serviced, crystal & crown replaced (as the latter is certainly not original), and the case & bracelet ultrasonically cleaned. I've also emailed Omega to see if they can offer any insight. Any further thoughts are encouraged and most certainly welcome.
A bit of background on the watch and the original owner... My mother's second eldest brother received this on his wedding day, which, despite the age of the watch, was in the mid-1960s. For the next 40 years, he would wear it daily; it served him well as an engineer at the busiest shipyard in Karachi. He did have the watch serviced a few times in this period, that’s where the incorrect crown was likely applied. In the mid-2000s, his sons bought him a few newer watches and he started to use them; the Seamaster then started seeing less and less use until it went into storage. About a year and a half ago, the fine gentleman passed away peacefully in his sleep. He was much-loved by all of his immediate & extended family, he was well-respected in his field, and above all else, he exuded the virtue of humility.
As I mentioned in the original post, his sons have had the watch for some time but weren’t sure on how to approach the restoration and were also not really getting around to it. With a lot of migration that happened in my extended family, particularly my parents’ generation, we don’t have many family heirlooms. This one should be a great start.
Yeah me too but I wanted to appear knowledgeable and wise.
"To do is to be." -Nietzsche
Originally Posted by CFR
The reference #2828 belongs to Omega Seamaster International Collection presented in 1954. I believe it used the cal. 470 and, after 1955, the cal. 471. Your comment regarding the crosshair on the dial is pertinent and it may be a replacement from another series or a redial, but I'm not sure. However, the crown is obviously wrong.
The production's date - as Geoff and William pointed out - should be between 1956 and 1958.
Thanks for the insight. I suppose a production year of 1957 with the cal. 471 movement is a solid consensus. I'm hoping it's not a redial; the watchmaker that I took it to is quite confident that it's unmodified, and this following link does show a reference 2828 with a crosshair, though the dial is not an exact match... http://www.vintage-watches-collectio...utomatic-1956/
We'll see if the manufacturer itself can provide any further insight. And please do share any other information/feedback/comments you have, and the same to everyone else.