[dbacchi]

Hi, I recently found this Seamaster at a local thrift store. I fell in love at first sight! I had to have it! My only hesitation was the $10 price tag. My first thought was it can't be real. Then I thought, if it is a fake, I'm only out $10. So what do you guys think? It is stamped 14k GOLD under the 6 o'clock strap. The crystal appears to be plastic, which makes me nervous. On the back it has an IBM Quarter Century Club logo with a gentleman's name and a date of Nov 24, 1977.



Thanks for the help.
Dave

 

[enkidu]

If the crystal wasn't plexiglass/plastic, I'd be sure... It was fake. Looks pretty genuine to me. Looks like the case, dial, and hands are in pretty good shape. Congratulations on a great find. Unfortunately, getting it serviced will probably be a bit more than $10 bucks.

 

[weebee]

It sounds like it was someones 25 year anniversary watch that worked at IBM. As far as it being authentic I wouldn't know. I don't have enough know how on Omega watchs. But, if it is a plastic crystal I would be very doubtful.

 

[dbacchi]

Thanks! I see you're in the Bay Area. I'm in the Sacramento area. Do you know of a good place close by to have it serviced?

 

[peakay]

Looks OK to me, Omega's of that vintage had acrylic crystals; it seems the thrift store were careless as from your description it has a 14k gold case, which is going to be worth at bit more than $10!

 

[dbacchi]

Thanks to everyone for your input. You're the best!

 

[enkidu]

I saved a recommendation for a father-son team in the sacramento area who post things on ebay under rai_justina. Haven't used them personally. You might try getting in contact with them. I've had some work done by the Tick-Tock shop in Santa Clara, he did a great job but it wasn't a particularly complex one. Al at Archer watches is top notch and his prices are fair, but won't be cheap and you'll need to ship it to Canada and back.

 

[mleok]

My inclination would be to believe it is authentic. Gold retirement watches were fairly common in the past, and I doubt that a reputable company like IBM would be giving out a fake to commemorate 25 years of service at the company. If it's solid 14K gold, then it should be fairly obvious just from the weight of the watch.

 

[mleok]

It sounds like it was someones 25 year anniversary watch that worked at IBM. As far as it being authentic I wouldn't know. I don't have enough know how on Omega watchs. But, if it is a plastic crystal I would be very doubtful.

This is a watch from the 1970's, and acrylic crystals are typical for watches from that era.

 

[Voodoo13]

I doubt a company of that stature would give a fake. Great find.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

 

[I Like em BIG ! !]

I'll give you $20... oh hell, I'm feeling generous... I'll give you $100.

 

[Monocrom]

Rather sad actually. I doubt that the person who earned that watch would ever part with it. Likely they recently passed away. Son or daughter inherited it. Had no use for it since it wasn't an iPhone. Just gave it away to charity with a bunch of clothes. No one at the thrift shop recognized it for what it was either.

At least now it's once again in the hands of someone who'll appreciate it properly.

 

[mpalmer]

Awesome find! This is almost certainly authentic unless it was made by someone who wanted to fake that they worked at IBM for 25 years (highly unlikely).

 

[Bosse101]

Guess some people have all the luck!
I saw this model (without the IBM stamp, with plexiglass crystal) go for about 155 USD on Ebay, but even that seems very cheap for a watch I rarely see below 500 USD. Great catch, you!

 

[I Like em BIG ! !]

Guess some people have all the luck!
I saw this model (without the IBM stamp, with plexiglass crystal) go for about 155 USD on Ebay, but even that seems very cheap for a watch I rarely see below 500 USD. Great catch, you!

Fine... I'll up my offer a little....

 

[priamo]

So update us on this incredible find.

 

[JDM8]

Wow that is a great find! Every now and then I pop into a thrift shop for this exact reason (with no such luck). Congrats on the find!