My First Vintage Watch - Seamaster DeVille cal560 ca1964

[CottyGee]

Oh man, am I a lucky man or what?

Today is the 20th anniversary of my wedding to my wife. And she got me a terrific gift - my first vintage watch!

She picked it up off eBay from a jeweler with great feedback (99.8% on 434 sales since Apr-2001). Watch looks to be in great shape - solid 14K case, refinished dial, new Omega crystal, new Omega crown, clean looking cal 560 with a 1-year warranty.

http://members.cox.net/cottygee/cal%20560%20movement.JPG

http://members.cox.net/cottygee/face11.JPG

I called the jeweler and asked if he had serviced the watch. He said no - he looked at the movement and saw it looked clean, put it on a winder and it kept time well over a few days, so he didn't "overhaul" it (his phrase).


So....
Based on what I've read here and on other forums, I'm thinking it's probably a good idea to have this thing cleaned and lubricated at the very least. I mean, heaven knows how long this watch may have been sitting in a drawer!

So a cleaning, yes??

Anything else I should be doing to preserve this beautiful watch?

[Ray916MN]

Beautiful watch! Happy 20th!

I'm not sure everyone is going to agree with this, but I would wear it and see how accurate it is. If it is within about 15 seconds per day, I'd just keep wearing it until its accuracy falls off to worse than 20 seconds per day, and then I'd have it serviced.

Movement parts shouldn't be a problem for the watch, but things like orginal hands, dial, and date wheel are quite possibly no longer available so the less exposure these parts have outside the case, the better, IMO.

Happy 20th again, and congratulations on a beautiful watch.

Ray

[CottyGee]

Here's my first attempt at watch photography. Man, a bit of a challenge, ain't it??

http://members.cox.net/cottygee/SeamasterDeVille.jpg

[fkane]

Nice looking watch:-! Enjoy it!!

Kane

[JohnF]

Hi -

Congrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrratuluations!

Super.


Normally I'd say get that watch to ye old friendly watchmaker. The question is: do you trust the judgement of the seller?

I'd have another watchmaker look at it, but one that you trust. Not easy to find, I know.

It's in really, really, really, really great shape and is really nice.

In terms of preserving it: treat it well. Keep it away from too much sand, sun and dirt (i.e. if you're going to the desert to hike, put on something from WalMart), away from seawater (despite the name, this isn't a watch to wear while sailing that 20-footer), and in general keep it away from shocks, extremes of temperature, really intense UV (this adds to aging and may or may not place a patina on the surface), and away from people who look like they might steal it. :-)

Again, congrats! My first vintage is up at my watch web site below (scroll down for the Poljot Strela...), and your FIRST vintage is a mighty nice piece!

JohnF

[JohnF]

Hi -

Watch photography is indeed not simple. :-)

Your light source is over your left shoulder. You should move it so that it is above and behind the watch and use a sheet of white cardboard (or paper taped judiciously)to help reflect light on the front of the watch. A diffuser over the light source helps as well.

What you want is a broad light source with diffused light to avoid what are called specular highlights (for instance, at the 4 on your picture where the case is completely overexposed). I use a 20 watt halogen with a translucent piece of plastic just above the watch out of the picture. Works pretty well...

And if your camera allows it, put the camera on a tripod and use slow shutter speeds to get the depth of field you need. Since the watch itself is quite light colored, using a black background should create the contrast you need to gain the detail; it will also let the band come out better.

Practice, practice, practice. :-)

JohnF

[CottyGee]

Thanks for the tips on the photography.

I did use a large piece of posterboard, bent around the back (clasp side) of the watch, and took the photo on the "automatic" setting, having of course to use flash. My default setting is for a HUGE image, so I backed off about a foot, and then cropped the image.

I'll try moving the light source. I've got just the thing - a 20 watt halogen light! (Imagine that! :))

So any particular thoughts about setting up a nice background? Any basic methods that work as a starting point?

[Ray MacDonald]

Hi -

Congrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrratuluations!

Super.


Normally I'd say get that watch to ye old friendly watchmaker. The question is: do you trust the judgement of the seller?

I'd have another watchmaker look at it, but one that you trust. Not easy to find, I know.

It's in really, really, really, really great shape and is really nice.

In terms of preserving it: treat it well. Keep it away from too much sand, sun and dirt (i.e. if you're going to the desert to hike, put on something from WalMart), away from seawater (despite the name, this isn't a watch to wear while sailing that 20-footer), and in general keep it away from shocks, extremes of temperature, really intense UV (this adds to aging and may or may not place a patina on the surface), and away from people who look like they might steal it. :-)

Again, congrats! My first vintage is up at my watch web site below (scroll down for the Poljot Strela...), and your FIRST vintage is a mighty nice piece!

JohnF
I agree with John 100%. It is truly a beautiful piece and considering its pedigree and external condition, I'd make sure it's clean and lubricated. it wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion. Was the jeweler a watchmaker as well?
These Seamasters are more dustproof than the average vintage watch so maybe it's OK to run it for a while. But why take a chance with such a lovely item? I am paranoid about service so take that into consideration.

[JohnF]

Hi -

Backgrounds are, for the photographer, almost a science unto itself.

Think of it this way: you want to have something that will push the object of your photo-taking to the foreground.

Pre-visualize your photograph: how do you want the watch to appear? Given the nature of the watch, floating against a black background would be a good place to start.

I'd look at popping into the cloth section of your local WalMart or department store and get a yard or so of black velvet or velveteen; barring that, a yard or so of heavy black cloth with a relatively tight weave.


Or a black t-shirt in a pinch. That's what I used while taking the picture of the Pobeda here...

And practice, practice, practice: getting the lighting right will make a big difference, and you can only do that by practicing. Indirect lighting is the way to go to avoid the reflections...

And there is no substitute for getting up close. The technical info:

SCN2291.JPG
CAMERA : E5000V1.7
METERING : MATRIX
MODE : A
SHUTTER : 1/3sec
APERTURE : F6.4
EXP +/- : 0.0
FOCAL LENGTH : f13.6mm(X1.0)
IMG ADJUST : AUTO
SENSITIVITY : ISO100
WHITEBAL : INCANDESCENT
SHARPNESS : AUTO
DATE : 21.01.2006 17:37
QUALITY : SXGA FINE
SATURATION : 0
FOCUS AREA : CENTER

So you see, I'm using a very long exposure, something you can't hand-hold, and a fairly small aperature. Still the picture is sort soft, it's not merely a result of resizing it from 5MP to 800x600 for posting purposes...

JohnF

PS: See how the light is coming from behind and to the left of the Pobeda? That helps catch the grain of the dial so nicely...