Omega Seamaster Caliber 562 Vintage Review

Anaesdoc shares his appreciation for a vintage 1960 Omega Seamaster, highlighting its classic design, comfortable wear, and the meticulous details of its dial. His post, accompanied by detailed photographs, celebrates the enduring appeal of smaller, elegantly crafted timepieces and sparks a discussion on why modern watchmaking often deviates from these traditional aesthetics.

Dear Omega enthusiasts,

several months ago I recieved a vintage Seamaster that I liked for the lovingly detailed execution of its dial:

 

Forgiving my mediocre photographic skills, you will notice the applied indices (wedge-shaped at 6, 9, 12 o´clock, baton-shaped at the other positions), the applied Omega logo and writing as well as the application surrounding the date window at the 3 o´clock position.

Subsequently I had the watch serviced by the Omega HQ in Germany (which cost much more than the watch itself), where the watch was supplied with new hands, a new plexy, crown and winding stem and the movement was overhault as well as the dial was refurbished.
This is the current, shiny look of the "old lady" (interstingly, that watches often carry the female sex, isn´t it. At least it is like this in English, French and German, other tongues may differ).

This watch currently comes closest to my idea of a classic wrist watch and it definitely stood the test of time. The movement number allows to date it back to 1960 (5 years older than me) and it preserved its look much better.

It sits very comfortable on my wrist with its 35 mm diameter, no bulging or dislodging which often occurs if I wear larger watches. I almost forget I am wearing a watch, so decently this one behaves. On the other hand it´s so nice that I often look at it, although I perfectly well know how late it is .

I sometimes wonder why they do no more make these watches nowadays. Am I the last dinosaur to appreciate such classic detailed execution and understatement? I don´t think so, because some fellow purists feel the same way.

On the other hand, how to improve something that is almost perfect?

Well, before I get taken away by more volatile thoughts, let´s have another look at the watch I currently cherish most after having been serviced:



If you ignore the dust (sorry!), you can see the sunbust finish of the dial and the applications to the dial.

This side view gives an impression of the three-dimensional structure and can you spot the signed plexy?

Not ultra-thin, but moderately sized. The short lugs add to its comfortable wear on my slim wrist.

 

May be it´s silly, but I like the seamonster engraving on the back. Finally a Nessie that can really be seen .

Inside view on the bottom of the watch which is a "top-loader", i.e. the glass has to be removed in order to get access to the movement, whereas the back cannot be removed at all.

The caliber 562, an automatic movement prior to servicing, allowing to date the watch to the year 1960 (courtesy of Istvan Csizmedia).

All bits and pieces assembled again.

Final wrist shot.

I hope you enjoyed this little jaunt in the vintage Omega world as much as I did preparing it (well, mostly to be honest, as the whole post disappeared after pushing the false key unintentionally, grrhhh).

Kind regards from an horological fossil,

anaesdoc