165.024 Omega Seamaster 300

It’s rare enough to find original Seamaster 300s. Yet, often, the original examples are worn to hell with flaking lume, abused cases, and corrosion peppering the movement. Today, we have the opposite: an original, yet very composed Seamaster 300. The 300 was introduced at the end of WWII to British Navy divers for pure field use. Today, those original military references are as rare as they are expensive. Civilian references followed closely thereafter. This reference 165.024 is the elegant no-date, sword-handed, lyre lugged variation.

This example has an extract noting deliver to Mexico and, despite the very light degree of patina, is not a Watchco assembly. An Omega authorized, Australian service center WatchCo found a surplus of original Omega Seamaster 300 parts in the early 2000s. An enterprising service center, they began assembling these surplus parts into full watches and retailing these ‘NOS’ Seamasters. I would like to say for the record I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, but they should be represented as what they are: not original Omegas by Omega. It makes this market a little more complex that your average vintage diver. Like period Speedmasters, the Seamaster 300 used both Huguenin Frères (HF) and Centrale Boîtes (CB) for case production. This 1967 is a latter CB case and on correct 1039 flat-link bracelet no less. 

However, that is not what we have here. Despite the barely yellowed tritium this dial is likely a result of extremely infrequent use and UV exposure. This a diver purely for people who like vintage watches. None of the hype of a 14060m, none of the garish proportions of a Tag Aquaracer, and no Tiffany signature. This is just a damn good diver, perfectly matched to enthusiasts who just love watches on their own merit.

This example has a case which has been lightly worn but retains crisp proportions. Its dial is lightly aged with off-white tritium applications. All scripts are clearly visible. The bezel matches perfectly. It comes from the largest name in watch media with an extract.

Find this 165.024 here from the Hodinkee Shop for 15900 USD.