I've been thinking the same. Also the dial design is similar to those yellow gold variations. A very interesting example. The lume material / color doesn't really look like tritium to me but it's very hard to say based on those photographs only. Would love to see another example of those

Happy to see this research thread starting, thanks for the contribution

 

Hi Alexis! Excellent thread! And as always great research from your end! On the silver dial matter:
Check AJTT Page 546 upper right corner. Same dial, even with the same thin metal Chrono hand. I‘m not sure if it’s okay to post pictures from AJTT here publicly. I send you the pic in a DM.


Edit: as Kov correctly pointed out, the dials in AJTT and here don’t have radial subdials. So it‘s not a 145.024 dial. Very interesting indeed.

Cheers,

Max

 

Thanks in advance

 

In fact, the dial is not the same as it isn’t radial - I fell in the same trap



But it looks very similar, you’re right

 

Note that there is room for the lume between the markers and the seconds track, which isn't the case with the other.

 

First of all, thanks for starting the thread and undertaking such a valuable project. Hats off!

A quick question on the cases if I may: any info on what the factory finish was? The chamfer seems to be polished and other surfaces brushed, but not with the prominent sunburst finish of, say, the Mark II. Is it more like the light circular grain finish sometimes seen on flightmasters and the Mark III?

Thanks for any enlightenment!

 

Thank you very much for your kind words. Positive feedbacks are always food for motivation

In regards to the original case finishing I tried to make best possible photographs to show what I believe to be a (close to) NOS (because worn by me ) condition and original case finish :


Photos : 145.006-66

The chamfer is polished and other surfaces brushed, light circular grain finish as you described. It is light enough to be killed already at the first rendez-vous with the polishing wheel, so many of those have been destroyed...

Regarding the prominent sunburst finish you mentioned (like on Flightmasters) I have another example with that finish and when I compare both cases it’s very hard to say whether it’s been redone or not.


Photos : 145.016-68

At this stage I cannot confirm if this was another factory finish or if it is a nicely redone case.

Anyway I must say I prefer the light circular grain finish by far.

Hope this helps

 

Thanks a lot for your help! And both of those finishes look great...

Maybe both finishes were offered. I think I remember reading that both sunburst and circular were possible on the flightmaster and Mark III.

Perhaps Petros can confirm when you guys hook up to discuss this project?

 

I apologize in advance for disrupting this great thread, but Ken G’s comment made me do it!

I have a 145.024 “Jedi” with a circular brushed case. I bought it knowing that the sunburst finish was correct, but I really liked the look of the circular. As Ken G mentions, the Flightmaster and MkIII were offered with both finishes, and were of similar chronological vintage (1970/71) as the 145.024. Additionally, the Seamaster 166.093 1000m diver also seems to have been supplied with either finish (also circa 1970).

At any rate, it’s interesting that Omega offered options on case finishing at all. I would still believe that my Jedi met up with a refinishing wheel at some point, but I’d now say that it’s at least historically representative of what was going on at the time.

 

Getting back on track, here's a photo of the gold version (not mine):



...and a photo of the more common orange chrono hand version (mine):

 

Like them very much! Here is my mint 145.016 so with 861 caliber

 

If you photograph both of them straight from the side, oughtn't it be visible if the profile of the sunburst one is different; both chamfer width and how much the crystal protrudes from the case?

 

I will try to. Remember it is not the same case reference. I will do but with two 145.016s to be really comparing two apples.

 

Here’s my 145.006 with 321 movement on gold bracelet:

 

The same or simular case/design was also sold directly by the manufacturer Lemania as ref 9655. Cal 187x. Same as cal 861 but in-house.
Just fished this very rare specimen out of the bay.
More details to follow when it arrives.

Sellers pics.

 

@Northernman so you’ve bought it saw it on eBay a couple of days ago, was really close to pull the trigger

Congrats !

 

Well this is a very interesting thread. So since the Lemania barrier has been crossed, I'll submit another cal 187x, this time (case)ref 872.
Here for your 2 register radial enjoyment...about time for a little drifting..



P

 

Reading these topics, it looks like minimum half a dozen forum members have done interesting research, bringing out new figures & facts that one should expect to come from the Omega History/Heritage team... but the latter are restrained by strategic commercial reasons I suppose ?

 

I HAD to have it

 

Ok this is beautiful but really out of scope here