Hi all,

I am being offered this 2913-7 and was wondering if it all looks OK? Seller says it is all original but wanted to check if the insert looks original? Anything look off?

 

You need the seller to send macro shots of the bezel numbers. Need a pic similar to this original example. Also, the bezel pipper should be radium.

 

Also, the OP bezel version is a countdown bezel. These were only original in the 2913-1 thru 2913-3.

 

Thanks for the information on that Gemini. Bummer the insert is not original to the watch. Will try and get a macro from the seller

 

Agree...
...and before the macro arrives to conclude if insert is ok ... think about these pointers (watch was listed public on chrono24 today).
Would a watch with a middelcase like this have a "perfect condition" bezel without any scratches at all - especially on the side? If bezel insert is ok, it wasn't mounted on this watch originally IMO (but still worth a lot). Furtheremore Insert looks "overfilled"/not concave from the sideview, but let the macro's decide.



And the 1506 bracelet is wrong for the reference. Should be an early 7912 or 7077/7912 transitional.

Pictures are overexposed, so hard to judge the lume on dial and hands. But the large blemishes in area between 3 and 6 on the dial should be looked closer upon. Looks like it is on the dial and not on the crystal. Well, again ... macro's.

And of course movement shots / serial is crucial in regard to correct range for this reference etc.

Besides those potential issues, which of course should be reflected in the price (the listing states condition as minty / 1 and original in all parts ), there are upsides though.
Case and lugs are hardly polished (rare), it has the lolli , it has the 6's EL's.
Conclusion: there is potential....but all is down to price and macro's (and serial) .. as usual.
And whether you are willing to compromise on original parts or not.
But worth investigating further IMO.

 

I suspect the bezel, which is too pristine and mismatched to this 2913-7, may be a restoration by "Aldo". Like the seller, Aldo is located in Italy. Aldo produces restored countdown bezels. Here is an example pic from their website. While all the digits are not an exact match to the OP bezel, some (the 30) are very close.

 

I've read before that some believe the countdown bezels were only produced for 2913-1 to 2913-3, but I've also read that the countdown bezels were only delivered to the American market. Would anyone be able to shed some light on whether there is a definitive answer on this?

I had a countdown bezel on my 2913-5 which I believe was original as it was concave and the numerals had that fuzzy look in the macros, although it may of course not have been original to the watch itself.

 

Yes, the CD bezel was primarliy on the -1 to -3 subreferences. But remember these subreferences were produced within a short timeframe of each other (especially the last 5 subreferences)...and the "swop" periode could interact up or down with a subreference or more. I like to say that a -4 also could have had the countdown bezel and perhaps a -5. The -3 were produced from 1958 into 1960 and the 4 to 5 only first half of 1960. But a -7 subreference is produced mostly in 1961, so not likely that the old bezel was used on this!

Where did you read that?
That would imply that only cal. 500 (US export version) 2913's would have had the countdown bezel. I have seen no evidence of that. Is your 2913-5 a cal. 500 or 501? and serial? Is the OP watch a cal 500 or 501?

The best evidence I have (and not that good, since it's marketing - but there are NOT many original countdown bezels left on 2913's, so hard to research. Most 2913-1 to -3/4's have no insert or redone inserts and some the countforward) ... is the below snip from an old Omega brochure, where they "explain" the transition from countdown to countforward/elapsed time (and also the change from BA hour hand to BA minute hand).
I still think this change was global and merely a design change. Elapsed time bezel and BA minute hand are generally more useful from a diver/market perspective... I guess.

 

Thanks for the great info as always, and what you say makes a lot sense.

Sorry I should have been clearer. That the countdown bezel may have only been for 2913s delivered to USA was simply something that the collector who sold his 2913-5 to me mentioned in one of our email correspondences. Unfortunately I do not know of many examples to be able to verify this possibility.

Coming back to the OP's watch, I agree that the bezel condition does not look congruent with the dial's condition and so, original or not, it is likely to have been a replacement at some point.

 

@kox do you know the date from this brochure ?

 

May I say this forum is fantastic. Where do you find this kind of info for free!?! Just by posting a watch...

 

I was just thinking the same thing. It’s amazing that this information is so readily available.