Hi everyone,

So I have been hovering around the forum for a few weeks now and finally decided to sign-up and have a chat.

I was lucky enough to be given my Dad's Seamaster for my 21st birthday (6 years ago) and I enjoy wearing it every day. I have just sent it off to be serviced, I really wish I had taken a before photo so I could show everyone on here how it looked before and after however hindsight is great I have been told.

I have just bought the omega designs book so if anyone wants any info from it when it arrives I will gladly assist.

So over the past few years as my taste has refined I have fallen in love with the classic watches omega and other people have made. So I purchased the following watch to add to my small collection (I have other watches but nothing fancy). I have a little question, I know I need to give it a service but how far should I go with it? Do I also get it polished etc?

I also have another question, I think it's a 1953/4 however I cannot figure out if the watch face is original as I cannot find an exact match in color and numbers. the number inside is 13322.

I know I can get loads of answers but I want to hear from you what I should do.

 

I'm far from an expert but the dial looks totally original to me. (And with a nice patina). Congrats on your first purchase.

As for the service, all purists from a forum like this one will tell you to leave the case alone. Polishing it will greatly diminish its value to collectors.
It will 1/ make it look artificially shiny in contrast with the aging of the dial, and 2/ it will damage the sharp edges on the lugs, case, an caseback, which collectors look at to determine originality.

In short, purists just hate watches being tampered with.
They are considered like historic objects which should essentially be left alone--except for movement maintenance, crystal repolishing, and springbar changes when needed.

 

Syrte this is kinda what I wanted to hear haha

I have attached another photo of the case. out of curiosity what does everything mean? I am guessing the 13322 is the model and the others are hallmarks?

 

Well, again I'm far from an expert -- but what I can tell you is that in the 1940s and apparently the 1950s as your watch looks like it's from the 1950s, swiss watches were cased in the country where they were imported to avoir heavy import duties. It was cheaper to import movements that full watches.

Dennison was a famous British casemaker which provided cases for Omega, among others. (Dennison provided cases for some 1940s Omega RAF military watches for example.). Which is why you read "Dennison, made in England" on the inside case back, but "Swiss made" at the bottom of the dial. In another example, Longines watches sold on the US market during that period will typically bear case markings such as "Timed and cased by Keystone in the USA".
I'll let others explain the numbers bit, I'll learn something too--I'm better with history than numbers!

 

Thanks for that bit of info

 

Glad you joined us here. I like your watch. I like the styling of the dial. Love Omegas from the 40s through the 60s.

Like Doncaster too. Have good friends in West Yorkshire and love to visit the region.

 

Great to see your advice and explanation. A certain member that left not long ago with 1600 post could have learnt a lot from your forum presence re; advice

 

I'm a bit confused. What colour is the watch case/caseback? In some pics it looks silver, in others gold.

The hallmarks inside the caseback indicate 9ct gold (375) but I can't see the assay office stamp (second last one), last stamp is the date symbol.

Any chance of a nice clear shot of the hallmarks?

I suspect your watch is similar to this one owned by @John R Smith at the time.

https://omegaforums.net/threads/1959-dennison-omega.6975/

 

Happy to help...
does that mean there are members here who believe watches should be polished?
From the little time since I've signed up, it looked like everyone was mostly on the same page....

 

Just a member that had the advice cog a little out of sync with the rest of us.

 

Hey, I'll get a clear photo. The watch is 9ct gold but I will get some good hallmark photos before I start throwing the gold card around haha

 

Always good to have another UK member welcome

OmegaSean

 

By the way this is intriguing... how does one "leave"? Did he just OD on watches and decide to quit? Or was it something else best not to dwell upon? ... (with apologies to OP for hijacking the thread).

 

Precisely

 

Point taken then, thanks

 

Do anyone of the UK members know of any good fairs or auctions for watches? also do anyone of you meet up ?

 

very

very strange, we were just talking about Harrogate. I'm over in Wetherby tomorrow in a meeting haha