Becouse I am insane ...

I impulsed a ladies Omega on goodwill. 61 bucks plus S&H. Did not think I would win the auction. I struck out on the empty 351 cases. Forgot to bit on some others last week or underbid.

Figured this would be another underbid.

I still have not cleaned up the ladies Omega watches I got last year. So why do I want another? No details on the size. I have a bunch of 1/4 inch straps. The description is fuzzy. says 6 inch wrist. Probably another 10mm lug size.

Well I do tell people I collect vintage Omega watches ...

(And it even is supposed to come with a certificate of authenticity.)

It is really about the anticipation of something different.

Sometimes the waiting and refreshing the tracking report is the best part.

Then there is the box before it is opened ...

Most of the recognizable stuff on GW gets bid up quickly. They test for gold, so any gold scrap is easy to find searching for 14K.
I like it as there is a lot less to wade through. Much is sold in bulk lots.

During the early days before the pandemic it was not as well known. I found it through the vintage computer enthusiasts. Now it is "discovered." It think this may be the first omega I have actually won. I was using it for cameras and lenses. Especially the obsolete formats like APS. Old cameras are full of motors sensors and gears.

On the other hand it has been great for the A Schild watches. I have also found older Apple watches tend to sometimes be reasonable. One really has to know what one wants and willing to invest the time watching the listing.

I have also noticed the cheap stuff is often in better condition than other sites. Less bunged up or worked upon.

It is interesting that I seem to have fallen into bad habits from the 1990s. Where I could not pass a cheap watch without wanting it. That idea that one needs to get the watch when one can.

In a lot of ways the low end has not appreciated as much as the high end. If it was expensive when new, it probably has held value.

Arrived early this morning.
I could hardly wait to see if the 1/4 inch strap I got a while back works on it. (a bit narrow.) I also had to look up the ref (511.168) and the approximate date (1966) No match the vintage Omega site though. With these ladies cocktail watches, they mostly list the gold ones.

Does not run though. I have parts and a caseless 480 movement (This has a 484) I also have a caseless 483 movement.

Counting the line items in my inventory and adding in the pocket watches. I seem to now have around 30 Omega branded watches or movements. 8 or so which do not have cases. Should have made it a rule decades ago to only buy complete watches ...

Yes.
The certificate has a QR code which states the same thing as the certificate and a few additional photos. Nothing about the case ID, SN or movement caliber. It also has some hillarious typos. The whole side of a column is missing.

More like "Women's watches are trendy disposable watches." Women do collect watches which are more jewelry items. I used to like to go through the watches in my moms jewelry box. Most were never worn. When worn they are only used for an evening out 4 to 6 hours.
Could be that a lot of them are 'gifted.' Styles change quickly. One does not want to get caught being out of style. (Or the opposite which is to be seen copying the current trend.)

Curiously there is evidence that Queen Elizabeth the first had a watch embedded in a bracelet. The skull shaped Memento Mori is attributed to Mary. So women have been wearing watches for a long time.

I suspect most do not return to a given watch once it is past it's prime.

Most of the watches I have are somewhat disposable after a fashion. Almost all are pre-owned. I am having a hard time thinking of any watch I got new directly from a retailer.

I'd say there is less of a chance of getting a fake women's caliber. Except I have seen the ladies watches faked as well.

Last fall I picked up some ladies Tag/Heur watches. I almost bid on an Invicta this weekend but opted for the Autoquartz instead. Sometimes large watches have their use. The speedy certainly is not small, I used to wear that a lot till the crystal got scratched. Was surprised that the chronostop is also one of my larger watches.

Like anything else fads and fashions ebb and flow. I have often been a decade or more ahead of the times. I personally like the simple almost midcentry minimalist look. Never been much into bling. But that may be from my Calvinist ancestry.

Taking a little break from sorting Landeron parts to sorting Omega parts.

I have had a lot of these parts for decades. I bought what at the time seemed like a large assortment of omega spares. Occasionally I have added to it here and there.


In this lot was a Genéve Dynamic dyal with a hairline crack. It is still a pretty dial.

The crack is not all that noticeable. under normal viewing conditions.

For the last 18 mints or so I have been looking for a case for this. Or a movement with a repainted dyle. Came close a few times. There was one in Argentina I watched for what seemed like nearly a year. Seller would not do less than 80. Eventually it sold I really wanted one for 40. But the shipping was that again. There were other instances that came up like wack-a-mole most looking over polished removin the side brushing or missing the back strap retaining ring.

A couple weeks ago this turned up.



The perfect case, and exactly what I wanted to pay. It arrived over the weekend. The dial fits it nicely.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, there has been this pawnshop seller with 300K items. Most selling for under 10 bucks. I bought a few small things from them. Notably Some Valjoux 23/24/72 parts with a minute jumper. And for next to nothing. Any one part in the assortment was worth the whole of the bid.

I then saw a listing for a 505 movement. With the low starting bid of 99 cents USD. I knew I had a bunch of 500 and 550 parts. Most of the quick and dirty research showed the 135/6.033 taking a 565 movement. This is the date version. So I thought perhaps a 505 might be a no date base caliber. I was thinking the 6 meant date. (I mixed up the case reference and the caliber.)

The 99 cent watch was a real disaster of a rusted wreak. So I thought I might have a chance at it. I set my upper limit. Then waited. As expected The price shot up in the end. Then with a few seconds to go I was outbid. I then decided to test the waters expecting perhaps the competitor was going to double my limit. I bid another 10 bucks and ...


I now had to wait for it to arrive. Which it did today.

In the meantime I started researching. The 505 is actually a constellation movement. Some consider it to have been one of the best. The good news was it used 330 and 470 parts which I have.

Of course watchmaking is not a fairy tale. (or is it?) Sadly the dial feet for the Genéve dial do not align. Still it is a pretty neat movement. This was always a risk. Much of what makes the chase fun. And I now have more parts to chase down.

What I did get was exactly what I expected. A bunch of rusted parts from a pawn shop estate consignment dealer.



The escape wheel does not swing free. Hairspring does look good. The palet fork bridge is off, So someone must have removed the balance at one point. The fork pivot is broken, by chance I actually have one of those arbors. I have three set lever springs. The rust is not quite as bad as I expected. Mostly the cannon pinion. Barrel cover and arbor are missing, which I expected. Lots of little screws.

I do have a package for a 470-1400R. It only seems to be the gear part and not the pivot. Such is the fairytale world of watchmaking weirdness.



The I phone has trouble taking close up beauty shots. At least it does show the SN and I can add it to my list. I think the number puts it close to the mid 1950s. So this is probably not a good candidate for the Dynamic.

By chance I do have a decent Seamaster dial. What looks to be in good condition. This dial does fit the movement.

Hands for the Dynamic will be an issue. There is a set for 100 bucks for sale no seconds hand. Esty list some but for the 1000 series movement for a bit less and include a seconds hand. I do have an envelope marked Han-1347 and 360 13.5mm. They ar probably a bit long for the seamaster dial. A bit thin for the Dynamic. I also have a lot of (mostly) unsorted hands.

I could of course go full Victor F. and change the feet on the Dynamic dyle. It is cracked, and this watch will never be more than a fantasy anyway.

I did some more research. A 565 is not likely to be of use. The other ref is 601 which is not an automatic. That leaves 552. These seem to be built on the same base caliber. I have seen no guide to dial feet placement. Have not looked for such, but would not be surprised if there was one burred in an old post here.



Most likely as the wicked wizard of watchmaking would have it is the dyle is from a 1000 series. What passes for ranfft these days indicates that the hands have a different opening.

I do not know what movement is in the cosmic 2000 tuna can. That has a date. I could press it out and see what sort of dead fish is really in there.

I suspect though like the Landeron Rabbit hole, this walk through the scary woods of Omega parts will lead to more instances, where one watch begets parts that want to parthenogenesis into two. It was hard enough coming up with this Dinamic case. So if I do want to keep the dyle feet, then do I look for and other case and dyle. I still have the two ladies variations. (not quite ready to handle the 671 movement.)

Still it is nice to actually be working with Omega again.

.. and I have a case clamp, crown and tube coming later this week for the 2577 frankenPhantasywatch.

(Did anyone say crystal?)

More like a bezel for an A Schild 1746. I think they breed like cockroaches. At least I figured out with some effort and garden culling how to breed a 505. It even now has it's own little cardboard box to germinate in.