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Routemaster
·I’ve recently cleared my parents’ house of 60+ years, as my mother has had to move to a care home.
In a drawer, I found the old Omega watch that my late father had worn up to around 1978.
I vaguely recall him telling me that he had bought it just after WW2: it was inside a brown envelope on which he had written.
Over the years the ink has faded but it was just possible to discern that he’d bought it as War Surplus from John Bull, in Peter Street, Bedford, in 1946.
That makes sense because he had grown up in Bedford, his mother still lived there at that time and he was de-mobbed from the RAF that year, in which he had been ground crew, having volunteered in 1940 and been trained as an Armourer (Gun).
Although he served with a Servicing Commando unit from late 1942, I think it’s unlikely that he would have been issued with a watch whilst in the service.
It’s surely more likely that he saw aircrew wearing such watches and heard their positive reviews!
Anyway - the watch still works and keeps good time, though it operates for no more than about 10 hours on as much as I dare to wind it.
I shall keep it and would like to wear it regularly - should I entrust it to Omega in Switzerland via my local dealer, or is there an alternative?
Constructive comments very welcome!
Thanks in anticipation
I forgot to add - there are no markings on the rear of the case, and -
What colour and strap type might it have been supplied with? I remember my father having stainless steel expanding bracelet for years but that wouldn’t have been original.
In a drawer, I found the old Omega watch that my late father had worn up to around 1978.
I vaguely recall him telling me that he had bought it just after WW2: it was inside a brown envelope on which he had written.
Over the years the ink has faded but it was just possible to discern that he’d bought it as War Surplus from John Bull, in Peter Street, Bedford, in 1946.
That makes sense because he had grown up in Bedford, his mother still lived there at that time and he was de-mobbed from the RAF that year, in which he had been ground crew, having volunteered in 1940 and been trained as an Armourer (Gun).
Although he served with a Servicing Commando unit from late 1942, I think it’s unlikely that he would have been issued with a watch whilst in the service.
It’s surely more likely that he saw aircrew wearing such watches and heard their positive reviews!
Anyway - the watch still works and keeps good time, though it operates for no more than about 10 hours on as much as I dare to wind it.
I shall keep it and would like to wear it regularly - should I entrust it to Omega in Switzerland via my local dealer, or is there an alternative?
Constructive comments very welcome!
Thanks in anticipation
I forgot to add - there are no markings on the rear of the case, and -
What colour and strap type might it have been supplied with? I remember my father having stainless steel expanding bracelet for years but that wouldn’t have been original.
