Broken down, sitting in a garage waiting room ... looking at watches for sale

.... As you do.

I've come across (stop snickering at the back) this:

Of course, I have no other photos and only a phone to research with ... I'm guessing 2957 with a 351 ... the c4e is steel while lugs are rolled gold. Something I've seen before but not often and I do quite like them. The dial looks period but I've not seen exactly that dial.

So the usual question ... do you think the dial is correct to the watch?

I realise the crown is wrong; hands look period; case seems good ... I can inspect the watch this afternoon, so any pointers as to what to pay particular attention to will be appreciated.

I know nothing about Omega but since I really like those numerals I’ve looked at the steel versions and the shape of the case and hands match the style of the dial. (Also the dial size and placement of index track seem to match the case perfectly).
So don’t rely on me alone but I really like it... dibs if you buy it!!! 😜

I'll bid it for you if you really like it. Estimate is £2-400.

Thank you for the lovely offer.... I must admit my dibs are future projects as I’m on a strict mission to consolidate right now. 🙁

If you’d like to get it for yourself here’s for comparison one sold previously by @Modest_Proposal (which I sadly missed):

https://omegaforums.net/threads/vintage-omega-35mm-automatic-2638-4.53945/#post-658399

Well, I got her. I had to pay over the top end of the estimate, but I got her.

And that's when the argument began ...

... I'd viewed the watch on Friday and again on Saturday morning. The watch was in very good condition; everything working as it should and the only issues were some wear on the plating on the edge of the bridge; dirt in the movement and an incorrect crown. When I collected it after the auction, I pulled the stem to set the time and it felt a little stiff. It then wouldn't push back. I went to the auctioneer straight away, explained and showed the problem, we had a chat and he took the watch away to talk to one of the valuers. Basically, he came back and said "not our problem".

Thanks, guys.

Kinda took the shine off the purchase.

Still, a little manipulation and the stem is freely moving back and forth. She'll be going to the spa in a couple of weeks, when I have time to drop her off but in the meantime, here she is:

She's a 2851-1 with a 342 movement numbered 11462xxx ... the 2851-1 came out in 1948 and the 342 (according to the venerable Maddox) was first released in 1949 (as an improvement on the 20.10RA PC). The serial number puts me at the end of 1948, so I'm thinking that this is one of the very first 342's ... any opinions are absolutely welcomed.

Congrats 😀
What size is it in the end?

32mm, 35 with crown and 41 lug to lug. Maybe I'm a little odd but, despite my size, I like smaller vintage watches.

I’m obviously biased, I like them too 😀

It's one of the things that drew me to the watch ... I've just been comparing the 2s to the 9 on mine while trying to work out what might be marks on the dial and what's caused by the crazing and distortion in the glass. I think this dial's almost as clean as yours.

Here is the Tissot cousin (hand wind) I purchased from @ConElPueblo in the summer. Super happy with it and great provenance 😉

I've been driving most of the evening so I only glanced at your watch earlier. The 8 mirrors the 2 very nicely. I do enjoy these old numerals. From the nouveau of the 20s through deco and post, there was so much variation and thought that went into these fonts. Something that seems to have become much more standardised today. Thinking about this briefly, it seems that indices replaced these fonts towards the end of the 1940s and, while I like so many of those variations, I think that watches as a whole became poorer for the loss of these dials.

Agreed, although 1940s designs are clearly back in style, judging not only by the success of Nomos but also from designs like these....

Here is its automatic brother

Such a beautiful pristine dial 👍