Hi Guys,

Ive seen this Geneve that has caught my eye. I cant find any information on it and I am struggling to find it on the database. Could someone shred some light on its credibility and does that crown look dodgy?

Regards, James

 

To expound, it was most likely in a stainless case when it left the factory in Bienne and installed into a locally made gold case after it arrived in South America. There is much less gold in it than a Swiss case, and collectors don't pay the big bucks that a Swiss made case would command.

 

Really great knowledge! Thank you, I genuinely really appreciate it.

I'm learning something new everyday.

What do you reckon it should be worth?

 

Maybe $700 to $800? That doesn't mean it wouldn't be bid up higher if on eBay because there are a LOT of vintage watch buyers who don't know the difference between a true Omega sanctioned case and a knock off. If you get 2 or 3 naive bidders things can really get out of hand. The real deal of this is easily a $1600 watch in that condition.

I'll give you an example using another brand. I bought a Longines, unseen, because a friend who didn't know the brand said it was a caliber 3oL inside an 18ct rose gold case. Asking price was a mere $450, and I got it for $400. I thought it would be an easy $1000 watch despite it being generic no-name model (meaning non-series, like a Flagship). Upon arrival I took it to a watchmaker who checked it out and told me the case had about $150 - $200 in scrap value because the gold was built up around a brass base. A Swiss made Longines case of that dimension (36 mm) would have easily had $550 in gold value. No worries though - it was still a nice watch. After a good spa treatment and a new strap I sold it for $600. Not a loss, but not really a gain if you say all the effort and time I put in was worth only $60-ish.

 

I thought it was too good to be true.

Is this something that Omega did, putting them in South American cases? Or was it individuals trying to scam people?

 

I thought the Omega cases made in the US/UK/France were under Omega supervision? Obviously they must have been licensed, as they used the Omega logo. But was it always the case it was without supervision/QA?