Do 1940's Omega watches have a logo on the crystal?

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Deafboy

·Sep 7, 2022

Mine is a 2421-2. No logo on the crystal so I wonder if it's original.

Edited: Sep 7, 2022

 

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watchyouwant

·Sep 7, 2022

I would not expect a logo on an original 1940's dress watch. And I would not really expect to find an 1940's , still with the factory crystal , after 75 years.....

 

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Deafboy

·Sep 7, 2022

watchyouwant

And I would not really expect to find an 1940's , still with the factory crystal , after 75 years.....

Is there a way to determine if the crystal is the "correct" one for this model? Or even determine if it's an Omega?

 

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Caliber561

·Sep 7, 2022

Weren't a good number of watch crystals in the 1940s made from some variant of clear celluloid? Hence why a lot of watches have yellowed, almost wrinkly crystals.

 

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JimInOz

·Sep 7, 2022·Melbourne Australia

Caliber561

Weren't a good number of watch crystals in the 1940s made from some variant of clear celluloid? Hence why a lot of watches have yellowed, almost wrinkly crystals.

Probably more like the 1920s and prior. Acrylic crystals have been around since the 1930s, although there could have been some watches using the older celluloid.

 

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JimInOz

·Sep 7, 2022·Melbourne Australia

Deafboy

Is there a way to determine if the crystal is the "correct" one for this model? Or even determine if it's an Omega?

No.

If it fits well and has the correct profile it could be original, or it could be a replacement, there's no way of knowing.
However, with the age of the watch, if the crystal was original, I'd expect to see a lot of structural degradation, e.g. micro cracks in the plastic.

 

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Deafboy

·Sep 8, 2022

JimInOz

No.
However, with the age of the watch, if the crystal was original, I'd expect to see a lot of structural degradation, e.g. micro cracks in the plastic.

That"s a good point; there is little or no crazing to be seen, which indicates it is probably a replacement.

 

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JimInOz

·Sep 8, 2022·Melbourne Australia

Back in the day, any decent watchmaker usually had something like this in their workshop.
It was quite a routine task to replace a scratched/broken crystal.
I think @Archer still has a vintage cabinet in his modern workshop.

 

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Archer

·Sep 8, 2022

JimInOz

Back in the day, any decent watchmaker usually had something like this in their workshop.
It was quite a routine task to replace a scratched/broken crystal.
I think @Archer still has a vintage cabinet in his modern workshop.

I do, and like most of them that are still around, it's full of crystals I'll never use, and all the ones I need are gone...