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Early 1903? Omega Wristwatch

efauser
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Mansfield, Ohio is also home to the Ohio State Reformatory where the Shawshank Redemption was filmed. The prison may have still under construction when this watch was made, as it took from 1886 to 1910 to complete.
 
obstando
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gatorcpa gatorcpa
That’s because factory cased wristwatches at that time used pre-existing ladies pocket watch movements. The archives of the watch companies are frequently incomplete, so there is no reliable way to prove whether a watch started life as a wristwatch, or was recased sometime later.
gatorcpa

There may be no reliable way with Omega but IWC are quite specific as they record that the watch was issued "with lugs"
 
gatorcpa
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obstando obstando
From that image I’m not convinced!
The auction listing claimed to have a Certificate of Authenticity from Omega.

What is your issue with the auction description?
gatorcpa
 
OMTOM
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obstando obstando
I would love to see some examples of any genuine 1900-1906 wristwatches
Have a look in AJTT, Chapter 3
 
OMTOM
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gatorcpa gatorcpa
saw this Omega from 1905
And here we see the style of the early wristwatches - quite different from the 'cushion-shape' in the video posted above, which surely dates much later that the video claims.
And it also confirms the point from @JimInOz about the watch in that video - that "the size of the wire lugs is out of place with a watch from the first decade of the 1900s".
 
JimInOz
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Something kept nagging at the back of my brain, so I went back to my bible, the Omega reference AJTT.

There in the early section on wrist watches, were some examples of advertisements from Kirby Beard & Co Ld.

Kirby Beard appear to have been a department store that sold everything from sewing needles to anything you could wish for.

They advertised Omega watches in the weekly French newspaper "L'Illustration", and from an advert dating to 20 June 1916 we see:

KBOWW1.JPG


Here an ad from 21 April 1917

KBOWW3.JPG


Another from 01 December 1917.

KBOWW2.JPG



So it would appear that, while the contemporary "pocket watch style with wire lugs and narrow wrist straps" was in the majority, a cushion case style with wide lugs and strap was available as early as 1916.

While this has moved my understanding of certain Omega wrist watch designs back a few years, it still doesn't convince me that the watch in the video is "The Oldest Omega Wrist Watch".
 
OMTOM
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JimInOz JimInOz
a cushion case style with wide lugs and strap was available as early as 1916.
Agreed. But 1916/1917 is a very different story from 1900. I'm afraid the claims in the video would need some explaining (unlikely!).
The first advert you show even includes an 18'''CHRO wristwatch.
 
StangerP51
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JimInOz JimInOz
Something kept nagging at the back of my brain, so I went back to my bible, the Omega reference AJTT.

There in the early section on wrist watches, were some examples of advertisements from Kirby Beard & Co Ld.

Kirby Beard appear to have been a department store that sold everything from sewing needles to anything you could wish for.

They advertised Omega watches in the weekly French newspaper "L'Illustration", and from an advert dating to 20 June 1916 we see:

Here an ad from 21 April 1917

Another from 01 December 1917.

So it would appear that, while the contemporary "pocket watch style with wire lugs and narrow wrist straps" was in the majority, a cushion case style with wide lugs and strap was available as early as 1916.

@JimInOz

Thank you for posting these ads from the Omega AJTT book. Great insights on this thread as I'm researching my own WWI-era Omega cushion. I'm waiting on details from an extract from the archives, but would love yours (& other's) perspectives on it.
https://omegaforums.net/threads/my-first-omega-thoughts-on-this-vintage-cushion-watch.118965/

This is my first Omega, but not my first WWI era (+/- years) watch -- it's officially an addiction.

Best,
Nate
Edited:
 
pedrocarlone
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Sorry to resurrect this old thread but it got me thinking about this old movement I had kicking around. Would it have come from an early Omega wrist watch or is it just a small Omega pocket watch movement? Did they make them this small? The omega symbol is on the regulator index but hard to see in my pics due to the oxidation. Thanks for any insights you guys may have.
Edited:
 
478184C2-B7B7-466C-AFFB-B5951662B026.jpeg B80C2A24-775C-4518-B88A-3FC8D8DFE407.jpeg F8FD662F-DE8A-49AB-BAEF-2DFE72171E55.jpeg
gatorcpa
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Looks like a 13 ligne movement. Based on the serial number, it’s a very early Omega, probably pre-1900, so it is definitely a ladies pocket watch movement.
gatorcpa
 
Foo2rama
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Joe K. Joe K.
Pornography...
They tend to adopt first not drive.
 
pedrocarlone
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gatorcpa gatorcpa
Looks like a 13 ligne movement. Based on the serial number, it’s a very early Omega, probably pre-1900, so it is definitely a ladies pocket watch movement.
gatorcpa
Given the orientation of the stem (at 3 o clock) i’m assuming it must have been a hunter watch then?
 
JimInOz
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pedrocarlone pedrocarlone
Given the orientation of the stem (at 3 o clock) i’m assuming it must have been a hunter watch then?

Possibly, but it could have been a movement from stock and used in a wrist watch which would align with the crown at 3.
The caliber 13''' would have been suitable for a wrist watch which was appearing in the very early 1900s (1902 onward).
The 1 million series serials ran roughly 1994 to 1902 but were used up until 1916 in low production runs.

Only an extract (if available) will answer the question.
 
mac_omega
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JimInOz JimInOz
Only an extract (if available) will answer the question.

You will not get an extract based on the movement# for one reason: early watches have to be looked up in the archives by case serial numbers unlike the watches from around 1939 onwards which are searched for by movement serial##
 
JimInOz
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mac_omega mac_omega
You will not get an extract based on the movement# for one reason: early watches have to be looked up in the archives by case serial numbers unlike the watches from around 1939 onwards which are searched for by movement serial##

So without the case, we have no case.

😉
 
pedrocarlone
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Thanks for your help.
mac_omega mac_omega
You will not get an extract based on the movement# for one reason: early watches have to be looked up in the archives by case serial numbers unlike the watches from around 1939 onwards which are searched for by movement serial##
So were early omega case numbers unique identifiers rather than just a reference to the model/style?
 
JimInOz
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pedrocarlone pedrocarlone
Thanks for your help.

So were early omega case numbers unique identifiers rather than just a reference to the model/style?

Correct. The cases were serial numbered, as were the movements (although not the same group of numbers) so it is completely normal to find a case number with a different movement number.

As @mac_omega explained, archives were registered by case number until 1939.

I don't know exactly when the company started to include model numbers instead of serials in casebacks, but somebody here is sure to know.
Edited:
 
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