Greetings -

I recently acquired the watch my grandfather received when he retired from Northwestern Pacific Railroad in 1961. He was the head electrician at the maintenance yard in Tiburon. I plan on keeping and wearing it, and would like to get as much info about it as I can. Excuse the condition, as he seems to have worn it regularly since he got it, and he was a huntin/fishin sort of guy, as well as mechanic.

Also looking for a good repairman in Northern California(Sacramento area). There is a fellow locally who is AWCI CW21 certified, and seems the best bet.

Thanks

David

 

PS - It does run and seems to keep good time, but have been advised to have it serviced before wearing it regularly.

 

Your watch is an American cased (14k gold-filled) Omega movement and dial. The movement is much earlier than 1961, and is a 'bumper' automatic dating from 1953 according to its serial number. Which all seems rather puzzling . . . the watch could certainly benefit from a new crystal

 

I love the RR inscription. Please keep this watch in the family. Get it cleaned and a new crystal or put it away and forget about it but keep it in the family forever!

JohnCote

 

Yes, I plan on keeping it and using it. Also got some furniture from the NWPRR's pres' private car. Was alway's interested in automatics, but they were usually too large. This one is about 30 mm and fits well. The 'bump' feeling may get a bit of getting used to.

 

Hope to get some more feedback. Seems I have a bit of an anomaly on my hands. maybe there was a watch buff at NWP and had it custom made. Have not seen another of this type with that Subsecond dial.

 

As a collector, my feeling (disguised as an "opinion"!) is to have the movement serviced, crystal replaced, case gasket replaced, and spring bars replaced when you chose a band for it. You may personally choose to have it polished since its not something you'll sell (collectors like unpolished cases!) but I personally would leave the case alone for a few reasons: 1) gold filled watches may reveal unsightly base metal below the gold layer (at the high points and edges), and polishing just removes gold from the thin layer that remains; 2) chances are many of the scratches and marks were put there by the prior owner (Gramps), and I would be happy knowing it was a part of my grandfather's life; 3) you can always change your mind and have it polished later, but you can't change your mind to undo the polishing once it's done.

When having it serviced, I would tell the watchmaker the story and plan: it belonged to your grandfather and you plan to wear it occasionally. I would emphasize that you want it as original as possible, using genuine Omega parts when possible/reasonable.

I'm guessing any AWCI-certified watchmaker is qualified to perform the service but I may be wrong. I trust Dan at All World Systems on Sacramento, but have limited experience with him. I'm waiting on five watches, and will let you know. The two he did for me earlier this year were so nicely done I didn't hesitate to go to him again.

 

Thanks for the advice. Plan on just having it lightly buffed. I'm sure there's a story to every ding and want to preserve the engraving as much as possible. Will have the crystal replaced, and hoping there's one available that's harder than the OEM, unless it's advisable to stick with original. Would it be a good idea to only wear it occasionally, or will it stand up to daily wear? Seems to have handled all my granddad threw at it.

Tried getting ahold of Dan today with no success. Need to go that way tomorrow, so will stop by and see what's what. Will go see the AWCI fellow if no luck there.

 

It will stand up to daily wear.
It will eventually show more wear. It's the law.

I have my grandfather's retirement watch, a Wittnauer, from 1970. I wear it only occasionally because I personally wish to preserve it, even though it has little collector value. This is how I enjoy it most.

Follow your desire. If you want to wear it every day, do it. It will likely continue keeping time for generations to follow, even if it begins to show brass underneath worn layers of gold.

 

Not to worry. Dropped it off with Dan at All World Systems and he understood that I wanted to keep it as close to original as possible, so just a polish. Will have the crystal replaced tho.

Will post a followup when I get it back. Dan seems a decent sort and confirmed he only uses Omega OEM parts. In the meantime, here's a photo of my grandfather receiving the watch when he retired. I think the older gentleman was the pres of the line and the other fellow was the foreman for the maintenance sheds at Tiburon. The watch and some other items have got me started on researching NWP's history.


From what I remember the sheds were shut down not long after he retired.

 

Wow! A great piece and a wonderful history...Love the pics-no fancy dinners or speeches, just a nice gift and a few pics out in the yard. That is the way I want to retire!!
I agree with all the opinions here; get it serviced and a new crystal, gasket, etc, but do very little else. Grandpa sounds like a practical, outdoorsy sort of guy-honour his memory by keeping the watch how he would have wanted it. And just think what stories you will have for your kids when you hand it over to them to look after for the next generation!

 

That is a really lovely picture, and thank you so much for posting it. My Dad and all his friends looked just like that

 

Greetings all -

Got the watch back from Dan at All World System in Sacramento, and he seems to have done a fine job. He understood wanting to keep it in as original condition as possible and only cleaned. No polishing, etc, just a new crystal. His rate was very reasonable. Still wondering as to what point the movement and case came together. A railroad acquaintance suggested that NWP purchased a large lot(around 1953?) and engraved them as needed. Star Watch Case Co. is no longer around unfortunately. The logo in this one doesn't match any I could find, and it's also stamped with the Omega logo.


Thanks to all for advising me on this journey.

 

An excellent conclusion to a fascinating story. It's great to see the end result, and that is now a watch to be proud of.

Thanks for getting back to us