I've been looking for a nice early Geneve for quite some time and just purchased this one. It was at the top end pricewise but the condition is very good and although the dial looks almost too clean to be true, I've scrutinised it very closely and I am pretty sure it is original and untouched. I am however somewhat concerned at the length of the minute hand, but looking through old posts here I've seen other examples with the same thing in the collections of people who seem pretty clued up.

So - should I send this back, or are the hands legitimate and I'm worrying about nothing?

 

Calling @Tony C.

 

Well, the minute hands on those models do extend a touch beyond the track, though yours looks a touch exaggerated in length. My bigger concern would be that both hand appear to be flat, while they should have a line bisecting them down the middle, and angle slightly downward. I can't really tell for sure from the photo, so please confirm, or add another image.

Regards,

Tony C.

 

Thanks for that information Tony. I can confirm that the hands are in fact flat. Does this make them wrong for the model? And if so, what's the chance of finding replacements in NOS condition?

 

Hmmm...I would say that they are incorrect.

I own one, and have owned another gold Genève, and own quite a few in steel. All are from the early period, like yours, and none have flat hands.

In terms of NOS, I wouldn't know, though it is possible that there are some out there.

Can you post any other photos of the case and/or movement? I ask because I may have some further thoughts...

 

I'll have a go, the light has gone here and my camera battery is very low but I'll see what I can do!

 

No rush.

 

For hands comparison

 

These are the best I can do. I haven't any movement photos as the seller didn't have any and I decided to gamble. I don't have the tools or the ability to remove the back. I presume this is a 267. The case is marked 9 and 375 so 9 carat. There aren't any signs on the caseback of it ever being opened, so either it's never been opened or someone did so with great care and skill.

 

I see that this one here seems to have the identical case so I'm now thinking mine is probably also a Dennison. It also seems to have flat hands, not that this counts for a lot when a shop is selling something but an image search for 267 Omega Geneve brings up a small minority of other 9ct gold cases with what look to be flat hands. I'm now wondering if the Dennison case has anything to do with this. Might these hands have been supplied by Dennison along with the case?

 

I will defer to Tony on this, but I had 3 of these. One had flat hands and the other 2 were faceted.

 

Thanks Joe, I saw your post in another Geneve thread with the black dial and I thought the hands looked pretty similar to mine. Sounds like you no longer have these watches - do you recall if the one with flat hands had a Dennison case? I think they also made these in stainless steel but I'm not certain.

I'm really curious about all this, because a few other Geneves seem to have these hands, perhaps replaced, I don't know, but this particular watch is in such good condition that there seems no obvious reason why anyone would put new hands on it. I'm leaning towards keeping it whatever the outcome and doing nothing to it in the immediate future.

 

I still have 2 of the 3, both are ref 2754 (so not Dennison cases). I'll try and find pictures on my home computer.

 

I suppose that it is possible that a different hands set was supplied for the Dennison cased versions. I've never owned one.

Here's one with flat hands, though they look a bit off to me:

https://www.poshtime.com/497.165/Omega-Geneve-9ct-Gold-c.1956.php

And another:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OMEGA-GEN...-CIRCA-1956-/361729014252?hash=item5438bab9ecPurchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

That could be an explanation for why they are uncommon, assuming originality. Perhaps there was an inside joke in Bienne, along the lines of: "Those British are so boring, perhaps we can get rid of these flat hands that have been sitting for years in the parts department, and they won't even notice!"

 

I saw those, also this one which is also a Dennison. There are others scattered around the Internet, some redials etc no doubt but it seems strange that quite a few in otherwise good condition have the flat hands.

I can just hear those Swiss jokes about the Brits. "Those British! They're so boring, their cheese doesn't even have holes in it!"

 

Ref. 2903/cal. 268 (c. 1959-60) with "Fab. Suisse Swiss Made R/" case and flat hands (minute hand is shorter than the one on your watch):


I have a ref. 2981/cal. 491 (c. 1958) that has flat hands as well. In fact, the vast majority (if not all) the 2981s I've seen have flat hands....

 

The cal. 491 2981 was a late version of this (script) model, so I think of it as being in a different category. However, it is true that they featured flat hands.

 

Here's a 9ct 267 with a very long minute hand and what look like flat hands, though from that photo I can't be sure.

I've decided to keep this watch. The overall condition is very good, the dial is nothing short of remarkable and early Geneves are now extremely difficult to find in good order. I'm veering strongly to the opinion that the hands are original to it and if it turns out they're not, I can live with them until suitable replacements turn up - if ever. I might never know for sure, but that goes with the territory when you collect anything vintage. It's a lovely watch either way - and Mrs. E has been casting covetous eyes upon it!

 

Bringing this thread back because here's another 9ct Geneve with flat hands. Everything has the same "sleepy" look of untouched age.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162242771683?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

I'm now convinced that flat hands are a typical original feature of early Geneves in 9ct Denison cases. Being for the UK market would account for their rarity in the US. Here's a photo from the listing for reference.

 

Flat hands may be a feature of the late 50s Geneves (cal. 267/268) and not specific to the Dennison-cased watches.