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Help Identify This Watch Please

F
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This watch was my grandfather's. I remember him wearing it everyday until he died. I inherited it 30 years ago and wear it occasionally. He bought it new in the 1950's is what he told me.
After all these years I was wondering if anyone could tell me what model it is and maybe when it was made?
Thanks for any help.
Edited:
 
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filfb22
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First of all, extremely nice watch with a fascinating set. Not having inherited any watch from family members make this example even more fascinating.

I suspect an Omega 302 caliber inside the 14K gold case. I guess early 50s but checking the serial on the movement would be a more precise way of putting a date on it.
 
Davidt
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Lovely heirloom.

I believe (bit not 100% certain) that Apex was a case maker, so it’s a 14ct case made for Omega by Apex. The serial to date it is on the movement but may also be on true paperwork. Probably a 9 digit number starting with 1.
 
Dan S
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Davidt Davidt
I believe (bit not 100% certain) that Apex was a case maker, so it’s a 14ct case made for Omega by Apex. The serial to date it is on the movement but may also be on true paperwork. Probably an 8 digit number starting with 1.

FIFY. 😁
 
UncleBuck
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Welcome to the forum and thanks for sharing this beauty!
As said above, get a competent person to take the caseback off and get some pictures of the inside caseback and the movement.
Due to tariffs and restrictions on gold watches, it was common to import movements and to case later and I believe that is what we have.We may not have a specific model number.
However, the movement number will help us date things.
The dial has been repainted at some point and that used to be a common practice when servicing. Watchmakers have some disease forcing them to restore "new and shiny".

The real value of this watch is in viewing the exact image your Grandfather lived with and imagining the travels taken together. How cool to be reminded of him everytime you look at this beauty.
It has some gold value but the fortune is in the history.
Please get back to us when you get some more photo's and we will discuss what needs to be done to make this wearable for the millenia (in dry weather, don't get wet).
Take good care of your future heirs watch!
 
F
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UncleBuck UncleBuck
Welcome to the forum and thanks for sharing this beauty!
As said above, get a competent person to take the caseback off and get some pictures of the inside caseback and the movement.
Due to tariffs and restrictions on gold watches, it was common to import movements and to case later and I believe that is what we have.We may not have a specific model number.
However, the movement number will help us date things.
The dial has been repainted at some point and that used to be a common practice when servicing. Watchmakers have some disease forcing them to restore "new and shiny".

The real value of this watch is in viewing the exact image your Grandfather lived with and imagining the travels taken together. How cool to be reminded of him everytime you look at this beauty.
It has some gold value but the fortune is in the history.
Please get back to us when you get some more photo's and we will discuss what needs to be done to make this wearable for the millenia (in dry weather, don't get wet).
Take good care of your future heirs watch!
I will try to take the back off and get a few pictures.
Unless a watch maker took it upon himself to repaint the dial I know may grandpa never had it done, he wasn't that kind of a man. To him this watch was just that, a watch he wore everyday. He was a builder and I can remember watching him frame houses wearing this watch when I worked for him in the summers.
I know the last time it was cleaned because I had it done for him because it stopped working for him, that was about 1990.
The watch maker I took it to was an old watch maker that serviced the railroad watches for a lot of the local railroaders. I can remember him telling me it was a nice watch. I've been wearing it more lately because it deserves to be worn and I'd keeps excellent time. I can remember my grandpa telling me to wind your watch the same time everyday and count the turns.
So I'm guessing there's no model name for this watch?
Thanks for the help.
 
SOG53
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Dial photos are blurry- is it possible to get better focused higher resolution shots of dial face on not at an angle- Font looks a bit wobbly in photos but could be crystal distortion at an angle
 
F
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SOG53 SOG53
Dial photos are blurry- is it possible to get better focused higher resolution shots of dial face on not at an angle- Font looks a bit wobbly in photos but could be crystal distortion at an angle
I'll try to get better pictures. It was night and I had to much glare from lights.
 
Davidt
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It’s certainly been redialed. Common practice decades ago.
 
Davidt
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The outline around the sub second indicator is quite crudely done.
But most of all, look at the word OMEGA. The OME are on a similar level, but the G is starting the get twitchy feet, then the A is positively leaping skyward.

Overall the quality simply isn’t there for it to be an original dial
 
Dan S
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Yes, there is no doubt that the dial has been repainted. For people who are familiar with vintage Omega dials, it's easy to tell. As David mentioned, years ago, it was very common. These watches were not waterproof, and dials were often damaged by moisture. When a watch was serviced by a watchmaker, repainting the dial was offered as a standard service.
 
gatorcpa
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The one on the left looks similar:

upload_2023-8-26_15-34-40.png


Hard to be sure.
gatorcpa
 
UncleBuck
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Glad you got it open! Any movement or caseback shots?
 
F
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I started to lift the movement out of the case but the winding stem was kinda stuck and I didn't want to force anything. Should the entire dial, movement with the winding stem all come out of the back together?
 
UncleBuck
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F Falcom
I started to lift the movement out of the case but the winding stem was kinda stuck and I didn't want to force anything. Should the entire dial, movement with the winding stem all come out of the back together?
Glad you stopped, the stem tube looks hairy, we need an evaluation from the experts!
 
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