Hi All

This is my first post on the forum and I'm hoping you Omega experts can help this novice identify my Dad's old Omega. I've tried entering the reference # on the case back and the serial number on the Omega Vintage website but it doesn't match any models. I can tell by the serial # that it is from 1954, but that's all I've been able to discover. Any help with the model name etc. would be greatly appreciated so I can learn more about this watch.

 

Welcome to the forum. Would you also be able to post a picture of the dial?

 

Just one of many Omega watches produced which do not have a model name or a line (Seamaster etc) which they belong to.

 

Here is the link to the Vintage Watch database on Omega's site filtered to Caliber 266:

https://www.omegawatches.com/en-us/vintage-watches?v_watches_calibre=2963

 

Your won't find it there. Case references are only used for watches that were made completely in Switzerland. Some movements were shipped to the destination company and the cases were made locally (presumably because it was cheaper - less taxes). Omega has no records for these cases to my knowledge.

 

Good to know!

 

Thansk so much for all your help. I've added a photo of the dial as requested.

 

Sure they do. There are many examples of non-Omega made cases on the database. The OP's doesn't happen to be there, unfortunately.

 

Sorry, I'm a novice can you tell me what OP's are?

 

Thanks for that! The case reference # on the case back is 2743-3 but when I entered that on the Omega Vintage website nothing comes up. "Can't find products matching the selection". Not sure id this helps but I thought I would share anyways...

 

Right, it's not in the database. However, just as an FYI, you don't want to enter the "-x" part of the reference number anyway. Generally the reference number is the part before the hyphen, and the digit(s) after the hyphen designate a variation of the reference, and the database doesn't track those. So in this case, you would just enter "2743" ... but it's not there anyway. Hope that makes some sense.

 

Thanks Dan! I have to admit I didn't think it was going to be this big of a mystery. Is it common to have watches that don't show up in the database?
I asked Omega Vintage about the watch (provided ref # & serial #) and they said I can pay 130 Swiss Francs to get an extract on the watch but I wonder if that's even worth it given that its not showing up on their database.

 

Certain references aren't in the database, and as mentioned earlier in the thread, your watch appears to be an example of the type that was "cased" locally. To save on fees/tariffs, Omega sent movements to various countries, where they were assembled into watches using locally made cases. Apparently, these are often not in the database (although @Gordon Heavyfoot) pointed out that sometimes they are. Bottom line, the database isn't complete.

Regarding purchasing an extract, I'm not sure what would happen for a locally cased watch. If you request the extract using movement serial and case reference, and they don't have a record of what case the movement was put into, they would just tell you that they don't have a record of it and refund your money. Or if you just requested an extract using the movement serial number alone, maybe the extract would just say that the movement was shipped to such-and-such a place on such-and-such a date. Someone else will know better.

 

Original Poster. In this case you.

 

I cant thank you all enough, I really appreciate all your insights and expertise. I have one more question..any idea how I could go about valuing the watch for insurance purposes without a specific model to reference or compare it to?

 

Just my opinion, but honestly, I don't think you should bother. The monetary value isn't enough to worry about (especially assuming you have a deductible), and you can't replace the sentimental value.