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Help ID’ing vintage Omega...

Doles75
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Hi. N00b here. I would love this forum’s advice on any information about a vintage Omega that belonged to my great grandfather. I know he bought it at Tiffany and Co. in New York. My guess is it was from the 1950s based on his lifetime and when automatic watches went more mainstream.

I’d also love advice on a restorer. The band is obviously not original. My goal is a complete restoration so it’s heirloom quality for me and my son. Thanks!
E4753D0B-6808-4C98-93A7-063B2270832C.jpeg FC9647F3-D6AB-4EE4-84F2-A39000F287B3.jpeg 68526DA2-5836-4789-B9A3-9DD40A2291A5.jpeg EE162F36-2D6D-4AF7-8C92-90574185E1FA.jpeg 1422E756-D044-440B-A762-0C2A102606FE.jpeg
 
Foo2rama
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Looks like it dropped an hour marker so they took of 3 of them to even it up.

Interesting piece. To know more we would need to see the movement and inside the case. You would need a jeweler or experienced watchmaker to get inside the watch.

After that you can contact omega and pay a fee for an extract to verify the Tiffany connection.

I think it’s a bit earlier then you think it is.

I see a gold hallmark on it which is good.
 
padders
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Foo2rama Foo2rama
Looks like it dropped an hour marker so they took of 3 of them to even it up.

Interesting piece. To know more we would need to see the movement and inside the case. You would need a jeweler or experienced watchmaker to get inside the watch.

After that you can contact omega and pay a fee for an extract to verify the Tiffany connection.

I think it’s a bit earlier then you think it is.

I see a gold hallmark on it which is good.

As I understand it, extracts do not confirm shipment to Tiffany, only Tiffany have a record of that, and they ain't telling. As such a Tiffany marked dial is a bit of a poison chalice, it adds interest but there is no way to verify that it is original. That doesn't look like any Swiss case I have seen so there may well be vital info to be found from the inner caseback, it could be a local US made case. Opening it up is the next step. The missing dial indexes do hurt though.
 
Foo2rama
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padders padders
As I understand it, extracts do not confirm shipment to Tiffany, only Tiffany have a record of that, and they ain't telling. As such a Tiffany marked dial is a bit of a poison chalice, it adds interest but there is no way to verify that it is original.
I’ve seen an extract marked sent to Tiffany’s New York.

Omega has records of who they sent the watch to.

unless I’ve lost my mind which is always a possibility.
 
padders
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Worth a try then but I am fairly sure that it is hit and miss. With most of these double signed pieces you are operating mostly on hope rather than proof.
 
ConElPueblo
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padders padders
That doesn't look like any Swiss case I have seen so there may well be vital info to be found from the inner caseback, it could be a local US made case. Opening it up is the next step. The missing dial indexes do hurt though.

I haven't seen a bumper chronometer like this one before, but the two gold hallmarks on the case is a Swiss... Hallmark.

Interesting what research will show! 😀


Btw, @DON has dial furniture that will likely be of help: FS - Vintage Omega movement parts and dial indexes | Omega Forums
 
Doles75
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Foo2rama Foo2rama
Looks like it dropped an hour marker so they took of 3 of them to even it up.

Interesting piece. To know more we would need to see the movement and inside the case. You would need a jeweler or experienced watchmaker to get inside the watch.

After that you can contact omega and pay a fee for an extract to verify the Tiffany connection.

I think it’s a bit earlier then you think it is.

I see a gold hallmark on it which is good.
Thanks. It wouldn’t surprise me if it was earlier than the 1950s. Great idea on contacting Omega to see what archival information they have on it. I quickly noticed the missing hour markers. I don’t know whether my grandmother might still have them around somewhere. She took it to a local jeweler years ago to have it looked at. She was told it was a lost cause due to the scratched glass and dial oxidation, which is obviously wrong.

My hope is that a restorer can offer advice on replacement parts...either matching period style 3-6-9 markers or something else.
 
ConElPueblo
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Doles75 Doles75
Excuse me being naive, is bumper the case style?

Bumper is a nickname for the movement type. Most automatic winding movements will have an oscilliating weight that winds the movement, but due to patents on that design, a lot of manufacturers had to develop other systems; Omegas is a so-called "bumper" where a weight gets knocked from side to side, hitting springs to bounce it around and thereby winding the mainspring. These are the earliest Omega automatics and are a post-war to mid-fifties novelty. Yours is, I would guess, from the very early fifties, possibly late forties.

Looking forward to seeing more of it 😀
 
Doles75
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ConElPueblo ConElPueblo
Bumper is a nickname for the movement type. Most automatic winding movements will have an oscilliating weight that winds the movement, but due to patents on that design, a lot of manufacturers had to develop other systems; Omegas is a so-called "bumper" where a weight gets knocked from side to side, hitting springs to bounce it around and thereby winding the mainspring. These are the earliest Omega automatics and are a post-war to mid-fifties novelty. Yours is, I would guess, from the very early fifties, possibly late forties.

Looking forward to seeing more of it 😀
Thank you. That makes complete sense.
 
Doles75
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X350 XJR X350 XJR
This one has a horribly refinished dial. 🤮
My hope is the dial on my great grandfather’s watch is the original version.
 
Flip
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Doles75 Doles75
My hope is the dial on my great grandfather’s watch is the original version.
No doubt it’s original but I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong 😉
 
Doles75
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Flip Flip
No doubt it’s original but I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong 😉
Now the issue is what to do with it. 😗
 
gatorcpa
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Flip Flip
No doubt it’s original but I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong 😉
I believe it to be original as well. Tiffany usually added their name to the dial after production. This example seems consistent with that premise.

“Swiss” on the dial of an early 1950’s bumper movement generally denotes a US market model. Again, the story fits.

Perhaps a master jeweler can create new markers using one of the existing ones as a cast.
gatorcpa
 
Doles75
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gatorcpa gatorcpa
I believe it to be original as well. Tiffany usually added their name to the dial after production. This example seems consistent with that premise.

“Swiss” on the dial of an early 1950’s bumper movement generally denotes a US market model. Again, the story fits.

Perhaps a master jeweler can create new markers using one of the existing ones as a cast.
gatorcpa
Thank you for the extra detail. I like the idea of obtaining an original to use as a cast.
 
X350 XJR
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The missing markers on OPs watch are likely faceted daggers.
 
Dr No
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Here's one that belonged to my pal West Coast Bill.

omega_5276366.jpg

[my 2365 left, Bill's 14311 right]

Sad to say Bill let it go earlier this year.

Art
 
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