I'm a total amateur on watches, but I know when I like one. That being said, I inherited this Omega Automatic that my grandfather had as a retirement gift from his company. The back is engraved with his name and date of retirement being 01-08-1971 on it. Is this a good watch and what would be a baseline value today on it? I'm not looking to sell it, of course, but I am curious as to it's value. I put the leather band on; any idea what the original band would have been like? He wore it with a stretch band, as a lot of older people do, making it easier to put on and remove. I'm thinking a metal band of some sort, but not a stretch. Any and all comments will be much appreciated; I'm truly a newbie at this. I'm sorry for such a blurry pic; all I have is a cell phone, which leaves a lot to be desired. The watch is marked Omega Automatic at the top and Swiss made at the very bottom. The back is stamped 10k G F BEZ and steel back. The Omega logo is also on the wind knob.
Hmm Hard to tell with the fuzzy pic, so we'll probably need some clearer shots to identify the model. Appears to be a US cased cal 550 from the late 60s. Cheers Desmond
Welcome to ΩF, jframe Perhaps try getting a shot of it out in daylight. The phone might have an easier time focusing on the watch and revealing further detail.
The "10 K G F BEZ" means it's a gold filled bezel - a layer of 10 carat gold over a base metal. Desmond beat me to the punch on it being a 550 series automatic (self winding) movement inside. Depending on the condition, these sell for anywhere from $180 to $325. Glad you aren't looking to sell it because heirlooms are great. After all, there is only one grandpa's watch. I also inherited my grandfather's watch - a rose gold Bulova from the 40's. It might be the least valuable in my collection if you judge it monetarily, but it's the most sentimental value. I'd sooner give up any other watch I've bought than a family treasure.
Similar story with my grandfather's Credenda automatic, nobody wants a Credenda but I'm getting it serviced soon regardless.
Thanks for the replies so far; I'd love to know what kind of band would possibly been on a watch like mine originally. I wear it only occasionally, but it works flawlessly. It sat in a small lockbox with some old coins and papers and such for 33 years, from 1977 when he died, until the first part of 2010. I found it, took it out, wound it a little, and it's been running ever since.
Can you post some more better quality higher resolution pictures? Its hard to say with a small blurry image.
I will if I can find someone with an actual camera instead of my cruddy cell phone. Had a decent digital camera at one time; it was lost in a divorce, and I've yet to replace it.
Not much better; guess I'll need to try to find a camera next couple of days and repost some better pics.
Your watch sounds like my watch. Does it look like this photo? I am curious to learn more about my watch as well.
Given the original poster hasn’t been seen since 2012, I would t hold my breath for a reply. If you can get a watchmaker to open your watch, the model reference, movement number, and serial number will help you on your quest for information.