Help needed on a cal. 33.3 watch

Profiler · Aug 13, 2020

Hello everyone,
I'm posting here some pictures of my 33.3 watch which belonged to my late father and recently underwent a professional restoration job from a Swiss artisan which involved the following:

1) Research of the original dial, as the one which was in place allegedly wasn't original
2) Substitution of the crown (the one in place wasn't original)
3) Reshaping of the case, as it was deformed
4) Overall revision and parts cleaning

The artisan sent me the pictures of the finished work (I still don't have the watch as the Covid-19 regulations prevent a safe shipment) and he did an extensive research, consulting also auction experts.
Unfortunately, as far as I know, no other watch seems to be like this one. There are a few which display a rather different dial and its year of fabrication should be 1939 or 1940.
The Omega Archives service couldn't help me since they told me that records from that period are damaged or lost.
I'm also searching for an original box where I could store the watch.
Any information or expertise about this item would be highly appreciated and I wish to thank you all in advance.
In the pictures you will see the watch before and after the restoration took place.

airansun · Aug 13, 2020

There’s a family of Tissots with very similar dials, also 33.3 caliber.

One page out of a Dutch (I think) reference.

I’d guess the hands are incorrect for the dial, but I don’t know for sure.

You know he changed your subdials when he redid it.

There are people here with greater expertise than mine.

🍿

watchyouwant · Aug 13, 2020

Oh dear....., That Artisan killed the soul of that Chrono. Shiny new dial does not capture the former beauty at all. But that's only me.....kind regards. Achim

Profiler · Aug 14, 2020

watchyouwant
Oh dear....., That Artisan killed the soul of that Chrono. Shiny new dial does not capture the former beauty at all. But that's only me.....kind regards. Achim

You're right with regard to the charm of the patina, but unfortunately it looked like the dial which was featured prior to the restoration wasn't original. Unfortunately even the Omega company seems to be clueless about it or doesn't care to provide a service for old watch owners/restorers, so that doesn't make things easy

DON · Aug 14, 2020

I think the restorer did a wonderful job. Looks like it just left the factory or maybe the way it looked when the OP's father walked out of the store with it.

Watch obviously had a hard life and if the case was out of tune. The original dial could have been damaged and refinished which is why it didn't look right

Movement looks good, crown looks like it fits to the case style. Overall. Nice job on the restoration

DON

Profiler · Aug 14, 2020

DON
I think the restorer did a wonderful job. Looks like it just left the factory or maybe the way it looked when the OP's father walked out of the store with it.

Watch obviously had a hard life and if the case was out of tune. The original dial could have been damaged and refinished which is why it didn't look right

Movement looks good, crown looks like it fits to the case style. Overall. Nice job on the restoration

DON

Thank you. It was surely a challenging job, given the lack of information or reference. The crown is for sure (or better still, until proven the contrary) original but the big difficulty regarded the case, as the artisan was not sure the metal would have survived the stress of a counter-torsion without damage

Profiler · Aug 14, 2020

airansun
There’s a family of Tissots with very similar dials, also 33.3 caliber.

One page out of a Dutch (I think) reference.

I’d guess the hands are incorrect for the dial, but I don’t know for sure.

You know he changed your subdials when he redid it.

There are people here with greater expertise than mine.

🍿

Thank you for your help and for the pictures. I'm not an expert, but yes, seems like at the time Tissot, Lemania and Omega were sharing some common calibers and designs, so your remark is spot on 👍

The hands should be original. There are a few, although not many, Omega watches from this period with Breguet hands.

The dial should be original but that is a major source of controversy because unfortunately the Omega records do not exist anymore, so it's a huge guess. Only thing I can tell you is that as soon as I sent him the pictures, the artisan told me plain and simple that the dial was NOT original. I tend to trust him, since he seems to really know a lot, but no hard proof can be submitted 🙁

Oku · Aug 14, 2020

Profiler
The hands should be original. There are a few, although not many, Omega watches from this period with Breguet hands.

Except for the chrono hand. I believe this to be a later replacement. In the 30ies and 40ies, chrono hands usually had a tear drop tail like on any pic that @airansun provided. The chrono hand's shape of your watch imho is a later design. In particular on your first pic, you can also see that the blueing is different.

Profiler
The dial should be original

With Breguet hands, I would have expected Breguet numerals on a watch of that era. But who really knows after all these years?

Profiler · Aug 14, 2020

Oku
Except for the chrono hand. I believe this to be a later replacement. In the 30ies and 40ies, chrono hands usually had a tear drop tail like on any pic that @airansun provided. The chrono hand's shape of your watch imho is a later design. In particular on your first pic, you can also see that the blueing is different.

With Breguet hands, I would have expected Breguet numerals on a watch of that era. But who really knows after all these years?

Point taken. Yes, the chrono hand looks different from all the other 33.3 cal. watches I have seen so far, so you might truly have noticed an important point.

Regarding the Breguet hands, they are quite uncommon, but I have seen some items which didn't feature Breguet numerals. Obviously, what remains to be seen is whether these are original or refurbished. Anyway, I'm enclosing herein a picture to give you an idea

OmegaP99 · Aug 14, 2020

It came out beautifully and I also think it's exciting to see it as fresh as the day it was bought by your father.
I'm one for preserving original dials at pretty much any cost, but I think your restorer is right that it had a redial already, so you for sure improved it. The Omega logo is so much finer on the newly finished dial too. The whole package looks like you figured out how to use a time machine!
I hope it makes you smile every time you wear it, it's a lovely tribute to your father.

ConElPueblo · Aug 14, 2020

DON
I think the restorer did a wonderful job. Looks like it just left the factory or maybe the way it looked when the OP's father walked out of the store with it.

...

Movement looks good, crown looks like it fits to the case style. Overall. Nice job on the restoration

DON

Count me in as a fan as well. I think it looks great 👍

Profiler · Aug 15, 2020

OmegaP99
It came out beautifully and I also think it's exciting to see it as fresh as the day it was bought by your father.
I'm one for preserving original dials at pretty much any cost, but I think your restorer is right that it had a redial already, so you for sure improved it. The Omega logo is so much finer on the newly finished dial too. The whole package looks like you figured out how to use a time machine!
I hope it makes you smile every time you wear it, it's a lovely tribute to your father.

It's the well known paradox of the Ship of Theseus. Whenever we have to restore something old or of significant meaning, substitutions are inevitable, thus we wonder if it can be described as "original" or not. Both parties are right, however what made me decide for the operation was the fact that apparently the dial had already been changed, so my aim was to get the "original look", rather than the "aged yet refurbished" look.

watchyouwant · Aug 15, 2020

How did you know the " original look " , if your research and the factory could not help? Kind regards. Achim

Profiler · Aug 15, 2020

watchyouwant
How did you know the " original look " , if your research and the factory could not help? Kind regards. Achim

Simple. I didn't know 😀
That's the reason why I cherry picked an artisan with whom I liaised for quite some time through e-mail and who told me in advance the steps he would take in order to ensure a successful job. That also included that he seeked external advice from reputable people who worked at jewelleries, auction houses, etc. He is also a proficient watchmaker and attends every year the Baselworld Fair, so he has many connections in the field.
That's why in many circumstances which involve complex decisions, you have to commit yourself to an expert

OmegaP99 · Aug 15, 2020

Profiler
Simple. I didn't know 😀
That's the reason why I cherry picked an artisan with whom I liaised for quite some time through e-mail and who told me in advance the steps he would take in order to ensure a successful job. That also included that he seeked external advice from reputable people who worked at jewelleries, auction houses, etc. He is also a proficient watchmaker and attends every year the Baselworld Fair, so he has many connections in the field.
That's why in many circumstances which involve complex decisions, you have to commit yourself to an expert

I like the cut of your jib.

Franco · Aug 16, 2020

I think is a good job, but it is the discrepancy with the rest of the watch which like less. The dial should show some signs of age, uneven oxydation etc

Profiler · Aug 17, 2020

Franco
I think is a good job, but it is the discrepancy with the rest of the watch which like less. The dial should show some signs of age, uneven oxydation etc

Unfortunately I don't think this is possible. As I wrote earlier, the age signs surely give a more personal feeling, however the priority was to ensure that the watch would have been brought back to the original dial

watchyouwant · Aug 17, 2020

Again: nobody knows ( as you told us ), what the original dial looked like. Now you have a repainted dial, fresh from the repainter. The subdial numerals do not fit the existing subdials. Too small. It does not matter, because you got what you wanted. But this might not be the original look of your vintage Omega. So, let's say, it is an repainted Omega Dial with a fresh look, the fonts not belonging to the repainted dial. Will serve for many years to come. Kind regards. Achim

Profiler · Aug 17, 2020

watchyouwant
Again: nobody knows ( as you told us ), what the original dial looked like. Now you have a repainted dial, fresh from the repainter. The subdial numerals do not fit the existing subdials. Too small. It does not matter, because you got what you wanted. But this might not be the original look of your vintage Omega. So, let's say, it is an repainted Omega Dial with a fresh look, the fonts not belonging to the repainted dial. Will serve for many years to come. Kind regards. Achim

I would definitely trust (until proven the contrary) the artisan who restored the dial, since he did some reputable research on the field.
Can you prove your point with some original catalogue extracts, do you claim to have some expertise in the field or did you do some reliable research? I'm interested in your point or your remarks, as long as they rest on solid evicence. Is it too much to ask for?

OmegaP99 · Aug 17, 2020

I'd like to request some outdoor shots so we can really see this one sing. I bet it looks even better with sun on the dial.

Help needed on a cal. 33.3 watch

Profiler

airansun

watchyouwant

Profiler

DON

Profiler

Profiler

Oku

Profiler

OmegaP99

ConElPueblo

Profiler

watchyouwant

Profiler

OmegaP99

Franco

Profiler

watchyouwant

Profiler

OmegaP99

Similar threads

Help needed on a potential Seamaster 166.009 buy

Omega Stories: Omega Museum No.3 1945 Officer’s Chronograph - A Cal 33.3 Tribute

Help needed on this Zenith Rainbow.

Advice needed on how to proceed with a Cal 321 2915-1

Help Needed on Vintage Omega

help needed on SM300 CK14755