Info needed about my watch please

Hello good people of Omega forums.

Sadly I have recently inherited my dads Omega chronograph watch. I intend to pass it straight on to my adult son but would like to do so with as much info as possible so he is knowledgeable about it. I know very little so this is all I can tell you:

It is a chronograph with the flat buttons.
It is fitted to an Omega 7912 stainless steel bracelet that is dated January 1965.
I believe it to be the original bracelet thereby dating the watch to circa 1965 BUT it is possible that the watch is older and had a new bracelet after some time. Sadly nobody is alive that remembers when it was first purchased new.
The good news is that it was little used, if at all, during the last 40+ years so it is in great condition and works perfectly. It all seems original but I can not verify that. I love it.

Any thoughts about model, actual date etc would be great. Also approximate value so that I may list it on house insurance if needed (don't worry, if it is common as heck it makes no difference to me). Oh and one more thing, can anyone recommend a watch expert for service in the North east of England? I know I need the back off to get detailed numbers etc but thought it safer to have a professional attend to that.

Thanks for your time.

Hi Shrimpy, welcome and sorry for your loss.
It is a beautiful watch and it should have a calibre 321 movement inside. I suspect it might be a ref 101.010 but, as you say, you’ll have to open it up and read the inside of the case back to be sure. Also, a nice (and valuable) bracelet, apparently in good condition, could very well have been fitted to the watch at the time of purchase.
Value-wise the thing I consider to be detracting is the condition of the dial (and, to a lesser degree, of the hour and minute hands). The dial has been repainted at some point, with some artistic liberty. Looks quite clean and orderly nonetheless. For insurance purposes, taking a wild guess, I'd say £2,500 with bracelet, if the movement is ok.
There is a current thread about watchmakers here:
https://omegaforums.net/threads/looking-for-a-uk-watchmaker.133557/

Hello Aprax.

Thank you very much for your advise and opinion. I looked around and had come to the conclusion it was most likely the 101.010 to which you refer so it's good to know I was in the right arena. Having viewed many images, including Seamasters etc with the bezel, I also came to the conclusion that I liked the look of it more than any other. It certainly keeps time impeccably well.

You must have zoomed in on the photos because yes the hands show the ravages of time when viewed very closely. Also, I thought when looking at the hands that the dial seemed to be in better condition than I would have expected, as if restoration could have taken place. I also thought that some of the numbers around the perimeter looked a little imperfect when zoomed in on high resolution but I could not be sure if they were made like that or if it was the result of repainting so again, thanks for clarifying that (see photo below of perimeter numbers).

The watch was passed to my father from his father so it is now going to it's fourth generation, my son. Unfortunately my grandfather died suddenly (he was due to retire on his 65th birthday on a Monday so finished work for the last time on the Friday before but on the Saturday morning he died suddenly just one day from his pension). The result of this suddenness is that my father never got the full story about the watches history but the accepted theory was that is was presented to him for his 50 years service to the same job from age 14 to (nearly) 65!

Anyway, I'll definitely see to getting the watch covered against loss or theft based on your opinion. I live in the middle of nowhere so visit the big city rarely but will endeavour to get it looked at professionally when I get the chance. I want to confirm the facts and also assume that a mechanical service is in order to ensure trouble free running for some time. I'll update this thread with the results afterwards.

I would be pleased to hear the opinion of those 'in the know' about further restoration? For example, in it's current condition it is perfectly usable and shows maturity of age rather than poor condition so looks 'vintage' rather than 'old and tatty'. I think that at this stage further visible 'improvement' might not be warranted and may detract from that maturity (except maybe cleaning or replacement of the hands which do somewhat let it down). I'm happy to pay for further restoration but my gut tells me less may be more if you know what I mean. Wondering if others agree.

Many thanks once again.

Thanks Dan S, couldn't agree more.

So pleased to find this source of Omega wisdom today. Happy days.

While it's not original, it is extremely well done. I'd probably leave it as is, as well. There is something to be said about heirloom pieces and following the philosphy of former owners. I have my father's watch, a gift from my mother on occasion of their wedding. The dial deteriorated over the years and when asked if he wanted the dial refinished, my father was always adamantly against it. He rarely wore his wedding ring but he always wore his wedding watch. I keep it as he did.