I have inherited a bumper automatic Omega that I think was my dads, and I am hoping this forum may be able to help me track down some info about the dial. Dad died in 1969, and the watch has been sitting in a box in a cupboard ever since...

The reference number on the movement is 2438-4, and the serial number 10866226. With some assistance from the folk on Watchuseek, it appears the watch is likely to have been manufactured some time after 1944- perhaps 1946. The movement is likely a 28.10 RA.

If I google 2438-4 all the images that return are similar and they have what I believe is called a "central chapter ring" on their dial. My watch does not have this central ring but rather a dial that looks similar to the dials found on 1960's watches eg case ref 14761. Also this watch is stainless and the markers on the dial are gold, which doesn't seem to be a common combo for that era?

Would anyone know the process Omega used to assemble their vintage watches ie would there have been a specific combination of case reference number, movement number and dial for each model or band of serial numbers, or were different combinations used? And if the latter, who decided the combo?

I've been through old family photos and found one showing dad wearing a watch which looks like the Omega with the chapter ring style dial. If this is the case then I assume dad may have replaced the dial possibly to modernise the watch?

I'd be most grateful for any input anyone can provide. I know next to nothing about watches.... At the start of this journey I had no real interest in the watch but I've become a bit obsessed

 

I think you may be right in that the dial was replaced with a later one, perhaps in the distant past. It’s not like any ‘40s bumper I have seen but the fonts do look old so it’s unlikely to be a recent redial IMO. Presumably the hands were changed as originally it they would have been shorter. It might have looked like this for 50-60 years.

 

Good detective work so far.

While Omega generally kept case reference and movement aligned, there may have been rare instances that were not, probably more likely during the WW2 era.
The dial question is harder to answer as a reference could have many dial styles produced in small batches. One way to see what your Dad's watch may have looked like is to research as many reference 2438-4 with close serial numbers and see if there is any commonality in dials.

On to your watch.

I suspect that there was some water ingress and subsequent damage at one stage. The condition of one bumper spring, and the condition of the movement spring and the corrosion it's caused where it contacts on the caseback indicates to me that it was relatively serious.

This may have lead to a dial replacement with a contemporary item, as with the hands.

Back in the day, this would have been seen as a good outcome as people weren't POPs (pedantic obsessed perfectionists) and just wanted a nice looking watch that worked.

 

Thanks so much guys for taking the time to respond

I've managed to find half a dozen watches on line with different dials in cases marked 2438-4. I have shown them below in order of their serial numbers


All of the watches except mine and the first have the short hands and central chapter ring.

I have a photo of Dad before he got married in 1957 (no wedding ring wearing a watch that looks as though it has the central chapter ring


I also found a reference to a purchase price. 'Swiss retail price (1949): CHF 178'. Its expensive today but would have been a small fortune then, so I'm thinking he wouldn't have had more than one! It all fits together that the dial and hands have indeed been changed, and Jim I suspect you are spot on with the water damage theory.... I had a lose look at a photo of the case, and there are indeed the rounded marks of the rusty movement spring

And then my final forensic journey.... There are also some marks on the inside of the case which I believe are service marks? Do they have any significance to anyone here? Also when I get the watch serviced, are there likely to be identification marks on the back of the dial?

Thanks so much again

 

Great research. Some of the watches you included have refinished dials, but I know it's hard for you to distinguish that. Anyway, in looking at your Dad's photo, I agree 100% that the watch had a chapter ring dial, and I'm sensing that it had shorter hands, although that's more a gut feeling. However, is that the same watch?

Like the others in this thread, I believe the current dial on the OP watch is later than the movement. There are clues. For example, if you study the shape of the Omega symbol, you will notice the way that it evolved over time. In earlier times, the "O" shape usually narrowed towards the bottom and was very non-circular. Later it evolved into a more circular shape. Of course, to recognize this, you first have to eliminate the refinished dials from consideration.

By the way, it's a minor point, but "chapter ring" refers to the outer ring(s), not the central circle.

Edit: Regarding the service marks, they are generally incomprehensible, most just codes that only the watchmaker understands. The back of the dial may have manufacturer marks. It's possible they might be helpful in dating the dial.

 

Thanks Dan- I'm not 100% sure it is the same watch but I cant help thinking that my mum wouldn't have gotten such a valuable mans watch from anyone else and given the price point I would be surprised if my dad had more than one..... So I will never know for sure but on the basis of probability I would have to say it is the same watch.

On my journey of discovery I have grown very fond of this watch, and actually prefer the (to me) simple plain dial with its unobtrusive chapter ring Who would ever have thought I would have this journey with an old watch?? So I shall get it serviced, replace the crystal and get a funky new strap, and enjoy carrying a piece of my heritage around with me

I will let you know how I go with manufacturer marks on the dial, and would also like to thank everyone on these forums for their generosity in sharing knowledge. Its much appreciated and very infectious!