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Interesting 1954 Vintage Omega

J
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Hi, long time watch collector but newbie to the site.
I recently bought an 18ct vintage Omega with a very interesting inscription on the case back - ‘Championnats Du Monde 1954’
My watch repairer took the back off and the movement / serial number dated it to around 1954 (unfortunately I forgot to take a photo when the back was off)
I was told the watch came from the estate of a Jeweller who had a shop in Zurich.
I haven’t found any Omega’s with the same inscription online but I was wondering if Omega had any commercial involvement with the 1954 World Cup finals which were held in Switzerland.
Does anyone have any knowledge around this?

IMG_7863.webp IMG_7862.webp
 
big case
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in my opinion the engraving is not done by Omega

perhaps someone had let done this asa kind of memory

football worldcup - i think - we should find "football" also engraved

JM2C
 
Thommas
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Beautiful watch. The 1954 world cup was referred to as "Championnat du monde" as seen in the logo, so the engraving could very well be in reference to that... or not. Very cool nonetheless.

1741701669422.webp
 
big case
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formule 1, motocyclistes, cyclisme, Handball ...
Edited:
 
J
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big case big case
in my opinion the engraving is not done by Omega

perhaps someone had let done this asa kind of memory

football worldcup - i think - we should find "football" also engraved

JM2C
 
J
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Thommas Thommas
Beautiful watch. The 1954 world cup was referred to as "Championnat du monde" as seen in the logo, so the engraving could very well be in reference to that... or not. Very cool nonetheless.

1741701669422.webp
Yes it is a very nice watch and is in excellent condition. I hadn’t seen that logo before, very interesting…
 
J
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big case big case
formule 1, motocyclistes, cyclisme, Handball ...
You are correct - I guess I put 2 and 2 together and got 10 😀. I was just hop8ng tha5 as there was a direct time correlation between the Football World Cup in Switzerland and the watch, there may be a link.
 
J
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big case big case
found a doxa (caseback - picture credit from internet)

Screenshot_20250311_155352_Samsung Internet.webp
A very cool Doxa as well !! Was there just an image or any details about the watch ?
 
MtV
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J JB1964
Yes it is a very nice watch and is in excellent condition. I hadn’t seen that logo before, very interesting…
I‘d argue with the assessment „excellent condition“ to be honest as the dial isn’t original.
 
aprax
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I have the exact same engraving on my watch, a 18k 2577 with cal. 351. According to EoA also delivered to Switzerland. I also suspected a wolrd cup connection but have not found any conclusive information yet.

IMG_2255.webp IMG_4052.webp
 
padders
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That second example shown by aprax confirms my suspicion that the dial on the OP watch was replaced at some point. It does look factory but that style of dial isn't seen on a fat lug until the 1960s and never on the bumpers like the 2577. It was presumably changed at service sometime from 1960-1980. After that they used sans-serif fonts on service dials usually. It would have presumably looked like aprax's originally.
 
J
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MtV MtV
I‘d argue with the assessment „excellent condition“ to be honest as the dial isn’t original.
You are probably correct but in my defence I didn’t realise it was a Service dial. Without starting an off topic debate, say I had a period dial for this watch in good condition (not that I have), if I did a swap could it then be considered as in excellent condition even though the dial isn’t the one original to the watch?
 
J
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aprax aprax
I have the exact same engraving on my watch, a 18k 2577 with cal. 351. According to EoA also delivered to Switzerland. I also suspected a wolrd cup connection but have not found any conclusive information yet.

IMG_2255.webp IMG_4052.webp
That’s a lovely watch !! When I get the back taken off, I’ll check the movement serial number and see how close it is to yours. Very interesting to know now that this was not a one off watch, going against the argument that some random guy bought the watch and had this inscribed on the back? Not only is it the same inscription, but the same font, spacing etc..
 
big case
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it is possible, that some more casebacks had been inscripted by ... (who ever did this for what reason ever),
but you are right:

if the serialnumbers are very close together, the way for suppositions will be more clear and it
would be excluded, that some bad guys did theses engravings
 
MtV
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J JB1964
You are probably correct but in my defence I didn’t realise it was a Service dial. Without starting an off topic debate, say I had a period dial for this watch in good condition (not that I have), if I did a swap could it then be considered as in excellent condition even though the dial isn’t the one original to the watch?
No need for a defense, I wasn’t excusing you. This isn’t particularly uncommon.

Regarding your question, I’m afraid that’s a clear „no“ in my book, for multiple reasons:
There’s small details, like the hands, which aren’t correct either. You’d need the right hands with a replacement dial.
Then, your watch would technically still be what collectors often colloquially call a „Franken/Frankenstein watch“ as it’s not original but created from parts that didn’t leave the factory together.
Lastly, I’d need better pics to actually assess the condition of your watch, but from the one pic I’d say the case has seen quite some polishing and it’s lost its original sharp edges.

„Excellent“ is a rare condition among 70 year old watches. It’s not the end of the world for a piece to not be great; it can still be a lot of fun to wear. I‘m giving you my honest assessment, but don‘t let this take away the pleasure of wearing it.
 
aprax
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J JB1964
That’s a lovely watch !! When I get the back taken off, I’ll check the movement serial number and see how close it is to yours. Very interesting to know now that this was not a one off watch, going against the argument that some random guy bought the watch and had this inscribed on the back? Not only is it the same inscription, but the same font, spacing etc..
Thanks, and yes, it seems plausible now that an number of those watches might exist. Please post the serial number if you can access it.

Another thing which might be of interest, especially if another one with that inscription pops up: Mine came with an Omega box, which I trust to be the original box from the 50s, bearing the label "PFENNINGER Mulhouse". Maybe whoever arranged for those inscriptions to be applied had the inscription job done there? Pfenninger was a jeweller in Mulhouse (French city near the border with Switzerland and Germany) at the time.
 
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