Greetings Forum, It was my Mother's 86th birthday last Wednesday and we decided to combine the late Easter holiday with a trip to London this weekend to visit her for a Sunday dinner at my brother in law's place. My eldest daughter of 17 has over the past couple of years developed an interest in jewellery (as they do) and knowing her grandmother was a collector of various victorian items was keen to peruse her pieces and persuade her to part with a few items. I recollected that she had a pocket watch belonging her father so I asked her to bring that along too. It was smaller than I recall but nevertheless an impressive piece, shiny gold with his monogram engraved on the case back (ROW = Richard Owen Williams) and an impressively weighted rose gold Albert watch chain. She was keen to hand on the watch, seemingly happy to hand over responsibility to me as I promised to do some research on the item and see what I could find out from the members of the forum. From what I could find out it seems to be an Omega open faced pocket watch with 18k gold case and Calibre 19 ligne movement. The case is numbered (3103176) but the movement is not. The dial is enamelled with roman numerals, blued pear hands and sub second dial, in good order save a small crack near the twelve. But whilst inspecting the dial the crystal came loose, fell out and broke. I'm devastated. How could I be so clumsy? I just wanted to share some pictures and find out a little more about the watch. So if anyone has any further information I be happy to hear, and in particular if you have any recommendations for any UK based watchmakers who are able to service the watch and replace the broken crystal. Many thanks to the OF in advance
Looks stunning! Sorry to hear about the mishap with the crystal. Hopefully someone can point you in the right direction to source another!
Case serial numbers generally do not match movement serial numbers. Your case has the Omega stamping in the case back, but often, cases were not made by movement manufacturers. Much earlier pocket watches than yours may have serial numbers that match. That is likely because standardization had not evolved to the extent it had when yours was made. I’ll go out on a limb and suggest the watch was not originally exported to the British Isles as it lacks the English standard mark for 18-karat, the hallmark, and the date letter. The case (I would suggest) is Swiss made, and if it had been made for export to the British Isles, it would have had the marks I mentioned above. The glass can be replaced. The hands show RUST! The crystal was likely an early plastic one. They off-gas as they turn yellow, and the result is rust on steel hands. Insist on a GLASS crystal when it gets replaced. The hands can be improved, but restoring them may or may not be possible. Nice to have.
All what @Canuck said. Case number dates to about 1902 or so. The movement serial may be on the main plate under the dial. If you can't get a glass crystal replacement, a modern plastic one should be fine, they don't give off fumes like the early celluloid ones did. Maybe @ChrisN would be able to do the service, not sure if he does vintage watches but a PM to him will sort that out.
I find it odd that the movement is marked Omega on the balance cock, but the dial is not marked. If a serial number had been placed on the movement, it would have been like most Omegas- in an arc around the crown wheel. Most collectors look for “triple-marked” watches. Makers name and/or trade mark on movement, dial, and case. The balance cock being marked R (retard), A (advance), F (fast), S (slow), means it might have been intended either for domestic use in Switzerland, or for export to an English speaking country. I wonder if there are markings behind the dial. Hmmmm! Bit of an oddity.
Not really odd when you consider the possible date of the watch (1902ish?). "Omega" was the name given to the 19''' caliber in the mid 1890s, and I don't think the company actually used the company name "Omega" until the Brandt brothers changed the company name to Louis Brandt & Frére Omega Watch Co in 1903. Here is a pic taken from AJTT showing a very close match to the OPs watch.
Thanks for the comments and information. Concerning the case markings - if the date is around 1902 as @JimInOz suggests then this is consistent with this article from Vintage Watch Straps that suggests that the Swiss markings (including the Helvetia head denoting 18 carat) were used on UK imports from 1880 up to 1907 after which the British hallmark system was used. http://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/swisshallmarks.php I found this info on case numbers - not sure how definitive the source but my serial number fits within a 1902 to 1907 window which would still align with the 1907 switch over from Swiss to British hallmarks. Source: http://www.omega-fanatic.com/pages/gallery/omega-codes-and-movement-numbers-2253.php
I have bought a few crystals from wcmfg_crystals on Ebay and have been very happy with them. The crystals he sells are thick and nicely beveled glass.