On a whim I decided to order a Birth Certificate [a.k.a. Extract of the Archives] for my lovely little Cal. 520 Seamaster. Sadly, I received this response from Bienne: I was disappointed but not entirely surprised, given the watch's unusual history. Omega is reported to have purchased a small factory in Bienne from competing watch maker Marc Favre sometime in the mid 1950s, then to have shut down the factory by end of the decade. While making watches under the Omega brand, the factory produced Calibres 510, 515, and 520 -- totaling about 95,000 pieces during the factory's short run with Omega. In light of the inability to get my watch's birth documented, it makes me wonder if the Marc Favre-born watches were ever fully integrated into the Omega house. Are there any other Extract Rejects out there among the Forum members? If so, what's the sad story?
At least you're lucky they're giving a refund. Some companies charge you 150 swiss francs( tell you they can't guarantee the result, and then keep the money even when they find nothing.