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  1. Time Exposure coordinates his cast with his car's paint job Aug 22, 2014

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    Greetings friends! Since my most recent distraction has taken me from the Omega forums, I find that I do miss the friendliness and expertise of this forum's contributors.
    An occasional visit brings me back for a comment or two. My collection has been paired down to three watches (none of which are vintage Omega), and two I plan never to sell: A Cartier Roadster that was a gift from my wife for my 40th birthday, and a watch that was given to me by the priest who married my wife and I. That watch is a vintage Omega!
    Here's the story:
    In 2009, my wife and I purchased a property that has two homes on it. While we remodeled the main house, it came to our attention that the priest who married us was looking for a new place to live. We could not ask for a better tenant for the second house!
    A few years later, while our neighbor was over for a glass of wine and conversation, it came up that I admired vintage watches. My neighbor told me the story of his uncle's gold Omega that he admired when he was a kid. He proceeded to tell me he purchased his own Omega in 1962 at the Shannon Airport in Ireland. He stopped wearing it sometime in the early 1980s, but he kept it. He said if he found it he would give it to me.
    A couple months later, he came over with the watch. A classy stainless steel Omega Geneve automatic with the date at 3. He recalled it was a big deal to buy an automatic watch in 1962. He said it was serviced once in the 1970s by Omega in San Francisco. When it stopped running in the 1980s, he bought a Seiko and never looked back.
    I guess 30 years spent in drawers and packing boxes somehow got the watch to running again. I broke away the old Speidel band on it, and put a nice leather strap on it. Then I had the movement serviced and the crystal replaced. Lucky for me it houses a caliber 565! I also had the crown replaced, as it had a Wittnauer crown. I thought this was odd considering it was last serviced by Omega in the 1970s.
    The other peculiarity is that this 166.070 model was not available in 1962 as far as I know (serial 30,345,xxx). But who am I to question the original owner!
    Thanks for reading my story. Here's pictures of the one vintage Omega I will always have!
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    Nitzbar, Tritium, davidswiss and 7 others like this.
  2. UncleBuck understands the decision making hierarchy Aug 22, 2014

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    Provenance adds so much.
    When you know it's past story, it becomes a friend instead of just an object.
    Not just a symbol, but an actual companion from along your journey, part of your memories.
    A tie between you, your wife and the man who blessed your life together.

    Wear it in good health, my friend!
    May you pick up several more watches containing pieces of your heart.



    Please visit more often.
     
    orchidmansion and Time Exposure like this.
  3. JohnSteed Aug 22, 2014

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    That's really amazing and thanks for sharing.

    Wear in good health!
     
    Time Exposure likes this.
  4. speedbird Aug 22, 2014

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    Absolutely gorgeous. Great story
     
  5. X350 XJR Vintage Omega Aficionado Aug 22, 2014

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    Simple, elegant, classic and a great story to go along with it. :)
     
  6. bigdubnick Aug 28, 2014

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    Great story - thanks for sharing. Reminds me that the watches that came with (and grew new) stories are more valuable that what I paid for them.
     
  7. Tritium Aug 28, 2014

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    Great history!
    I like the watch, similar to my grandfather´s; the only one I wouldn´t sell.
    Thanks for sharing:thumbsup: