Hey Guys,

I'm new to Omega watches, well vintage watches in general. I've always purchased ones that I liked as long as they were well-made or if the price seemed right, but I'm just starting to get into it more as a hobby instead of a mere infatuation lol. I'm a jewelry dealer by trade, so I run across the occasional unusual piece. Pleased to meet all of you and while I may not be able to contribute much to start (unless for some reason there happens to be a rant on antique Mexican silver), I do look forward to reading and learning.

To that end, I picked this up from an antique dealer yesterday and would love any information you can provide. With my limited skills, I believe it to be a 1938 Staybrite and with the way the movement is screwed into the case, an early method/attempt to make it water resistant?

I would love to know 4 things:

1. Is that the correct model and year designation?

2. Would the current condition warrant any type of preservation or restoration to help the value?

3. I couldn't find any type of value in my searches, except one guy in the UK selling what appeared to be the same model in much better condition (though restored) for - L1250. I'm not sure how much of what he was saying was a sales pitch and how much was genuine:

http://www.antiquewatchcouk.com/watchesforsale/omegawaterproof3.htm

Any help on the value of this particular piece I picked up would be appreciated (just so I know whether or not to revisit the guy and relieve him of a couple of teeth) lol

4. Is there a good resource I could use to find out some or all of this information so I can be more self-sufficient and not bug you guys.

Thank you very much and look forward to meeting you!

Jason

 

Hi Jason and welcome.
Sorry I can't help with your watch, to me an unusual piece. You have come to the correct place for good advice.
As always with new members suggest setting yourself an avatar, you may not have very long before one is allocated and that is a gamble you may not want to take
Kind regards

 

Thanks Alpha! Appreciate the help. I've noticed there are some very knowledgeable people around here. Glad I found you guys.

 

Hi Jason,

you have got a lovely example of the 30ies as it looks, containing a Cal. T 17 movement which is very reliable and has a power reserve of about 60 hours (which is very much!).
However the watch in the provided link is quite different from your´s - make an accurate comparison: his watch is much longer and is an early attempt of a waterproof/protected case... these are rarer than your watch. Although your watch is uncommon too.
Your watch seems to be in original condition and unmolested, dial has only minor signs of age and is unrestored, original hands, edges and angles of the case still crisp...
I can not make an educated guess about the value as I can not judge the condition of the movement. From what I can see I would say in this condition it is worth $400 - 500, given the fact that the movement is OK and not rusty or totally scratched...

Kind regards
Erich

 

Thanks a lot for the help! I haven't opened the back to see the movement yet, but I'll check it out and make sure. Glad I took a chance on it.