New Member And My Little Collection

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Hi all,

I've just joined and thought I'd say hello. I've had an unhealthy obsession with Omegas for just over a year now, and I'm based in Manchester, UK. And since no good watch thread is complete without gratuitous watch photos, here's my little collection.

Sorry in advance for the quality. I should really get a macro lens for our micro 4/3s, but these are sadly taken on a combination of iPhone and an equally bad beat-up compact in macro mode.

Those of you also on Watchuseek will have seen them before, apologies again (hello to CanberraOmega and others).

First of all; my first Omega, which will probably be of most interest to this particular forums. A gift from my employer in 2008, it's an 18k late-60s De Ville with the solid 565 calibre:



My employers chose well. It's not super fashionable, but then I don't think it's ever going to be really unfashionable either. The dial has a nice brushed metal effect (you can just make it out in the above pic) and appears to be original. No movement pics... I didn't get them when I had it serviced a while back so it'll be a good few years before I get chance again.

My next Omega is really the one that caused my addiction. A Speedy Moon To Mars, which I first saw in 2006 and lusted after for years before finally being able to pick one up about 12 months ago. I'm a complete space buff. The pic is probably even worse but then you've all seen 'em before I'm sure...:



I was interested to see them finally dropped from the catalogue about 2 weeks ago. I paid a quick visit to the Omega pop-up shop in Heathrow T5 in December and they had one in then - presumably one of the very last. It was numbered about 6240, giving you some idea what the issue for a "numbered edition" could mean... First Omega in Space owners take note. Mine is #6071. I was interested to see how different the sub dials looked on the one in T5 when I compared the two side by side - apparently they are all different and no two outcomes of the screenprint were ever quite the same. Not quite the same level of uniqueness as the Speedeorite, but still...

And finally, my latest purchase. I picked it up in a UK auction last summer. It's in the queue at my watchmaker's so I've yet to find out whether I bought a reasonably priced daily beater or a piece of franken junk. I'll be interested to know what you make of it:

Original 70s box?




Inside the box is.... a Geneve Dynamic on a genuine but recent Omega strap with the Dynamic buckle. It's got a highly polished case - the later 166.0107 reference:



The auction picks weren't super detailed. Sadly the dial has superluminova, not tritium so is at best a late 90s service replacement. At worst.. I don't want to consider that. The hands are aged and yellowed nicely.

Still, there are rays of hope. It also came with this:



A much older Dynamic strap, worn for so long the stitching is completely gone. Interestingly it's fitted with the oversized Chronostop "ID tag" deployant. I believe these were available as an after-market option back when Omega still did a made to measure service before the quartz crisis.

So I hope it turns out to be all original, just overhauled by Omega within the last 20 years. My watchmaker is also going to refit the Chronostop deployant onto the recent strap, which will be very sweet. I'll post pics of the movement and refitted strap when I get it back.
 
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Nice collection mate and welcome, we've got quite a few UK blokes around!
 
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Ok, although I'll need time to come up with something original ;-)

Set an avatar btw!
 
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Welcome. I keep on getting suckered in by some of those blue dynamics! Don't have one yet....
 
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I finally got my Dynamic into the workshop with Duncan @ Genesis Watchmaking, and look what pleasant surprise he found inside the case. It might not be the prettiest movement in the world but it's so clean you could eat your dinner off it:

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And when he put the watch on the timing machine look what he found:



Unbelievably low beat errors on a watch that's 40 years old this year... and as good on the inside as it looked on the outside.

Duncan is also going to sort the strap for me, so soon I'll have some wrist shots of it on the Chronostop deployant...
 
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Nice, not bad for a movement that wasn't chronometer rated to begin with after 40 years
 
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Nice, not bad for a movement that wasn't chronometer rated to begin with after 40 years

Yes, a little down regulation and it should be spot on...
 
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An excellent tale for a beautiful collection, Mathlar, welcome and thanks for sharing.
 
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Nice watch Mathlar. I always like blue accent dialed Dynamic. Hopefully your wife doesn't find it too funky for you.........😀
 
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Warren - Really...!! ::facepalm1::

My estimation of you has just slipped off the end of the earth.


Oh and Welcome to the fun house Mathlar
 
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It's an entirely period correct clip for Mathlar's funky Dynamic 😜
 
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It's an entirely period correct clip for Mathlar's funky Dynamic 😜

I know but still 😉
 
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Serial number from '73 suggests to me this is an early 166.0175 from the first year of Production in '74...