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  1. Rupert Mar 14, 2016

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    Hi Everyone .. this is my first post and it relates specifically to finding the date of manufacture of my wristwatch.

    A bit of background info might be of help .. I have a photograph of my late father wearing the watch in 1954. I believe he owned it from new and it's possible it was purchased, or he received it as a gift, to mark his 50th birthday in December 1953. The watch came to me after he died in 1965 and at that time it still had what I took to be the original dark brown strap, either lizard skin or crocodile skin, but I can't really remember it that well. I have long since replaced it with a Fixoflex expanding gold/steel bracelet. Ever since I inherited the watch it has been my everyday timepiece. I confess I'm not 'into' watches and don't collect them (hope that's OK with everyone here!) but this particular one holds great sentimental value for me and I am therefore hoping that someone can shed some light on it for me.

    The watch itself in an Omega Seamaster bumper automatic calendar with the date aperture positioned at the six o'clock position (I believe this is quite unusual). The dial is white (the close-up photograph below reveals that it's long overdue for a clean .. I hadn't realised!) and the only alpha numerals are 12, 3 and 9 with the 6 position taken up with the rectangular date aperture. Other hour positions are represented by slim gold triangular markers. All twelve hour positions, with the exception of the 6, have a luminous dot.

    The word 'Omega' appears beneath the Omega symbol under the 12, with the word 'Automatic' appearing beneath that. Below the hands spindle is the word 'Seamaster' and beneath that is the word 'Calendar'. As I said, the date aperture is positioned where the 6 would normally be and right down at the very bottom are the words 'Swiss made'. There is a sweep hand to denote seconds.

    The case is steel with a screw down back. The bezel and lugs are gold (14 carat?). The winder crown is an Omega part, but not the original one.

    As far as identifying numbers are concerned, I don't really know what 'caliber' is or refers to, neither do I know whether the movement number is the same as the serial number so, to assist you, here are all the numbers to be found inside the watch (as read out to me by my friendly local jeweller) :

    Model reference number: CD 2627, movement number: 13334870, serial number: 2627-12SC and there is also an Omega stamp and the number 355.

    Before joining this forum, I emailed Omega via their website, sending in all the information I could muster, whereupon they re-directed me to their ‘archive’ department where I was contacted by what seemed to be a very helpful individual. She said that the information I gave her at that time missed one key element – the serial number. Having emailed again with the missing info, I had to wait for nearly four weeks for a reply, only to be told that she couldn’t help me because my watch was made before 2000! As she already knew that, I wondered why she couldn't have told me before I went to the trouble of looking for the serial number? Not only that, but to add insult to injury she gave me a link to an Omega archive site where apparently I can find out everything I need to know .. for a fee of 120 Swiss francs (about £85)!

    Sorry for long post .. hopefully somebody here will be able to pinpoint the date of manufacture for me.

    AX2A3745_edited-2.jpg
     
  2. MSNWatch Vintage Omega Aficionado Staff Member Mar 14, 2016

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    That serial number dates the watch to 1952 or so give or take 1-2 years. In order to get an exact date of delivery you will have to order an extract (which from this period may or may not be on record in the omega archives!
     
  3. Willem023 Mar 14, 2016

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    Regular policy: you actually tried to work your way around the long-term set rules of Omega: if you want to be sure (or: at least a referral from their archives) about the origins of your watch, pay for a ChFr 100 extract. They will have older dates available btw: my 352RG from '52 could be traced back neatly
    Not very nice to keep you waiting, but this is how it works. You could also imagine everyone asking for this or that on their watches: they would need a whole new department for that.
    Do not feel insulted, you will last longer and live a happy life. :cool:;)
     
  4. Willem023 Mar 14, 2016

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  5. italy1861 Mar 14, 2016

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    Please get rid of that flex band, they tend to damage the lugs over time. A strap made of some sort of reptile or dead animal would be appropriate:thumbsup:
     
    Willem023 likes this.
  6. GregH Mar 14, 2016

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    The caliber refers to the movement and your watch is caliber 355
    The case reference number is CD 2627-12SC about cam look both up on the Omega vintage site
    The serial number is 13334870 and others have commented links to dating the serial number
     
  7. Rupert Mar 15, 2016

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  8. Rupert Mar 15, 2016

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    Not been a problem for the last 50 years!
     
  9. Willem023 Mar 15, 2016

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    You might want to remove the brackets...........
    ::yawn::
     
  10. Willem023 Mar 15, 2016

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    OK, this is nice: few people trying to help you, and you only response in a 'I know better' -way.
    Unless I missed a spot somewhere.
     
  11. Rupert Mar 15, 2016

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    Thanks for your reply! 'a whole new department ...' might even be called The Archive Department, which is where I believed I was being directed. Funny that the girl said she couldn't help me because my watch is pre-2000; does that imply that she'd be helpfulness itself if I had a modern Seamaster? I'm retired, so stress is not part of my make up .. but thanks for the chill pill anyway!
     
  12. Rupert Mar 15, 2016

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    Thanks GregH, that's more like the information I was after. All I need to do now is date the serial number; any advice where I can find that on here by any chance?
     
  13. Rupert Mar 15, 2016

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    Done .. result! Many thanks for that.