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  1. habrisbane Jun 3, 2017

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    Dear OFers,
    I've bought one on ebay. It 's 9ct gold case with caliber 26.5.
    It looks a genuine one, but there is no case number on the back! Can someone know any information about this?
    Thank you very much.
     
    20170603_214403.jpg 20170603_214415.jpg 20170603_214505.jpg
  2. habrisbane Jun 3, 2017

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    more pic 20170603_214645.jpg
     
  3. bubba48 Jun 3, 2017

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    A franken in my opinion
     
  4. X350 XJR Vintage Omega Aficionado Jun 3, 2017

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    Could be an Australian case.
     
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  5. habrisbane Jun 3, 2017

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    Yes. I got it in Australia. The back case is heavy (5 gram), compare with another case i have which made by Denison (4gram).
     
  6. X350 XJR Vintage Omega Aficionado Jun 3, 2017

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    Serial number puts it mid 1940s.

    These AU cases did not have reference numbers.
     
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  7. François Pépin Jun 3, 2017

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    The Omega logo seems correct. It is a version of the old logo, that could still be found in non Swiss cased Omega until around the 50's. The lack of serial or ref number on the case back is OK for this kind of watch.

    I cannot read the script after the 9. Would guess an Australian case as well.

    By the way, the movement number permits to date the watch from the mid-40's, so not far from the end of the 26,5 (produced until 1950). Maybe the dial style is rather from the late 40's-50's, but nothing to worry about I think, in particular for a non Swiss cased Omega.

    As far as I can tell from your pics, I think this watch is genuine.
     
    Edited Jun 4, 2017
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  8. Aussie Jim Jun 4, 2017

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    Was this some sort of way of avoiding duties? Putting an established brand movement in a locally made case? I have a Rolex from the same era that also has an unlabelled case but seems to be completely above board otherwise.
     
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  9. X350 XJR Vintage Omega Aficionado Jun 4, 2017

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    Yes, that is exactly it.
     
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  10. JimInOz Melbourne Australia Jun 4, 2017

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    Perfectly legitimate in my opinion.

    Google Handley watch case company, they were in Victoria Street Abbotsford up until the 1960s.

    @habrisbane Does your case have a mark that looks a bit like a hand?
     
  11. JimInOz Melbourne Australia Jun 4, 2017

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    PS: The 9CT stamp looks almost identical to that used by Handley for their 9CT cases.
     
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  12. bubba48 Jun 4, 2017

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    Sorry but I never hear of Australian cases. Someone could teach me about?
    Is it normal that the case is so much larger than the movement?

    Clipboard01.jpg

    And also the dial looks small
     
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  13. X350 XJR Vintage Omega Aficionado Jun 4, 2017

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    In order to avoid import duties, particularly on gold cased watches, uncased movements were imported and put into locally made cases.

    The movement retainer ring (the part with tabs) fits into the recess in the case back aligning the movement and holding it in place.
     
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  14. bubba48 Jun 4, 2017

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    ok, thanks. In Italy we say "national cases" but they haven't any brand logo engraved otherwise it would be a falsification . On the contrary the watch of the opener has - in my opinion - a very strange logo . Moreover it seems that there is another fading one.

    Clipboard03.jpg

    This looks anomalous to me.

    I know how a retainer ring works, however - in my opinion and experience - that movement is too small for that case
     
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  15. François Pépin Jun 4, 2017

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    This logo looks like the old Omega one and could be found on non Swiss cased Omega watches. And it is perfectly normal to find such a logo on these watches as they were an agreement between Omega and the import country - likely Australia here, but also France, Enlang, the US. Nothing strange here.

    The gap between the movement and the case seems a little bit too big, but I guess it is the picture.
     
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  16. habrisbane Jun 4, 2017

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    No, it's not. But I think it has been polished and may lead to the lack of a mark?
    Thanks for all.
     
  17. JimInOz Melbourne Australia Jun 4, 2017

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    We should also consider that at the time this watch came into being, Australia had been at war for six years and the resultant effects, along with the rationing of food/clothing etc (which didn't end until 1947/48), meant that not everything was immediately available for Australian importers of Swiss movements to produce items of perfection. In many cases (even watch cases) it was almost a matter of make do with what you have.

    The age of the movement and the locally made case lead me to think it is a post war "make the best of it" situation and as such, is not a franken (IMO).

    I see franken as a term for parts cobbled together to represent a watch that never was in an effort to deceive.

    Unless I'm able to inspect the watch personally I'll have to live with my assumption, rightly or wrongly.
     
    Edited Jun 4, 2017
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  18. JimInOz Melbourne Australia Jun 5, 2017

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  19. tamiya Aug 19, 2017

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