Forums Latest Members
  1. ryan22 Oct 9, 2018

    Posts
    2
    Likes
    4
    are there any ways to match exact movements with exact cases?

    Can you tell if a vintage watch has been replaced with another identical movement?
     
  2. Dan S Oct 9, 2018

    Posts
    18,604
    Likes
    42,875
    That question is way too vague. Please ask a specific question about a particular watch ... and include lots of good photos.

    And while you're at it, you might want to introduce yourself and let us know a bit about the context of your question. Welcome to OF.
     
    ryan22 likes this.
  3. Foo2rama Keeps his worms in a ball instead of a can. Oct 9, 2018

    Posts
    17,045
    Likes
    25,211
    Generally no for vintage as cases don’t have serial numbers. There is no way to assure a movement and case left the factory together.

    After around 1990 or so Omega started putting the serial number matching the movement on the inner lug.
     
    ryan22 likes this.
  4. guaranteed.rohu Oct 9, 2018

    Posts
    1,178
    Likes
    6,042
    I think I understand what you mean, and no I don't think there is any way. To my knowledge anyway, no manufacturers would keep any record of the movement to the watch case that it ships out in (for vintage pieces). I might be wrong, but in my time I'm pretty sure that's how it works.

    No idea about modern pieces, but I assume it's similar.

    The only case where you might be able to tell, are pieces where the movement is in extremely limited production.
     
    ryan22 likes this.
  5. Dan S Oct 9, 2018

    Posts
    18,604
    Likes
    42,875
    There are many examples where you could tell that a movement was incorrect for a case based on the serial number of the movement and the timeline of the reference. We shouldn't generalize about this.
     
    YOSDav and ryan22 like this.
  6. ryan22 Oct 9, 2018

    Posts
    2
    Likes
    4
    Thank you all for the quick reply. This was what I was trying to ask. I understand that you can find which movements should be in which cases depending on the references as shown in this listing (http://www.omegaenthusiast.com/OMECONNIERGHAHSSVNEPFull.html)
    I was just unsure if omega had some way of connecting exact singular cases with exact singular movements. I thought the serial number would be on the case and movement. I apologize for being so vague.

    I am also sorry for not introducing myself. I am a Vancouver high school student who’s looking to purchase his first vintage omega. I Have been going through these forums for a while and just made this account to prepare for my first vintage purchase.

    Thanks for the help

    Ryan
     
    Foo2rama, Dan S, Davidt and 1 other person like this.
  7. STANDY schizophrenic pizza orderer and watch collector Oct 9, 2018

    Posts
    16,311
    Likes
    44,717
    Unless you buy a watch off the guy that bought it brand new it is pretty hard to work what was on a watch when it left the shop all those years ago.
     
    ryan22 likes this.
  8. Dan S Oct 9, 2018

    Posts
    18,604
    Likes
    42,875
    You can't tell that the movement is correct for the case, but sometimes you can tell that it's wrong, especially for references that are very well documented. This is not common, however, and probably should not be one of your major concerns compared to other potential issues.
     
    ryan22 likes this.
  9. Dan S Oct 9, 2018

    Posts
    18,604
    Likes
    42,875
    What if you found an Omega cal 321 with a 26M serial in a 105.012-66CB Speedmaster case? I think you would know it was incorrect. Now that we know more about the OP, it doesn't seem likely he will be buying a pre-moon Speedmaster, but again, I just want to say that we shouldn't oversimplify his questions.

    He actually asked two questions, and they have different answers.

    are there any ways to match exact movements with exact cases?
    Answer: No.

    Can you tell if a vintage watch has been replaced with another identical movement?
    Answer: Sometimes
     
    ryan22 likes this.
  10. Lucasssssss Oct 9, 2018

    Posts
    622
    Likes
    966
    To add to this the extract will provide the case material, clearly you will be able to tell if it was supplied with a solid gold case, and now has a steel case that the steel case is unoriginal.
     
    ryan22 likes this.
  11. Jpsub Oct 9, 2018

    Posts
    46
    Likes
    63
    For vintage speedmasters you can at least request a pull from the archives that will confirm if the movement is correct for the model/reference of the watch. This does not assure that it is correct for that exact case, but at least its correct for the model. I had an issue a while back where the movement came back that it was not in fact right for the reference number, even though it was within the commonly accepted serial range
     
    ryan22 likes this.