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Odd air ministry 6b/159... any ideas anyone?

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Hello everyone, hope there's some information here, as I've turned the Google upside down! It's been passed to me by my recently passed 97 yr old grandfather, so has come home direct from him leaving the army a few years after the war, and although he was R.E.M.E not R.A.F. he was certainly not the type of man to have anything that wasn't totally gen The guy who is working on it (cracked jewel) says it's a correct Omega movement for the watch and that it all seems to be period etc.... buuut, the oddity is the position of the MOD arrow, which is where the "dirty dozen" watches with separate second dial, had theirs... It is also a "thin arrow"... It's being kept regardless, but as ever, it's interesting when something historic has a quirk about it and I'd love to hear more information anyone has... I'm already sorry about the pics... I will add more, including of the movement, when I get it home again. Thanks in advance, Asher.
IMG_20211027_145955262.jpg IMG_20211027_145943031.jpg IMG_20211027_150009580.jpg IMG_20211027_145923216.jpg
!!!
 
Syrte
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Welcome to the forum, and condolences on your grand father’s passing. What you have is a watch which has gone through a number of refurbishments in the course of its long and busy life.
Most 6B/ 159 movements were set in cheap alloy cases due to war time shortages of steel. They had long lugs which were notoriously fragile, and the alloy was prone to decay. So the British Ministry of Defense had a refurbishment program in 1956, to recase those movements in solid 35mm steel cases like the one you have here— hence the number “56” at the back.
Those were tools and not precious collectables, MOD watcgmakers did whatever it took for watches to work and military watch collectors have seen many examples of swaped parts, “mix and matched” parts. The point being of course to ensure the tool was functional.

So yes you have a 6B/159 which was outfitted with a dial that’s not a 6B /159 dia,l and non Omega replacement hands.

I would submit it is priceless as it is, given that it’s how your grand father wore it and loved it. In essence, you have a watch that was upgraded to look like the pilot watches of the 1950s era, with a more visible luminous dial/ handset and a larger case- but it has retained its war time movement.

The dial indeed is not from a Dirty Dozen and indeed ressembles the 1953 “thin arrow” dial except for the positioning of the arrow. I seem to recall variants of this dial were created for entities like the Royal Australian Air Force — although don’t quote me on that because it may be wrong.

Better pictures would be needed but the dial also looks to have been refinished by military watchmakers, known as “MOD” dial. Which may account for the unusual position of the arrow.
I would recommend you query the good members of the military watch ressource forum, which is where the label “thin arrow” was invented, and where many other military watches were first discovered or characterized.
Edited:
 
F
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This is why I love the internet sometimes! Thanks so much for taking the time and compiling a lot of confusing information I had read elsewhere, in a concise and specific form! Anyone else has anything else to add I'm equally grateful, but I will take your advice as well and ask the militaria guys

Thanks

Asher
 
watchyouwant
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It's just a non MoD repainted dial. Non military hands. Not an Australian version. Old mvmt. ( I hope ) in the 1956 steel case with the rest been non military replacements. Great to wear, great to keep as a family heirloom.
 
Syrte
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It’s a very standard shape for generic replacement hands of the era.
 
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Just out of interest, why would a non mod redial add the mod arrow. Again, you will have believe me, this hasn't been messed with simce
 
Revo
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@Syrte is right: it’s a “56 re-case” from when the MoD put their WW2 6B watches (mostly Omegas and Longines) into these lovely fat solid stainless steel Dennison cases. The dial has been refurbished (possibly by the MoD, hard to say) and the hands are replacements. The dial will hurt the value but it is what it is. As an heirloom I’d simply make sure it's been serviced so it’s mechanically sound, running well and keeping good time. If it’s working then hopefully it just needs to be cleaned, oiled and adjusted. If not then it might want some parts. HTH
 
Revo
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Re the dial: it might have been done by the MoD at the time of the recasing (1956). I think some were done like this and seem to recall seeing a black faced Longines ’56. Personally I love these: a WW2 watch in a fantastic case. Best of both worlds imho
 
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Having two grandfather's survive ww2s more difficult phases, having just that movement is lovely. Then it's like it's been preserved by the MOD with the SS case! 've also seen a longines marked up the same with the thin arrow there. It's so important as a thing though, wearing museum grade history
 
Syrte
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@watchyouwant, just curious- what makes you say it’s not an MOD redial? You’ve been at this much longer than I have obviously, and I haven’t studied the later, black radium dialed Omegas in detail - the 6B/ 159s were my main interest.
 
watchyouwant
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Syrte Syrte
@watchyouwant, just curious- what makes you say it’s not an MOD redial? You’ve been at this much longer than I have obviously, and I haven’t studied the later, black radium dialed Omegas in detail - the 6B/ 159s were my main interest.

we talk about the 1956 re cased military Omega from 1942. original dials were white/silver with blued hands. all still good white dials were re cased. the bad dials were reprinted , but in black . To save the functioning movements and get good watches back into service . the British MoD was not known for artistic dial design . look at the 1953 Fat Arrow ( Railway to small for hands; strange Omega sign...). same stupid Omega sign here. see pics below. The OP shows a 1956 re cased Mil. watch with a dial design and correct Omega sign from the Omega WWW era, but center second. That is not MoD stuff, because in 1956 the British MoD had a black dial design in place. not another fancy reprint needed. Mil. watches attract all sort of strange stories;
ome mil 1956 black.jpg
try to make them legit..... Kind regards. Achim
 
Omegafanman
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I was chatting to an ex RAF Lightning fighter pilot the other day. He recalled being issued a watch with a black dial. He did not stay on fighters and when he left to another posting he had to return all the issued items. He said the watches were tightly controlled and his went back. I showed him some pictures and he picked this one as the nearest to his active service watch.
.
 
Watch 01 - Copy.jpg Watch 02 - Copy.jpg
Syrte
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@watchyouwant thank you for taking the time to explain, certainly what’s on this watch isn’t an MOD redial from the 1956 program to refurbish the 6B /159 watches- my impression was it may have been another MOD redial than the “correct” one for that refurbishment program, but I take your point and appreciate that you know much more than I do in that department.
 
size11s
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Again, Achim certainly knows much more than me of these watches and I am not saying that the OP is an MOD re-dial but I think that there are so many odd variations seen with both the '56 and indeed the '53 dials that I feel it's good to say "never say never". With the '53 I have seen varieties of dials with the same Omega and chapter ring printing but different numerals and vice versa, that is some elements exactly the same but not all. I think it is safe to say that it is not a generally accepted dial variation but really, who knows what the MOD was thinking/playing around with in the transition period of these dials from one to another. There is room for uncertainty of design at this stage and some could easily slip out. Who knows?

The Longines dial with the cursive script font has also been seen before on a 6B/159, again, not saying it is an MOD dial, just that I prefer not to discount them completely.
 
Revo
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Really this needs the folk at mwr to give their opinion(s). My impression is that the dial might well be a MoD one. Either way, the movement and case and among my favourite out there.
 
F
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It's still in the shop been super busy but will find time to post in the mwr forums. Thanks everyone for their input!
 
Tommy2takes
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Hi there, did you find anything else out about your watch because I have almost the exact watch think it’s just different hands. However the thin arrow is in exactly the same place.
 
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