Old family story. What is it?

[acm5944]

This watch has been in the family as long as I can remember. My father had an eidetic memory where it came to playing cards and the family story that was told to me is that he won the watch in a card game on a troop ship on the way back from WWII. It sat in a drawer for years then was given to me in the '70's and I put a band on it and wore it perhaps three times. Can anyone give us an idea of what it is and the value. I know that you will want pics of the inside of the case and movement but we are unsure about removing the back of the watch without damaging it.

 

[TexOmega]

welcome

the dial commands the highest % of value on these old watches.....if they are original.....which this one is not.

It has been repainted at some point, poorly done at that.

SO.......without seeing the movement, the value is mostly sentimental.


Now, if the case is solid 14 or 18kt, then that is a horse of a different color.

 

[Dan S]

As noted, the dial has been repainted. I'm pretty sure the case is gold, so it has value.

 

[acm5944]

Thanks for the info. Is it simple to open the back of the case? If so should a layman attempt it?

 

[mac_omega]

A acm5944

Thanks for the info. Is it simple to open the back of the case? If so should a layman attempt it?

Its not that difficult. You need a small knife with a thin blade.
Have a look at the side opposite to the winding crown. There should be a thin "slit". Insert the blade there and give some pressure and the back should pop off.
Good luck

 

[SOG53]

Eidetic- good word havent heard it in a while

Your first photo shows the slit where to insert blade.

 

[acm5944]

Ok, thanks to encouragement from SOG53 and MAC_OMEGA I managed to open the back of the case. Not sure what the numbers on the caseback mean other than guessing that the 0.750 is 18k. Punching the 8 digit number on the movement into an online decoder I found says 1944 which would jive with the family story. In looking at his military records he was in Austria from December of 1942 to December of 1945 then reenlisted in January of 1946 at Fort McPherson GA so the 1944 timing makes sense. Here are the photos of the inside case back and movement so can I get your thoughts on what we have here?

 

[redpcar]

18k gold and dates to around 1944.

 

[GuiltyGear]

What's the case diameter? Case design is identical to my watch. Your dates about 8 years earlier and I will guess it's a smaller case.

 

[acm5944]

GuiltyGear

What's the case diameter? Case design is identical to my watch. Your dates about 8 years earlier and I will guess it's a smaller case.

Approximately 35mm

 

[JwRosenthal]

18k is very soft, be careful with that blade and when you snap the back on be sure to apply pressure on the edge and not push from the center if the gold is thin.

Considering it came into your family when it was still fairly new, it was most likely taken to a watchmaker for service at some point (I see various hand scratched numbers in the back which are usually marks from a watchmaker) and the dial was probably looking rather tired (these aren’t water tight) so the watchmaker either offered to repaint the dial and “freshen” it up, or took it upon themselves to do it so a sparkly fresh looking watch was returned to the customer…they cared much less about originality back then- make it shiny.

 

[JimInOz]

Not much more to add but the little key symbol indicates that the gold case was made for Omega by Ed Wenger SA of Geneva.

 

[acm5944]

So the question remains if an old 18k watch like this with a repainted dial actually commands any more value than the melt value of the gold? I am reluctant to admit it here but I have been wearing a Tag for the last 30 years and since I retired I rarely even wear a watch. I guess it was part of the work uniform that has come and gone. Gave my spare Tag to our son-in-law who wears it constantly which is nice. So I will never wear this one and at 67 all of the sentimental value of my parents possessions is now gone. So the question that remains is how to value this and what is the appropriate venue for a sale? Watch shop? Ebay auction? Online site?

I collect vintage Triumph Motorcycles, Wild Heerbrugg theodolites and vintage surveying tools. That is too many possessions in itself so I guess a line must be drawn somewhere.

 

[SOG53]

If you move the rotor in the movement slightly clockwise you may uncover another engraved number 3 digit below little Omega logo- you can see 354 on mine here- this would be movement reference
If you see this take a shot and post it

 

[JwRosenthal]

There are more experienced here in these earlier references than I (who may chime in), but your best bet is value at melt (excluding movement and crystal weight of course) and post on eBay as the starting bid- that is the platform for the most eyes on it and you will get what the market will bear- minus their 15% of flesh. The movement itself also has a little value (if not for anything else but the parts) so the value is not just in the gold content.

As for your other hobbies- browse around the forum and you will find others like you who haven’t found the discipline to draw a line yet.

Oh, and please share pics of some antique transits.

 

[acm5944]

SOG53

If you move the rotor in the movement slightly clockwise you may uncover another engraved number 3 digit below little Omega logo- you can see 354 on mine here- this would be movement reference
If you see this take a shot and post it

I took a look with the rotor shifted and did not see anything

SOG53

If you move the rotor in the movement slightly clockwise you may uncover another engraved number 3 digit below little Omega logo- you can see 354 on mine here- this would be movement reference
If you see this take a shot and post it

I moved the rotor and did not see another nu

 

[acm5944]

JwRosenthal

There are more experienced here in these earlier references than I (who may chime in), but your best bet is value at melt (excluding movement and crystal weight of course) and post on eBay as the starting bid- that is the platform for the most eyes on it and you will get what the market will bear- minus their 15% of flesh. The movement itself also has a little value (if not for anything else but the parts) so the value is not just in the gold content.

As for your other hobbies- browse around the forum and you will find others like you who haven’t found the discipline to draw a line yet.

Oh, and please share pics of some antique transits.

Here are a few pics of the instruments I have sitting in my office. A set of Wild Heerbrug Theodolites, T1 thru T3 and an RDS along with a HP 3810 and 3820.

 

[speedb]

You have an earlier bumper automatic so the caliber number is found under the balance, likely 28.10.
The case probably has around 12-14g of 18ct gold which you can use to work out a ballpark value, though if you do scrap it you will piss off most of the enthusiasts on this forum.

 

[krogerfoot]

As someone with no tangible keepsakes from my father, it pains me to hear that a watch that has been in your family as long as you remember might be destined to be scrapped. It’s yours to do with as you please, but it’s far from the worst redial we’ve seen and gold is gold. I’m sure someone would give you more than melt value for the watch and enjoy this nicely presented 18ct gold luxury item from a bygone era, especially with its charming history.

 

[acm5944]

speedb

You have an earlier bumper automatic so the caliber number is found under the balance, likely 28.10.
The case probably has around 12-14g of 18ct gold which you can use to work out a ballpark value, though if you do scrap it you will piss off most of the enthusiasts on this forum.

speedb

You have an earlier bumper automatic so the caliber number is found under the balance, likely 28.10.
The case probably has around 12-14g of 18ct gold which you can use to work out a ballpark value, though if you do scrap it you will piss off most of the enthusiasts on this forum.

Thanks for the response and sorry to hear that you do not have any keepsakes from your father. Everyone's situation is different and my father did not place any value on things like the watch as he worked long hours and found respite in his fishing equipment which we have kept and used as the opportunity has arisen. We have no intent to "scrap" the watch we are just trying to figure out if there is any value there and if so what is a reasonable sale price. Family members could use the help that a watch sale would generate so we are looking in that direction. We did receive a local offer but we suspect it is 2/3 of melt value and we do like the suggestion from JwRosenthal about using Ebay with a melt value as a starting point. We would love the watch to go to someone that would restore and appreciate it. As I get older I am finding that I am losing interest in even my own once precious possessions. Also after dealing with my parents estate (who had 3 of everything) and then our sister in laws estate for our nephew that included a custom home and furnishings built in 1963 with nothing maintained or removed over the last 35 years I am reluctant to burden our children with all my stuff that has value to only me and a select few others that have the same interests. I really appreciate the input that has been given in this forum and you all have been most helpful and I apologize if anyone is offended by the thread.