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Old Omega (?) cocktail watch identification (clearer photos added!)

DdKk
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Hello all,​

​

Help is sought identifying this watch! It belonged to my grandmother, who lived from c.1900 until the mid 1980s. I have no idea when she got this watch.​

​

It has a serial number but no obvious manufacturer's mark. Three things make me think it may be an Omega. First, It was recently found by my mother in a box in which it had been sitting for at least 40 years, yet the crown works perfectly, it winds up smoothly, and it keeps good time! Secondly, it was given to my grandmother by my grandfather, who had an Omega himself. Thirdly, on close inspection the '2' in the applied '12' on the top of dial turns out not to be a '2' but the Omega logo (this is visible in the first photo).​

​

The serial number printed on the back is 10014. The crown is horizonal, affixed to the back of the case. The watch is tiny: the case diameter is 12 mm. This makes it hard to photograph it without a proper camera; I hope these photos are good enough for some information to emerge. Thanks in advance!​


gm omega 5.webp gm omega 6.webp gm omega 7.webp gm omega 3.webp gm Omega 2.webp gm Omega 1.webp
Edited:
 
Canuck
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These are usually 18-karat gold, both case & bracelet. There will be stampings somewhere that will indicate karat. I would assume the case is diamond set, but your awful pictures aren’t a lot of help. These are known as a “back wind” watch. With both winding and hand setting done from the back mounted crown. I suspect the movement is an Omega calibre 440. While the dial doesn’t have the omega name on it, I suspect it might well be an Omega. We’d need to see the mechanism and inside the case back to help with any further identification. And PLEASE, better pictures! Experiment with close ups before you post any more pictures!
 
DdKk
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Canuck Canuck
These are usually 18-karat gold, both case & bracelet. There will be stampings somewhere that will indicate karat. I would assume the case is diamond set, but your awful pictures aren’t a lot of help. These are known as a “back wind” watch. With both winding and hand setting done from the back mounted crown. I suspect the movement is an Omega calibre 440. While the dial doesn’t have the omega name on it, I suspect it might well be an Omega. We’d need to see the mechanism and inside the case back to help with any further identification. And PLEASE, better pictures! Experiment with close ups before you post any more pictures!
Canuck, I'm immensely grateful for this! There are indeed stampings indicating that it is 18-karat gold on both case and the bracelet clasp, and the case is indeed diamond set. I apologise again for the quality of the photos, you are right that they are awful--these are the best I could produce with a regular (not 'pro') iphone, which doesn't have a close-up lense. I'll endeavour to obtain better photos when I find someone to open the case back.

A crass follow-up question... I do not intend to sell this watch (my wife likes it and will enjoy it, and one day our baby daughter!), but assuming it is indeed an Omega, do you have a rough idea of value? I wonder it I ought to insure it...

Thank you once more!
 
Mark020
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Value is gold and a bit...
 
hen
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I need to see my optometrist, I can`t see those clear images properly.
 
DdKk
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I'm sure your eyesight is fine, note that I said clearER photos, not 'clear'! 😀 The first time I posted the images were even worse; I then edited the post with slightly clearer ones. This watch is tiny (the dial diameter is 8 mm) and very shiny, and it is just impossible to photograph it properly with a basic iphone. This is my third and final apology for the quality of the photos... sorry! 😀
hen hen
I need to see my optometrist, I can`t see those clear images properly.
 
Canuck
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Until such time as it can be confirmed that it IS an Omega, and until such time as it can be confirmed that they ARE diamonds, and until the condition of the mechanism is good, and until the case and bracelet can be weighed without the mechanism and crystal, it is only worth scrap gold price. If you can sort all these other indefinites out, the market value will be a bit higher than scrap value. Being a family watch, and being your wife likes it, and being you have a daughter who will inherit it, it is worth more to you than to anybody else, so you are the only one who can put a value on it. IF you were to offer it for sale, and IF you found someone who recognized it for what it is and really liked it, you’d pretty well be at their mercy regarding the value THEY would ascribe to it. In short, it is unlikely that anyone could put a value on it, over and above scrap value. The diamonds are worth more set into the case than they would be to remove them. Labor cost to remove the diamonds would likely be as much as the value of the diamonds. Sorry for the lengthy non-answer.
 
DdKk
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Canuck Canuck
Until such time as it can be confirmed that it IS an Omega, and until such time as it can be confirmed that they ARE diamonds, and until the condition of the mechanism is good, and until the case and bracelet can be weighed without the mechanism and crystal, it is only worth scrap gold price. If you can sort all these other indefinites out, the market value will be a bit higher than scrap value. Being a family watch, and being your wife likes it, and being you have a daughter who will inherit it, it is worth more to you than to anybody else, so you are the only one who can put a value on it. IF you were to offer it for sale, and IF you found someone who recognized it for what it is and really liked it, you’d pretty well be at their mercy regarding the value THEY would ascribe to it. In short, it is unlikely that anyone could put a value on it, over and above scrap value. The diamonds are worth more set into the case than they would be to remove them. Labor cost to remove the diamonds would likely be as much as the value of the diamonds. Sorry for the lengthy non-answer.
On the contrary, this is a wise and highly informative answer, which I appreciate greatly! Thank you ever so much again.
 
padders
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Canuck Canuck
Until such time as it can be confirmed that it IS an Omega, and until such time as it can be confirmed that they ARE diamonds, and until the condition of the mechanism is good, and until the case and bracelet can be weighed without the mechanism and crystal, it is only worth scrap gold price. If you can sort all these other indefinites out, the market value will be a bit higher than scrap value. Being a family watch, and being your wife likes it, and being you have a daughter who will inherit it, it is worth more to you than to anybody else, so you are the only one who can put a value on it. IF you were to offer it for sale, and IF you found someone who recognized it for what it is and really liked it, you’d pretty well be at their mercy regarding the value THEY would ascribe to it. In short, it is unlikely that anyone could put a value on it, over and above scrap value. The diamonds are worth more set into the case than they would be to remove them. Labor cost to remove the diamonds would likely be as much as the value of the diamonds. Sorry for the lengthy non-answer.
👍👍
I am a diamond trade professional and I can confirm that those stones even if genuine have negligible scrap value. Then again with such photos who can be fully sure lol.
 
Dan S
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The problem is not your camera, you are focused on the background instead of the watch. Tap on the screen where you want it to focus. And crop the photos. You don't have to apologize, but understand that we really can't help you without better photos. 99% of people on the forum use smartphones to post photos on the forum, we just take some time to learn how to do it.
 
DdKk
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padders padders
👍👍
I am a diamond trade professional and I can confirm that those stones even if genuine have negligible scrap value. Then again with such photos who can be fully sure lol.
According to (rather flimsy) family records the stones are indeed diamonds, but I'm actually finding it reassuring to learn that their value is negligible. As I mentioned, I have no desire to try to sell; but if it had turned out that something like this potentially could have been swapped for, say, a Speedmaster Pro with a white dial... maybe there would have been some minor head-scratching to do over this question. So with the incredibly helpful information I gratefully received here (despite my sub-par photography!), we'll just happily enjoy this lovely little watch for what it is!
 
Dan S
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You can get about $60/gm for 18k gold at the moment. So if it doesn't have much sentimental value for you, it's not a bad time to sell it. I don't think it will get you all the way to a Speedmaster Pro, but the value isn't insignificant.
 
DdKk
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Dan S Dan S
The problem is not your camera, you are focused on the background instead of the watch. Tap on the screen where you want it to focus. And crop the photos. You don't have to apologize, but understand that we really can't help you without better photos. 99% of people on the forum use smartphones to post photos on the forum, we just take some time to learn how to do it.
Thank you Dan S for these tips! But believe me, I've tried... I did tap on the screen so as to control the focus, and tried from various distances and with different lighting and magnification settings, to no avail--it is too small (and maybe too shiny) for anything clearer to emerge. I think that an iphone pro would have coped much better, with its dedicated close-up lens.

As compensation of sorts, here are some more acceptable photos of the 1946 Omega that used to belong to my late grandfather, who gifted this cocktail watch to my grandmother.

omega4.webp omega 3.webp omega 2.webp
 
DdKk
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Ok, this has certainly settled any keep-or-sell question... the next generation loves it!

gm omega 8.webp
 
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