Hello, Thank you all for a very interesting forum. I have been collecting vintage watches during some years now - mostly Omega Seamasters and Constellations from the fifties and sixties. The other day however, I came across an Omega much older than the ones I usually see, at an antiques shop. I ended up buying it, along with a couple of other watches. This Omega is equipped with a cal. 26.5 SOB T2, and judging by the serial number on this (8.124 mill.) it is from around 1935. The diameter of the Staybrite case is 30.5 millimetres - excluding the crown. The hands are blue and beautiful. The dial is aged and probably dirty, but all right for an 80 year old watch - if it is original... There is no reference code inside the case back, but there is another number - a case serial number perhaps? Apparently the watch belonged to a doctor, who died many years ago. I was told that his widow had kept his watches in a drawer until recently, when she passed away. The watch runs, but probably hasn´t been serviced for ages. I think it is an interesting piece, but I know very little about these pre-war Omegas, and it seems much harder to find any information about these than I expected. I hope someone on the forum can help. I will be grateful for any information - in particular regarding ref. number and originality. Thank you. Best regards Woodward
I call upon @gatorcpa for his knowledge on such vintage watches. The dial does seem to have been redone, however it's a very good finish (if it is.)
I agree with your assessment. Looks like an old redial to me as well. However, the originals did not have "Swiss Made" at the bottom of the dial. But yeah, the Omega logo looks different and not in a good way. gatorcpa
This one just sold on a Swedish site - missed the auction due to work http://www.tradera.com/item/190118/...-herrklocka-fran-1939-zontavla#view-item-main
100% solid assessments by all imo. Look at the oversized "E" and "G" in OMEGA. Has anyone seen 5 minute markers extend past the railroad before? The "Gator" is the man! (Yann being the co-man, and maybe Adam and.........damn we are blessed here!)
Nice CK 793 here in a 1936 catalog : I am not sure that the dial was redone, would need a good qiality picture without the Crystal to have a better opinion. Crown and hands look correct. Mine says hello : The model posted by Gator (and the one sold on Tradera) is a CK 2023, different case :
Thank you all for your contributions so far - most appreciated! A special thanks to Tire-comedon for providing me not only with the correct reference, but also a page in a catalogue showing the watch - amazing... Best regards Woodward
I am also leaning towards original dial - as Yann... Seems good but a better high resolution would help to be 100% sure
Hi all, I hope the OP doesn't consider this a hijack but I just got offered (to buy) a very similar watch as the OP. I'm not in the market for something like this, but was quite charmed but its funky case and dial, which I had never seen, so now I'm starting to think about it... Here's the only pics I was sent: At first glance, I can guess the crown is not original to the watch but the dial doesn't seem a redial (to my untrained eyes). The movement serial and caseback (staybrite) numbers are very close to the OP's, and the seller states it's a calibre 26.5 SOB T2. My knowledge doesn't go as deep as this so I can't really confirm or deny anything about it. Anyway, from my searches online an around here, I don't understand if a conclusion has been made as to what model/ref this watch is; a CK2023, or indeed a CK793? On a few other posts, the watches, and supporting catalog images (incl. AJTT) with the ref CK2023 are quite similar to this one. At the same time, on this post, Tire-comedon says this has a different case and should be a CK793. Honestly, I can't tell any difference from the cases... and the dial on Tire-comedon's catalog pic, looks very similar but with what appears to be applied numbers in a different font as well as different hands. So basically I'm a bit confused as to what this watch is! Also, if this is something I do decide to acquire, what is the average price for this model and condition? I have absolutely no clue... Many thanks in advance! Lou
Hi Jim, thanks for clarifying that, I really didn't notice the little notches cut in the end of the lugs. Especially since the pictures I was sent really don't show much detail or the correct angle to identify... So we do have a CK793! Regarding an average price for such a model, what would be fair? Not considering any possible service costs. Cheers, Lou
Hello Lou Nice watch - it appears to be in good condition. It is interesting to se another one of these watches. The watch you are listing appears to be a CK793, like mine. "JimInOz" has nailed it above; the difference is in the lugs. Furthermore, the bezel seems a tad wider on CK793, compared to the CK2023. The dial on your watch looks fine to me, but @Tire-comedon is the expert. One thing I notice is that some of the five minute markers on your dial are extended past the inner circle - just like they are on mine. Your watch has other hands and another crown. However, if you look at the way the crown is seated on the case, there is an even bigger difference: On my watch - unlike yours - the conically shaped crown is recessed into the case. This is illustrated in the picture from the 1936 catalog (price RM 63,-) and in this illustration, I found somewhere on the net: If you look at the pictures of my watch in my original post, you can see an indentation in the case where the crown slots in. Tire-comedons watch pictured above (the one that says 'hello') has the crown mounted in a way similar to yours; on the case, and not recessed into it. If you google, you can find other pictures showing crowns mounted in this way. So it seems there are variations not only in hands, dials and crown design, but also in the way the case is shaped around the crown. I wonder whether they were all named CK793? Regards, Woodward
Hi Woodward, Thanks for the feedback. Yes, I did notice that some of the markers go past the inner circle too. Seems to be too deliberate to be just a coincidence, so I guess that was a design choice? Regarding the crown, on mine, I can see also a slight recess for the crown through the back of the watch, just not through the front... I guess it's not original to the watch because of the shape and metal colour...just looks too 'new'. So I'm with you, wondering if there were a few dial/hand/crown configurations of this model, AND if the case recess means some kind change in model reference.? Regards, Lou Ps. Where do you all find these catalog images? I really like the old quality of the images they have and seems to be from the same origin?