Hi I recently bought this 9 carat gold Omega Dennison cased sweep seconds to add to my collection. Can any of the members please let me have some information on the movement with this being a sweep seconds Calibre and on my search I'm struggling to come across this in the type of case as per pictures. Is there a dial original as well to the watch? Any info would be much appreciated. Cheers Russell.
I'd say it's a caliber 23.4T1SC which was created in 1941. The hallmarks on the caseback are for Birmingham 1944 and the serial series ran between 1928 to 1944 with some limited production up until 1950. While the dial may be original to the watch, the hour and minute hands don't match the age of the dial and are not like any Omega hands I've seen from that period. The second hand, although correct for the period, is too long and is also likely a replacement. WW2 had a significant impact on the UK and many things were in extremely short supply, so there was a lot of re-purposing / recycling done so it's possible your watch may have "come together", which was perfectly acceptable for the time and conditions.
Hi Jim I also come to the conclusion that the movement is a 23.4 T1 SC. I could get my watchmaker to check under the balance to confirm. I have seen the same hands on another watch of this period the same as mine on my search for information on this model. It's the sweet seconds in this case configuration that I haven't seen before Jim. Like you say it is around that WW2. So anything is possible with the watch and parts. Many thanks. Russell.
Just got this overhauled, new glass and case polished finally. Love this configuration of sweep seconds in a cushion Dennison case. Still having trouble finding similar on the net. Cheers Russell.
The case, and case back back are both original Dennison The last 3 numbers of the caseback…are stamped on the rim of the case…confirming it I suspect the dial is original… The hands are replaced…but, what the Hell…it’s a very attractive watch
I have a book, Omega Designs. It has some info, might be right, might be wrong. That serial number implies the movement was produced between 1935 and 1939. This leads me to believe that the movement was placed into a much older case. That dial certainly looks like mid-30s. In that time period, luminous hands were of a baton shape with metal tips. This dial is similar to yours: The case of your watch might well have been much like this one, but no way to know what material. If you like how it is, there is certainly no reason you shouldn't. What a story it could tell, right? Tom