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Omega Century

Hallibag
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I won this Omega Century at a small, local online country auction and I’m hoping somebody might be able to tell me what exactly I have. It’s embarrassing that I purchased the watch without knowing this, but all I had to go on was a few grainy, out of focus photos and a poor description. This must have put off other bidders as the watch ended up selling for a very low price. The writeup said it is an automatic, but I’m not completely sure about this, and think it might have a hand-wound movement. I’m not brave enough to open up the watch but will take it to my watchmaker tomorrow to have him do it, so I can see the movement and the info inside the caseback. My guess is the watch dates to the mid-1960’s. In the meantime, if anyone recognizes the caliber of this watch, I’d love to know!

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Fritz
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The Century was a Canadian market entry level watch that usually contained a 30mm hand wound movement.

here's my 1955 Century, inherited from my Dad.

P1010518.JPG
 
Gav1967
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I had a century many years ago when I first started collecting. Long gone now. I seem to remember it was a 30mm cal 285 manual wound
 
TexOmega
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Very nice , OP....Welcome Post when you have it opened.


Mine has a cal 283, circa 1954


cal 283 circa 1954.jpg
 
amcclell
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I think Omega put this model out to commemorate 100 years of making watches. Here is my 1963 18k Century with a 269 30mm movement.

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Hallibag
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TexOmega TexOmega
Very nice , OP....Welcome Post when you have it opened.


Mine has a cal 283, circa 1954


cal 283 circa 1954.jpg
Nice! The earlier ones had “Century” in script, I believe, while later ones like mine had block letters. Is this correct?
 
Hallibag
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Fritz Fritz
The Century was a Canadian market entry level watch
P1010518.JPG
Makes sense, as I’m in Canada. Thanks for the info, and that’s a lovely watch you have!
 
SkunkPrince
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Fritz Fritz
The Century was a Canadian market entry level watch that usually contained a 30mm hand wound movement.

Hard to believe any watch with a 30mm movement was "entry level"!
 
Fritz
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SkunkPrince SkunkPrince
Hard to believe any watch with a 30mm movement was "entry level"!
Sorry, entry level Omega, it cost my Mom about $50 in time for Christmas 1955. Its an American made case to dodge duties running a nice clean caliber 266.

I asked Dad about it a few years back and was told " oh yeah, that was broken so I think I must have thrown it out.", I almost shit myself! Luckily that was the Alzheimer's talking and it later turned up. When I took it in to get it fixed for him as a surprise the watchmaker lifted out a case screw that had come free and jammed in the works and away it went. Unfortunately Dad passed before a full service could be finished so he never saw it running again.

I remember the crown came off when I was a kid, Dad soldered a blob of metal onto the stem and wore it like that until its next service. I can't imagine the heat of the soldering iron did the poor thing any good but it seems to have endured it pretty well.

It keeps fantastic time now. If I had to go down to one watch, this is it.
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Edited:
 
SkunkPrince
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Fritz Fritz
Sorry, entry level Omega, cost my Mom about $50 in time for Christmas 1955. Its an American made case to dodge duties running a nice clean caliber 266.

Yes, but the 30T2 on which it is based is by no means entry level! I can see it less expensive than an automatic, though.

Interestingly enough I have a 1917ish Omega in a Canadian case.
 
Fritz
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SkunkPrince SkunkPrince
Yes, but the 30T2 on which it is based is by no means entry level! I can see it less expensive than an automatic, though.

Interestingly enough I have a 1917ish Omega in a Canadian case.

back in 1917 a lot of watches were shipped as a movement to be sold and cased by the jeweler in your choice of cases. So you ended up with a "local" case. Certainly the average American movement left the works in a shipping can to be cased at the final point of sale or perhaps, like my Ball 999B railway watch, in the importers shop. (Ball had a "works" in Winnipeg)

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Hallibag
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I found this 1959 price list, posted in this forum several years ago by gatorcpa. The Century is listed right at the bottom; interestingly, it was more expensive than the Ranchero.

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Fritz
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I'm amused that the gold filled piece is cheaper than steel.
 
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