Omega Geneve 131.041 Gold Bracelet Original? (1970)

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TheHaze.cH

·Jun 8, 2026

Dear all

I’m new here and would love to learn from the collective knowledge of this forum. I’m from Switzerland, the home of Omega. Unfortunately, Omega here wasn’t able to help me, which is why I came across this forum.
I own this Omega Geneve (1970?) and would like to know if Omega actually produced the watch like this? Apparently, it wasn’t uncommon back then for gold bands like this to be added later by a jeweler. To be honest, I like the watch much better on a leather strap, and I’d prefer to have the gold bracelet removed. But if the watch really is original, I’m not sure if I should do that.

Hope someone can help me 😀

 

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TheHaze.cH

·Fri. 9:26am

Nobody? 😕

 

B

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BrokenSkunk

·Fri. 12:25pm

I'll start by saying I don't know.
Both case and bracelet are stamped for 18K gold. That would have made the watch very expensive when new. I find it unlikely that someone with the means to buy the watch would then buy a fake bracelet.
I'd be inclined to believe that the bracelet is genuine and since it bears the Omega stamp, matches the case diameter, and was a popular style for 1970 (when the movement was made) I would guess that it was bought at the same time as the watch.

 

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JimInOz

·Fri. 7:32pm·Melbourne Australia

Many gold Omegas came with integrated gold Milanese straps that were welded to the case thereby negating the need for lugs.

However, your watch has lugs, and the vintage Omega database shows it as originally fitted with a leather strap.
It's quite possible that the watch was fitted with the bracelet at the time of sale or later.
You need to determine if the bracelet is secured by spring bars (I can't see any) or if it's welded to the case like the examples above (which I suspect it is).

If it's a welded bracelet, you could pay a jeweller (not a watchmaker) to remove the bracelet after a watchmaker has disassembled the watch.

IMO, your best option is to wear it as is. If that doesn't suit you, then sell the watch and buy a 131.041 with a strap.

 

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padders

·Sat. 3:14am·Oooo subtitles!

The big problem with these fixed bracelets is that they only have about 1/4” or less of adjustability. If it doesn’t fit you or the guy or girl you sell it to you are SOL. You see it a lot on gold presentation watches from the 70s and it wasn’t a great idea as to make any adjustments costs hundreds of dollars/euros/pounds. Is the bracelet original? Probably. Is it desirable? No.

 

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Cartesian

·Sat. 2:01pm

B BrokenSkunk

I'd be inclined to believe that the bracelet is genuine and since it bears the Omega stamp,

I'm not sure, but the Ω symbol looks a bit odd to me on the bracelet - the feet are certainly not symmetrical in length and the curvature on each side seems not to be symmetrical either.

Is this just an acceptable manufacturing defect or is it possible that the bracelet is not only a latter addition but also not genuine?

 

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TheHaze.cH

·Sat. 3:32pm

Thanks everyone for your replies.
I actually prefer the watch on a leather strap rather than on the gold bracelet. Another issue is the bracelet size. It just about fits me, but when I eventually pass the watch on to my daughter, it almost certainly won't fit her.
Since nobody has been able to say with certainty whether the bracelet is original or not, I'll take the watch to a jeweler to find out whether the gold bracelet can be removed safely.
The watch is a family heirloom, so it's not for sale. But I believe the person who left it to me would rather see it being worn on a leather strap than left unworn simply because I don't like the look of the gold bracelet.

 

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TheHaze.cH

·Sat. 3:36pm

And I thought the same about the lugs. Most of the watches I could find had integrated gold bracelets that were attached directly to the case and didn't have any lugs. On the other hand, I can't see any spring bars on my watch either. I've also only been able to find this model on a leather strap in the Omega catalogs. It's all a bit strange.

 

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Cartesian

·Sat. 3:47pm

TheHaze.cH

On the other hand, I can't see any spring bars on my watch either.

Well, the spring bars would have been removed in order to weld the bracelet directly onto the case (as @JimInOz suggested)

 

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SOG53

·Sat. 8:37pm

Those lugs are quite thin I would be concerned that they may be irreversibly damaged in process of removing bracelet and drilling new lug holes.

 

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TheHaze.cH

·Sun. 1:08am

SOG53

Those lugs are quite thin I would be concerned that they may be irreversibly damaged in process of removing bracelet and drilling new lug holes.

I hope that the jeweler could tell me this before he's starting the whole process 😬