Omega / Louis Brandt Pocket Watch

Boxcar · Tues. 8:38pm

Hello, Newb here looking for some help/information. I was recently gifted a couple of family heirloom watches. A 1956 Omega Seamaster, and an Omega Pocket Watch. I can't seem to find much info on the Pocket Watch. I have attached some photos. The case is plain and the face seems fairly basic with the Omega logo, but the movement is Louis Brandt & Frere (which I know was the original company name). Is is common to have the mixed names? The serial seems to come back to 1906 (if the online serial number lookup is correct). Any thoughts are welcome. While I know the family genealogy sourcing the watches to my current possession, I really know nothing else.

Canuck · Tues. 10:22pm

Chances are the original dial for the pocket watch was damaged, and replaced by the Omega dial which was very much more readily available than the Louis Brandt dial was. I have two Brandt CCR (16-size, 19-jewels, so smaller diameter). One is a private label for A Logan, a British Columbia railroad watch inspector. The dial on the other one is marked Louis Brandt & freres. Both dials would be near impossible to replace. The Omega dial is the only likely replacement.

Boxcar · Wed. 6:47am

Canuck
Chances are the original dial for the pocket watch was damaged, and replaced by the Omega dial which was very much more readily available than the Louis Brandt dial was. I have two Brandt CCR (16-size, 19-jewels, so smaller diameter). One is a private label for A Logan, a British Columbia railroad watch inspector. The dial on the other one is marked Louis Brandt & freres. Both dials would be near impossible to replace. The Omega dial is the only likely replacement.

Thanks for that insight!

TexOmega · Wed. 11:16am

Boxcar
Hello, Newb here looking for some help/information. I was recently gifted a couple of family heirloom watches. A 1956 Omega Seamaster, and an Omega Pocket Watch. I can't seem to find much info on the Pocket Watch. I have attached some photos. The case is plain and the face seems fairly basic with the Omega logo, but the movement is Louis Brandt & Frere (which I know was the original company name). Is is common to have the mixed names? The serial seems to come back to 1906 (if the online serial number lookup is correct). Any thoughts are welcome. While I know the family genealogy sourcing the watches to my current possession, I really know nothing else.

The 23j DDR movement was their best. Very nice.

Canuck · Wed. 2:08pm

The Brandt 16 and 18 size as per the information above were all approved by railroads in Canada. The U S A? That I don’t know.

Boxcar · Wed. 3:28pm

Boxcar
Thanks for that insight!

With a Name like that you must also be from Canada...

Boxcar · Wed. 3:29pm

TexOmega
The 23j DDR movement was their best. Very nice.

Thanks so much! I saw the grade but had no idea what it was or where to find that out.

Boxcar · Wed. 4:17pm

Canuck
The Brandt 16 and 18 size as per the information above were all approved by railroads in Canada. The U S A? That I don’t know.

Fascinating. Seems like you need to apply some investigative work to deduce the background on these watches. Thanks again!

Canuck · Wed. 4:38pm

Boxcar
With a Name like that you must also be from Canada...

Brilliant!

Canuck · Wed. 4:43pm

Boxcar
Fascinating. Seems like you need to apply some investigative work to deduce the background on these watches. Thanks again!

What more would you like to know? For someone who appeared here looking for answers, you have a wealth of flip replies!

TexOmega · Wed. 5:32pm

Canuck
The Brandt 16 and 18 size as per the information above were all approved by railroads in Canada. The U S A? That I don’t know.

Regulations were written at the time to preclude(generally) all but US made watches as being accepted as RR grade/approved. one example.....USA had size requirements in inches not lignes.

Also, at some point, 21j was the regulation and high tariffs on jewel count precluded importation at a competitive price point.

At some point post WWII regulations changed(1950's)

Great watch

Boxcar · Wed. 5:58pm

Sorry I really am new to this and appreciate any info. What do the markings on the case mean? It doesn't explicitly say it is gold but i think it is. If the dial was replaced I wonder where that would have happened. The watch would have spent most of its life from purchase on in Southern Ontario Canada. The relative it traces back to had a few professions, one of which was as a shipper, so I am wondering if he would have bought a watch of this quality for that (based upon the information above from TexOmega).

Canuck · Wed. 6:14pm

The case back is engraved 25 years. That marking indicates the case is gold filled, NOT karat gold! Gold filled material is a thin veneer of hard gold over base metal, usually brass. In Canada, the legal definition of the gold content of a gold filled item is that 1/20th of the weight of the item must be hard gold alloy fused to the base metal substrate. NOT gold electroplate! The 25 years marking is the case makers assurance that the gold layer won’t wear through in 25 years.

I stated that it was my opinion that a damaged, irreplaceable Louis Brandt dial might have been replaced with an interchangeable Omega dial. IF that happened, and WHEN it may have happened is a moot point.

The original owner might have won the watch in a card game. He might have found the watch! He might have inherited the watch! He might possibly have actually bought the watch! You are asking questions we can’t answer.

Boxcar · Wed. 6:47pm

Canuck
The case back is engraved 25 years. That marking indicates the case is gold filled, NOT karat gold! Gold filled material is a thin veneer of hard gold over base metal, usually brass. In Canada, the legal definition of the gold content of a gold filled item is that 1/20th of the weight of the item must be hard gold alloy fused to the base metal substrate. NOT gold electroplate! The 25 years marking is the case makers assurance that the gold layer won’t wear through in 25 years.

I stated that it was my opinion that a damaged, irreplaceable Louis Brandt dial might have been replaced with an interchangeable Omega dial. IF that happened, and WHEN it may have happened is a moot point.

The original owner might have won the watch in a card game. He might have found the watch! He might have inherited the watch! He might possibly have actually bought the watch! You are asking questions we can’t answer.

Again thanks for the info. My wife is into the genealogy, so we have some interesting info to further speculate on the family heritage of this watch. I had a look at your posts. You have some beautiful watches! I can see how one might get invested in this hobby. I do have one more pocket watch from my grandmother (that I have had for a while and dug out after getting the other two recently). I have zero background on it. I did find a similar one on ebay to compare it with. Not sure if it would interest you to look at but I will attach a couple photos.

Boxcar · Wed. 6:48pm

Boxcar
Again thanks for the info. My wife is into the genealogy, so we have some interesting info to further speculate on the family heritage of this watch. I had a look at your posts. You have some beautiful watches! I can see how one might get invested in this hobby. I do have one more pocket watch from my grandmother (that I have had for a while and dug out after getting the other two recently). I have zero background on it. I did find a similar one on ebay to compare it with. Not sure if it would interest you to look at but I will attach a couple photos.

I know it is a ladies pocket watch, 14 kt gold case from around 1907

Canuck · Wed. 7:15pm

The stone inset into the star is a rose cut diamond. This cut of diamond was common as decoration on some styles of jewellery. The stone has a FLAT under side, and the top is faceted like a geodesic dome made up of triangular facets. A perfect cut of stone for watch cases, lockets, and other items that required a shallow stone.

Here is what the pocketwatchdatabase site has to say about the Waltham (the movement only, not the case).

https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/search/result/waltham/15529955

DaveK · Wed. 7:39pm

Boxcar
Hello, Newb here looking for some help/information. I was recently gifted a couple of family heirloom watches. A 1956 Omega Seamaster, and an Omega Pocket Watch. I can't seem to find much info on the Pocket Watch. I have attached some photos. The case is plain and the face seems fairly basic with the Omega logo, but the movement is Louis Brandt & Frere (which I know was the original company name). Is is common to have the mixed names? The serial seems to come back to 1906 (if the online serial number lookup is correct). Any thoughts are welcome. While I know the family genealogy sourcing the watches to my current possession, I really know nothing else.

Nice watches, are you going to get the Omega pocket watch serviced?

Boxcar · Thurs. 8:20am

DaveK
Nice watches, are you going to get the Omega pocket watch serviced?

I'm not sure... the crystal is not secure so it probably needs some attention. The mechanism seems to work fine.

DaveK · Thurs. 8:24am

Boxcar
I'm not sure... the crystal is not secure so it probably needs some attention. The mechanism seems to work fine.

I guess my question should have been, do you plan to wear it. If you’re going to wear or regularly run it at your desk, it’ll need a service for sure - it might run now, but old oils and gunk will make a mess of it if it’s used as is. Either way, great heirlooms.

Dan S · Thurs. 8:27am

Nice watches, the PW has a very high quality movement. In that photo, the hands appear to be badly damaged and the dial is probably more modern than the rest of the watch.

The Seamaster could be interesting depending on whether it is gold or just gold-capped. I can't see the dial very well, but it appears to be textured.

Omega / Louis Brandt Pocket Watch

Boxcar

Canuck

Boxcar

TexOmega

Canuck

Boxcar

Boxcar

Boxcar

Canuck

Canuck

TexOmega

Boxcar

Canuck

Boxcar

Boxcar

Canuck

DaveK

Boxcar

DaveK

Dan S

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