Omega Stories: Don't Buy A Journey Through Time, Unless It's Cheap

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A Journey Through Time, often referred to as AJTT, is a massive book released in 2007 by the then-curator of the Omega Museum, Marco Richon. The book is nothing short of enormous, at 831 pages and being so heavy that it is downright cumbersome. [..]

Visit Don’t Buy A Journey Through Time, Unless It’s Cheap to read the full article.
 
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Good review. And thanks for getting straight to the point in the headline, most newspapers have a lot to learn from you
 
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I have to say I find this quite a harsh review. I bought AJTT probably ten or twelve years ago now and certainly for the first few years it helped me avoid quite a few problem watches and has paid itself back to me many times over.

It also helped broaden my understanding and appreciation for Omega's vast back catalogue of not only wrist watches but other kinds of time pieces.

The section on clocks certainly stimulated me enough to seek out many more and to expand my collection significantly in this area. Not many were collecting them then, probably due to lack of info, and this book really shows many of the models well.

Agreed it does lack depth and clarity and certainly has some dubious redials so it should be used as one of a multitude of help aids rather than a pure definitive reference, but still I wouldn't be without my copy and back when it was printed it was by far the best thing out there.
Edited:
 
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I have to say I find this quite a harsh review. I bought AJTT probably ten or twelve years ago now and certainly for the first few years it helped me avoid quite a few problem watches and has paid itself back to me many times over.

It also helped broaden my understanding and appreciation for Omega's vast back catalogue of not only wrist watches but other kinds of time pieces.

The section on clocks certainly stimulated me enough to seek out many more and to expand my collection significantly in this area. Not many were collecting them then, probably due to lack of info, and this book really shows many of the models well.

Agreed it does lack depth and clarity and certainly has some dubious redials so it should be used as one of a multtude of help aids rather than a pure definitive reference, but still I wouldn't be without my copy and back when it was printed it was by far the best thing out there.

It may sound more harsh than intended, but as a book that people are commonly listing for $600+ In 2022 I just feel that it doesn’t serve new collectors well enough to justify the price it’s changing hands at.

I paid $250 for mine back when there wasn’t anything else around and certainly I use it a few times a year mostly when there’s an unusual piece I need to figure out the reference or so I wouldn’t sell it, but I also wouldn’t buy it again for $600+ either as that’s a whole lot of money for what this book gives you.

Now if Omega put it back into print at a reasonable price I’d have to change the title, but the issues with it and the level of usefulness it has 15 years after publication are things I wanted to call out, as is the breadth of the content which is definitely great for some people but would probably disappoint others.

I do appreciate your thoughts though, and you make some very good points.
 
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I have to say I find this quite a harsh review. I bought AJTT probably ten or twelve years ago now and certainly for the first few years it helped me avoid quite a few problem watches and has paid itself back to me many times over.

It also helped broaden my understanding and appreciation for Omega's vast back catalogue of not only wrist watches but other kinds of time pieces.

The section on clocks certainly stimulated me enough to seek out many more and to expand my collection significantly in this area. Not many were collecting them then, probably due to lack of info, and this book really shows many of the models well.

Agreed it does lack depth and clarity and certainly has some dubious redials so it should be used as one of a multtude of help aids rather than a pure definitive reference, but still I wouldn't be without my copy and back when it was printed it was by far the best thing out there.

I share the same feelings and have learned to use it as a catalogue or table that will point in the right direction with specific research as my next step.

I have to say that I am quite fond of it at my $399 US new purchase price.

p.s. I really like my Bible stand!
 
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A Journey Through Time, often referred to as AJTT, is a massive book released in 2007 by the then-curator of the Omega Museum, Marco Richon. The book is nothing short of enormous, at 831 pages and being so heavy that it is downright cumbersome. [..]

Visit Don’t Buy A Journey Through Time, Unless It’s Cheap to read the full article.

Don't agree. It is still useful for an meticulous collector today. The price is an individual problem.
 
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Don't agree. It is still useful for an meticulous collector today. The price is an individual problem.
Meticulous collectors sure, new people not so much though is the thing, the review is more targeted to someone beginning to buy some books on the subject rather than someone who has all of them.
 
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Hello Everyone....

First off , I love my copy of AJTT. I also have a copy of Saga ( and I don’t read or speak French).

This book is not for the new to Omega collector... This book was written for the collectors who love Omega. As you can see in Marco's dedication page... ( see below). Names like “ Chuck” for chuck Maddox …”Bill” is myself , “Joachim “ is Achim . Bernard was my friend Ben de Geus and others who I did not know personally ….

This book is for the collector who wants to go to the Omega Museum but cant, as other have pointed out its a photographic record of what was in the Museum circa 2005 the item number are the asset id of the timepieces. Plus the collection of ads and other marketing material is great.
What is totally over looked by most readers ... is the section on calibers and detail info on production runs and serial numbers for me ( the early railroad grade pockets watches for example ). For others seeing info on a single run of chronometre grade caliber 501 with 19 jewels is another hight light.

My personal favorite is the section on all the Omega calibers are illustrated in a 1:1 size... so you can see a 30T2SCRg is you measure it its 30 mm in diameter ! just a brilliant idea from Marco . This has helped me over the years in id movement etc...

plus there is a Easter egg … funny Ash picks a page he will never look at again ! Take a close look at the French navy chronometer , See who they purchased the chronometer from , hahahahaah. Good story behind that too …

Just to recap , the target buyer is anyone who is in love with the brand. Another way to this of this book is that its the Omega Museum that you can fit on your bookshelf!

Good Hunting

Bill

 
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It was this book that turned me into the minor 'collector' that I am. When I saw the stories behind these watches they became Must Haves 😀

 
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I think this review is really unfair and targeted to a very specific type of collectors.

I acknowledge that there are a number of redials and uncorrect watches but if you are not obsessed by Speeds ot 30 RG, what else? Where can you find information on early Pocket watches, models from the 20’s and 30’s?

quote
« For the same price as this you can buy yourself a copy of Moonwatch Only, and a copy of Omega 30mm Chronometers, both of which are much better investments and significantly more practically useful for collectors interested in those models. »
Both books are of better quality/accuracy but not all collectors are interested only in those two specific models.

quote
« there are sections dedicated to pocket watches, to 1970s cocktail watches, electronic DeVilles from the 80s, and frankly a lot of watches that are overlooked not due to rarity, but due to them being rubbish, or genuine low points in Omega’s history. »
With all due respect I wouldn’t qualify pocket watches as rubbish or low point in Omega history. Once again for pre 1940 period, what else?

I still consult Omega Saga, AJTT, Omega designs (by A Kreuzer) very regularly, they are, with period catalogs, the only source for the ones who collect Omega watches outside of the trendy more recent speeds, seamaster 300 and the like.

IMHO there is no need of AJTT bashing, everyone here recognizes what valuable information OmegaForum brings to the collectors community.
 
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I think this review is really unfair and targeted to a very specific type of collectors.

I acknowledge that there are a number of redials and uncorrect watches but if you are not obsessed by Speeds ot 30 RG, what else? Where can you find information on early Pocket watches, models from the 20’s and 30’s?

quote
« For the same price as this you can buy yourself a copy of Moonwatch Only, and a copy of Omega 30mm Chronometers, both of which are much better investments and significantly more practically useful for collectors interested in those models. »
Both books are of better quality/accuracy but not all collectors are interested only in those two specific models.

quote
« there are sections dedicated to pocket watches, to 1970s cocktail watches, electronic DeVilles from the 80s, and frankly a lot of watches that are overlooked not due to rarity, but due to them being rubbish, or genuine low points in Omega’s history. »
With all due respect I wouldn’t qualify pocket watches as rubbish or low point in Omega history. Once again for pre 1940 period, what else?

I still consult Omega Saga, AJTT, Omega designs (by A Kreuzer) very regularly, they are, with period catalogs, the only source for the ones who collect Omega watches outside of the trendy more recent speeds, seamaster 300 and the like.

IMHO there is no need of AJTT bashing, everyone here recognizes what valuable information OmegaForum brings to the collectors community.
I’m open to making some changes to it as really unfair or bashing isn’t what I was aiming for at all, more of a realistic explanation of the content and it’s value to the average newcomer to buying vintage Omegas and perhaps my bluntness made it sound worse as a result.

I do respect your interest in the very early stuff and thoroughly enjoy your posts on this topics but it’s not a widely embraced topic and people to tend to coalesce more around the 50s-60s dress watches and sports watches.

When pocket watches do come up in threads here it tends to be more a case of “here is an omega pocket watch what’s it worth and how can they get rid of it” which is a bit sad but we would be lucky to have one thread per year about someone actually buying a pocket watch.

I think the reason people in large are drawn to the known trendy group of watches is more just the practicality, they’re a bit larger, a bit more water resistant, and a bit more like a modern watch to service and wear than most or what came before, and somewhat easier to find.

But once again I’d there are particular parts that are unfair or come across as bashing I’m willing to address or alter those as that wasn’t the intent.
 
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I’m open to making some changes to it as really unfair or bashing isn’t what I was aiming for at all, more of a realistic explanation of the content and it’s value to the average newcomer to buying vintage Omegas and perhaps my bluntness made it sound worse as a result.

I do respect your interest in the very early stuff and thoroughly enjoy your posts on this topics but it’s not a widely embraced topic and people to tend to coalesce more around the 50s-60s dress watches and sports watches.

When pocket watches do come up in threads here it tends to be more a case of “here is an omega pocket watch what’s it worth and how can they get rid of it” which is a bit sad but we would be lucky to have one thread per year about someone actually buying a pocket watch.

I think the reason people in large are drawn to the known trendy group of watches is more just the practicality, they’re a bit larger, a bit more water resistant, and a bit more like a modern watch to service and wear than most or what came before, and somewhat easier to find.

But once again I’d there are particular parts that are unfair or come across as bashing I’m willing to address or alter those as that wasn’t the intent.
I agree with you and the message, I think, we all agree on is : don’t take AJTT for what it isn’t. It isn’t a definitive reference book. It deserves all your critics about authenticity of dials, crowns, quality of pictures etc… but it is, until now, the most comprehensive generalist work on Omega production over time (hence its title). For the ones who are interested in a general view or in non widely documented aspects of Omega production, it remains a useful book, to be read, again, with caveats.
Regarding price, Omega has sold all copies since long and they should pripose a downloadable pdf version on their site. No loss for them and access to some very useful information for all (and end of some mistakenly overpriced purchases).
 
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AJTT was a great & interesting effort by Omega aficionados
AJTT has been discussed before and a corrected update, which would take about a year to complete, is long overdue...
It has some mistakes, but at least it shows Omega's Apollo 11 photoshot efforts on Buzz Aldrin standing on the lunar surface
.
 
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I guess Ash's target group are guys like me, relatively new to the game, who wanted a reference book to start off and I wanted to have something physical in my hand rather than having to browse the net all the time. At the time of buying around 1.5 years ago, I was mostly interested in Constellations and Seamaster of the 50-60s, and indeed the book lacks depth. My "Constellation bible" remains Desmond's blog and if I have any doubt about a vintage Seamaster I consult the more experienced members here. When I started getting interested in Speedmasters, the MWO book was to only way to go.

However, I don't regret my purchase at all as a lover of the brand and as Bill puts it to have the Omega Museum in condensed form on the book shelf, and it may serve as starting point for delving into other models in the future.

It's really about the price. I wouldn't pay $600 for it. But you only see those inflated prices for the English version. If you're lucky enough to master more than the current lingua franca 😉, French and German versions are offered brand new and sealed for below retail price. I bought my German edition for CHF 329 and thought that was a deal, just to pick up a brand new and sealed one for CHF 290 just a two weeks later for a friend.
 
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Anyway, the time is right for an updated & corrected AJTT version, maybe in late 2023 ( celebrating 175 years Omega )
Lots of volunteers would agree to help (e.g. OF has a few sleuth-members who have their own website on specific Omega watches ! )
Looking forward to an AJTT with some interesting spaceflight history and perhaps some info on when Omega precisely started to advertize the Speedmaster chronograph via its spaceflight legacies 1fae3.png
e.g. 1967 Omega brochures (16 pages - 21 by 15 centimeters softcover)
.
 
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2023 is here ... ( celebrating 175 years Omega ) 🍿
Probably be just another (un)Limited Edition of a Speedmaster.
 
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Where would a discerning omega fan find a good price on AJTT currently in the US? Any tips?