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Omega Vintage Trivia: Globemaster, Radium Lume & More

2852 constellation dog-leg geneve norman morris omega vintage
gbesq
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Try your skill. No cheating by using anything other than what you know. Here’s your first question. Partial answers are acceptable!

What model is this? When was the first year made and in which country? What makes it collectible?
IMG_1225.webp


Feel free to add in your own question!
 
Duracuir1
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Partial answer… what makes it collectible is that it is owned by GBESQ. And your watches are terrific.
 
noelekal
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Bit of a riddle here.

Is it a Globemaster from 1952, so named because Omega didn't want to step on Douglas Aircraft's toes?

1781912471258.webp
 
gbesq
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I'll be adding a few additional questions shortly!
 
gbesq
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noelekal noelekal
Bit of a riddle here.

Is it a Globemaster from 1952, so named because Omega didn't want to step on Douglas Aircraft's toes?

1781912471258.webp
Very good!!!
 
noelekal
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Which country has me stumped. I always figured they were made in Switzerland.
 
gbesq
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SECOND QUESTION

When was the year that Omega stopped using radium lume? And how long is the radium half-life?
Edited:
 
gbesq
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THIRD QUESTION

Why did Omega decide to include the Constellation medallion shown here?
1781913374343.webp
Edited:
 
gbesq
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FOURTH QUESTION

Which Omega stopped manufacturing a model line and when?
Edited:
 
gbesq
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noelekal noelekal
Which country has me stumped. I always figured they were made in Switzerland.
You are correct. Desmond notes that the "Globemaster" was completely manufactured in Switzerland. Norman Morris imported the fully encased "No-Name" Constellations that featured the Constellation star without the brand name. It is thought that the '‘no-name’ Constellations in 1952 to late 1955 would have probably been in the hundreds rather than the thousands for the USA...
Edited:
 
noelekal
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Fun thread, because I love, love, love the 1950s/early pre-dog leg Constellations!
 
Vinz Clortho
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Think Omega stopped using radium around 1960. There were the lawsuits in the 1950's with the radium girls who were instructed to lick the brushes to keep the fine point and injected the radium paint while they were painting the lume on the dials.

Drawing a blank on the half life at the moment.
 
Vinz Clortho
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The medallion signifies the Observatory in Geneva and stars note the number of chronometer competitions won.
 
padders
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gbesq gbesq
SECOND QUESTION

When was the year that Omega stopped using radium lume? And how long is the radium half-life?
Around 1962, no later. From memory, the half-life is of the order of a thousand years. It’s the phosphor that fails first.
 
gbesq
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Padder is correct that Omega stopped using radium no later than around 1962. He is also correct that it's the failing of phosphor, not the radium 226, that causes the lume not to glow. Radium 226, on the other hand, is the gift that keeps on giving energy with a half-life of 1,600 years. By comparison, tritium has a half-life of about 12 years.
Edited:
 
gbesq
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Vinz Clortho Vinz Clortho
The medallion signifies the Observatory in Geneva and stars note the number of chronometer competitions won.
Correct. Well done.
 
gbesq
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FOURTH QUESTION

Which stopped Omega manufacturing from a full LINE and when?
Edited:
 
padders
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gbesq gbesq
FOURTH QUESTION

Which Omega stopped manufacturing a full model LINE and when?
The question is a tad confusing but the Geneve line is candidate. Last example so badged was prob towards the close of the 1970s. Omega operated a factory in Geneva until the 1960s so the name lost meaning when that closed.
 
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