Hi, I recently purchased this vintage Omega on Ebay. It is not a Seamaster or a Constellation and is simply listed as "other" on the Omega site. The seller described it as "military" style. The dial is signed on the back and the movement appears to be in very good shape aside from some tool marks on the adjustment screws. Two requests as I am new to collecting Omegas:

1) Any feedback on the quality / condition / authenticity from the pictures below? Did I buy a POS, or is it ok? The seller stated that everything except the band is original (dial, case, crown, etc). Can anyone tell if the dial is original?
2) Does anyone have any information or history about this particular model / style? Is there a story behind this model?

 

Badly overpolished case and repainted dial (you can see the black paint creeping up the sides and dripped on top of the applied markers). It's likely a legitimate 1950s or 1960s Omega that has been badly restored. It's not military or military style, just a dress watch. In original condition, it is desirable, but not in its current state.

 

You have to be careful with wording on eBay as many sellers use a liberal definition of "original", meaning that the dial is an authentic Omega dial even if it has been refinished. Caveat emptor. Depending on the seller's description/wording you may have a case for a return. If not, chalk it up to noob tax and try to enjoy the watch. Ask before you buy, the folks here are always willing to help.

 

Thank you! The seller offers returns for any reason, so I am covered. I want to see it in person before I decide.

 

Here is what the seller stated:

Watch is serviced by a watchmaker. Watch works exactly. I guarantee the good work the watch. Mechanism no defects.

Everything original the machine. Facade is what you see.

Original dial 100 %. On one of the pictures I photographed the back of the dial and its initials. There is rarely such a well-kept dial.

The glass has no scratches.

Case number - 14391-62.

Machine wrote - 19203975. 17 jewels, Cal. 268. Original balance.

The watch has an original crown.

The diameter of the watch without the crown is 35 mm. Thickness of the watch with a glass - 8,5 mm. The length of the strap with the watch is 22,5 cm.

The buyer has 14 days to return the item (the buyer pays shipping fees). The item will be refunded.

And in a message to me:

I'm from a watchman's family. My grandfather used to be a boss of watchmakers. I myself have worked in our capital in a workshop for very expensive watches - I have repaired them. I have a lot of experience and I would never lie to you - the dial is 100% authentic. Not repainted. You'll see for yourself. This is my job for me, and I can't be wrong. Thanks.

 

I don't see this extra paint on the markers and it looks like an original black dial to me with the correct colour for the markers and text. The "Swiss made" appears to be the correct font and correctly placed. I'd be interested to see a head on shot without the crystal when you receive it. I'd also be interested to see what @hoipolloi and @ConElPueblo think.

I don't believe the service is well done though, look at the regulator pointer.

Regards, Chris

 

This is why I want to inspect the watch personally...from the photos I do not see the extra paint as described by Dan S, though he is likely more experienced than I and may see something I missed. Regarding the service, is your comment because the pointer is not more centered (just trying to learn)?

 

It's lazy to not re-centre the pointer so I wouldn't be happy doing that. On the other hand, it will work there just as well. The whole movement doesn't look like it's just been cleaned. And it works "exactly" which is a bit of a meaningless phrase.

The hands are a bit odd as well but I really just meant to comment on the dial and probably shouldn't have added a comment about the movement.

It can be incredibly hard to state it's an original or re-dial based on a few photos but the guys I mentioned (plus many other such as @MSNWatch, @gatorcpa ) often can tell pretty quickly. Get some other opinions.

Cheers, Chris

 

All good - I only ask for opinions to help me learn from the experience of the community here and also to get a better idea of what I should be looking for...not to take as fact or to to criticize. Thank you for your honest feedback...all taken with a grain of salt of course! I will post some additional pictures once the watch is in my possession...perhaps then we can learn more about this one. I am fine with a re-dial that is done well as this will be a watch for wearing and not a collectible, though the seller swears it is not painted (I hope it is 100% original, not re-dial...we will see). The movement is a concern for me as I see the tool marks, meaning at some point an amateur likely tried to disassemble or adjust it. Still, if the balance runs true and it keeps fairly good time then I am willing to overlook the interior cosmetics (plus, easy to replace the screws if that is all that is wrong). I can have it re-serviced as well, so the pointer not being re-centered is a fairly low cost maintenance I am willing to pay for. I will be concerned if the dial is a hack job, or there are other notable signs of poor quality work. I also notice that the hands may be yellow gold, while the markers appear to be rose gold...again will have to see in person as I cannot tell from the photos. We will see...

 

Looks like an original gilt dial.

 

The hour & minute hand may be replacements. Notice the colour is different from the seconds hand? Also, 268's usually have alpha hands..

 

No problems and I don't see you trying to criticize at all

I've seen other threads where newer members, especially, declare "re-dial" when there is nothing wrong with it. I'm just trying to say, don't rely on the first response you get. Hope it arrives soon.

Regards, Chris

 

I think so...from the other pics online of 14391's, I am almost certain the minute and hour hands are replacements. I believe the rest may be original and not replacements or refinished, but will see when it comes.

 

...I thought a 14391-62 is at most 34mm. That´s an issue, because "bigger is more expensive".

rgds - h.u.

 

Well if nobody else sees the dial the same way that I do, that's fine. But as much as I look at it, I just can't un-see what I see. And the same with the lugs.

Well, I don't know about other new members, but I have seen a few watches. I'm trying to see what the rest of you are seeing, but I'm afraid I can't un-see what I see and I am just giving an honest opinion, with no agenda. I tried to crop and magnify sections of the images, but the resolution wasn't high enough. Better photos will help.

Since I apparently don't know what I'm talking about, maybe someone else should express his or her opinion about the lugs.

 

I never intended to upset you, or anyone else and in a previous post I said:

You clearly have a good idea of what a re-dial looks like but, I believe in this case, you're wrong. It's making a statement that reads as fact that concerns me as this happens a fair amount. This is true over all internet forums so, I'm not aiming at you in particular but, we all make mistakes and it's always worth getting a few opinions.

Based on this dial statement, the OP could be instigating a return of a watch as "not as described". For the dial in question:

The colour of the text is right and this is hard to reproduce because of the manufacturing method so, they are usually white when re-dialled.
The "Swiss Made" is correctly centered - not with the space centered on the 6 marker as most redials.
The font of "Swiss Made" appears to have the correct fonts with the flat topped S, for example.
The tick marks appear to be uniform and even. Again, this is a give away of a redial if they are not evenly spaced.
The OMEGA font and location looks good to me.
If @X350 XJR thinks it's original, I'd go with his opinion as he sees a lot of watches and is usually accurate.

I don't know what you're seeing exactly on the dial but I don't see it, I'm afraid - especially not any overspray.

I didn't comment on the case but agree, it looks overly polished.

Cheers, Chris

 

Hi guys, the OP (me) is thankful for both of your feedback...I think some better quality photos once it arrives may help. I will definitely post them here as soon as possible. No one doubts the experience and knowledge here in OF...that is why I joined.

And yes, I think the case is definitely over polished!

 

Thanks Chris, I appreciate your comments, and honestly I am not upset. However, despite this disclaimer, your previous comments were clearly aimed at me. I don't want to de-rail this thread, so this will be my last post on the topic. I certainly accept that I can be wrong and that others are more knowledgeable than me, or can see different things than I see, which is why I also ask for opinions. In this case, opinions were requested, and opinions were given. Others offered different opinions and I was happy to see them, which is how we all learn, and you may notice that I did not attempt to argue or assert my opinion. I trust that the OP already knows enough to gather multiple opinions. I suppose that every time I give an opinion, I could qualify it by adding "but this is just my opinion, and you should not act on it because there are other people with more knowledge than me, and you should wait to hear their opinions," but I think this would be tedious.

 

Focusing on the over polishing, how much does it affect the value? It looks to me from pictures of other Omegas of this model that there should be a bevel on the outside edge of the top of each lug that has been polished down to rounded on this one, and also the same for the bezel. I assume this is what you both are referring to in the posts above?

 

Here´s a 14392 (same as yours but center second). Hope you can see what you had asked for?