Hello,

My wife recently found a watch that belonged to her late father which looks like an old Omega Seamaster. We have no idea if it’s a genuine watch, there’s no paperwork, or box. Father in law either bought it in the late fifties, early sixties, or it might have been his father’s we just don’t know. We do know was in the RAF, stationed in Hong Kong in the sixties, and before that Gan in the Maldives. He wasn’t a high ranking officer, so if these were expensive items back then, it’s possibly not a genuine Omega watch.

If you can perhaps help, it would mean a lot.

Thanks!

 

Looks totally legit to me, including the bracelet. There will be a reference number inside, but opening it is probably a job for a professional in this case. However, other members may be able to figure it out just by looking at the shape of the case. You provided good photos.

The damage to the dial is probably due to moisture that entered through a failed crown seal, so there may be some corrosion in the movement as well. You should probably avoid using the watch until it can be cleaned and lubricated by a watchmaker.

 

Most likely it is model 2846 from circa 1958-9. It looks perfectly genuine if a little worn. The bracelet may be slightly later, but its a good choice for that model, indeed I added one to mine.

 

Hi
Looks nice and original, especially with the original bracelet. A basic service on the movement would make for a lovely family heirloom that could be used for many years to come. The dial is slightly damaged, but you get a lot worse and it wouldn’t bother me that much. I would expect it’s something like a ref 2846 with a 501 cal. movement inside.

Best regards
Chris.

 

This is all superb information, thank you so much guys, it means a lot.

My wife is now trying to determine where her dad was during the years those watches were produced. We do know he loved watches and cameras, and we wondered if Hong Kong would have been the place he bought it, maybe they were cheaper to buy there? Maybe he bought it in the NAAFI? Who knows. In any case it fits her reasonably well, and she really wants to wear something that probably belonged to her dad, who was on the RAF Air Sea Rescue launches for most of his career.

Does anyone have any recommendations as to where I could have it inspected/cleaned and serviced? We’re in Kent, UK.

 

Hi again

You’re spoilt for choice in the UK, I can suggest watchguy.co.uk or mitka.co.uk, I’m sure there are some other members that can recommend some other UK based repairers.
I’m originally from Faversham. So regards from a Man of Kent.
Chris.

 

Loads of great options for servicing in the UK!

You could try www.watchguy.co.uk or Omegaforums.net's own Chris at www.cjnwatch.co.uk, both are very capable.

 

+1 for watchguy.co.uk. He’s got a fascinating blog and does excellent work.

 

Lovely piece! Depending on how large your wife’s wrists are, the bracelet can be resized by removing a few links down to about 6-6.5”. If her wrists are smaller, these look stellar on leather (quality short straps are out there) and swapping it to a strap it a 2 minute job.
Hong Kong was a serious destination for luxury goods in the 60’s- my parents went there frequently for business and came back with treasure troves of antiques, furniture, custom suits (done in less than a week with Savile Row quality) and jewelry all for pennies on the dollar. You also can’t rule out that he picked the watch up second hand or that it sat in a jewelers showcase/stock room for a few years.
If you are genuinely curious, Omega offers an Extract of Archives for a fee- by using the serial number on the movement, they can tell you exactly where it was delivered and when. That said, it still could have been purchase second hand.

 

When you contact a watchmaker to work on your watch, I suggest you tell the story just the same way you did here so that the watchmaker understands it is an heirloom piece. It will help him understand the context. Most watchmakers are very professional, but occasionally we will hear stories where a watchmaker tells someone that a watch is not worth servicing (thinking he is being helpful), or suggests cleaning (which can damage dials), polishing, or repainting.

You can always buy a nice new clean watch, but every scratch and stain on this watch came from your FIL, and if it were mine, I wouldn't change it at all.

 

The adjustable-clasp BOR ("beads of rice") bracelet is a nice item to have.

You don't say how you feel, aesthetically, about the condition, but I think you shouldn't ask or want to have the dial cleaned. These watches are sought after by collectors in large part because the design has proved to look beautiful and work perfectly even as the dial ages. Hopefully your wife will agree with Dan S. that the dial tells a story that shouldn't be erased. It looks like a great watch.

 

This is such a nice piece. I love it!

 

We’re going to have a look at the watchmakers that have been suggested, contact them, and see what transpires. Hopefully it’s nothing too serious although whilst we were looking at it yesterday, we noticed that incredibly it still works after all those years, probably where we’d been moving it around.

You’re right in saying it’s an heirloom, a treasured family connection, and don’t think a full restoration is what we would want, although to be honest we both feel that the face could do with smartening up a little.

Thanks once again for all the replies, they’re much appreciated.

 

Hi again

It’s definitely a good sign that the watch is working, but please be careful. It’s probably a long time since the watch was used and the oils/lubrication that the movement needs have probably dried out, so you may do more harm than good in using the watch too much.
I would advise against trying to do too much with the face of the watch as you can quickly lose some of the charm and originality of the watch by trying to get the watch face to look better. I’m sure the recommended repairers above will be able to provide some good advise regarding this.
Regards
Chris

 

Thanks @ConElPueblo for the comment.

If you must have the dial improved (and I would want that myself), then there are a couple of restoration companies that will redial your watch to a much nicer look. Of course, it will always be a redial from that point and that would knock the collector value dramatically but, I suppose that is unimportant to you. I very much doubt that cleaning and re-lacquering will improve the dial at all and will probably destroy the text.

Coincidentally, I was looking through a spare parts box the other day and saw that I have this original Omega dial. I just looked at it and it's for a cal 501. You would only know about the diameter of the dial when it's opened to confirm it will fit your case though and that would also confirm it's a 501 in your watch.


Good luck, Chris

 

Hi chilidoggy, this is such a cool story! I had a similar situation where I recently inherited my grandfather's old watch and knew only a little about Omega Watches. It was a Vintage Speedmaster with a leather strap that I now wear everyday! If you decide to keep it and want to learn more about these watches (which I'd highly recommend!) then the best starting point that helped me is learning all the terminology for these watches.
https://www.bobswatches.com/omega/terms
"
WHAT IS THE MOONWATCH?

• The Omega Speedmaster chronograph earned itself the nickname “Moonwatch” after it became the first watch to be worn on the surface of the moon in 1969.

The Omega Speedmaster chronograph was not only the first to land on the moon but went on to become certified by NASA for spaceflight and extravehicular activity. It has since become the most popular model ever created by Omega, and bears a distinct design featuring a black chronograph dial and matching black tachymeter scale, complete with a robust stainless steel case."

 

Hi, if you are sure it was bought nee by the old men you can think about asking a certificate from Omega. Costs you 100 pounds. Based on the serial number they tell you where it was delivered which then theoretically is the country where he bought it.