Hi,
Strange times presently so hope you are all keeping safe and well.

With considerably more spare time on my hands of late I decided to pull together my records on the Omega 2990-1 Ranchero which I have researched and collected information on for a while now.
My interest in this model stems from an appreciation of its brethren 2913, 2914 & of course the 2915, the famous 1957 Trilogy.
My records currently hold 82, 2990-1 Rancheros, their serial numbers ( some in part based on information available ) details of Dial, Hands, Lume, Crown and Crystal.
I have of course seen many more photos of other watches that I do not currently have recorded, obviously without access to their serial numbers I am unable to record them.
My records are completely anonymous, I do not keep a record of the owner as this information can be viewed as sensitive. My records are purely for collating and recording numbers and details of this Ranchero reference.

Ok, so below are some details which I have picked out from my records that hopefully you will find interesting......

of the 82 recorded ....

29 have Omega EOA’s,
5 were delivered to Army/Air force
9 were delivered to Italy ( most popular country based on my records )

28 have White Dials ( roughly equating to 2:1 ) so white dials are rarer, you’ll likely see 2 Black to 1 White

Serial numbers I have recorded range from 15,2**,*** to 17,7**,***
with 5 in the 15M range and 13 in the 17M range
( in the 17M range there are 5 redials including the 17,7**,*** serial I have recorded but there are 2 original ones delivered to the forces according to EOA’s )


Of the 82 recorded only 17 have signed crystals, 9 of which I know are replacements.
Now, to date I have not found conclusive evidence that the Ranchero 2990-1 was fitted with a signed crystal when new. I am aware of only 1 surviving NOS example and that appears to have an unsigned crystal.
I am aware of the specific Omega crystal (5005) for this reference case however this isn't evidence that the crystals on Rancheros were all signed, the 2990 case is also a Seamaster reference case. They weren’t necessarily all signed.
If anyone can provide any evidence either way it would be gratefully received.

You will all be aware too that finding an original Ranchero isn’t easy, if they are original they often have replaced Bowler crowns or replaced Broad Arrow hands both of which are integral parts of a 2990-1 Ranchero.
54 of the 82 I have recorded have either incorrect crowns or hands. (This equates to only 1 in 3 being correct)

..... and then there’s the dials ..... aftermarket dials, fakes and many, many original dials that have been relumed, either early on during a service or more recently to freshen dials up.
All these factors go toward making this watch very difficult to source in original condition, but what a fabulous watch it is

I hope you have found my obsession interesting ( if not a little crazy )

If any of you would care to share your Ranchero’s details and add to my records please do not hesitate to DM me. As stated, any information given will be kept strictly anonymous.

 

How many have central seconds hands? Mine has an extract, and a naiad bower hat crown. Are the the guy who contacted me on IG for the extract info? Interesting facts...thanks for sharing, and if you are not that guy, let me know so I can share.

 

https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/...0031/lot-ebac08c1-900d-4211-b3a2-abac00f6cd0e

Know very little about these - but here's one currently up for auction in the UK, also with a military engraving on caseback. Hope this provides some extra grist to the lockdown mill

 

Hi
Yes you kindly replied on Instagram and I have your watch details on record. Can you confirm whether the crystal is signed and if so which logo ?
FYI regarding the 2996-1 reference, I have 4 recorded but these are not included in the 2990-1 records. I have not actively researched this reference but have recorded the ones I have come across
Thank you

 

Interesting, again not the 2990-1 reference but I do have details of various 2996-1. No centre second hand ? Nice case back RAF engraving. Thanks for the heads up

 

Just a quick thank you to all those that have kindly sent details of their Rancheros over to me, it is much appreciated
I now have 98 listed (including other Ranchero references 2996/PK 2990)

88 2990-1
7 2996-1
3 PK2990

Of the 88 2990’s I now have recorded, I received details of 6 recently with a 50/50 split of Black/White dials. 5 have 16M serial numbers, 2 have EOA’s

Thanks again and stay safe

 

Well I’ve hit the magic 100

100 2990-1 Rancheros now recorded

Surprisingly or maybe not, the results remained consistent as the number increased

34 white dials now recorded out the 100 which still equates to 2 black dials to 1 white on average

71% of Rancheros recorded have replaced hands or crown

Stay Safe Guys

P.s. Good luck with the sale Nico (cuttysark) who kindly provided me with details of his Ranchero previously

 

Hi again All,
Always appreciative of owners adding to my Ranchero records and many thanks again to all that have.
As stated I do not record owners details just their Rancheros so everything is kept anonymous

As of today my records currently stand at 117 2990-1s recorded

Please DM if you would like to add to the list or have any questions

kind regards and stay safe all

 

Well it is just that, though not the broad arrow CK 2990-1 model I concentrate on, gorgeous though it is.
I do have numerous other Rancheros details including some of the rarer 2996 and “civilian” models.
You mention a box with this NOS, is it a simple cardboard flip lid with brown plush interior as per other manual 30mm models?

 

Just updated my records tonight as Omega_tdn posted an Omega EOA on Instagram for one of his white Rancheros.
As my records have grown it’s interesting to see when and where these watches were delivered.
The EOA mentioned above is for a very late Ranchero as the serial number exceeds 17.5M and was delivered in January 1960. It’s not the latest but late as serial numbers go for Rancheros.
What I find interesting though is how you would expect dates to match up with serial runs on these EOA’s and yet I have numerous examples now where I see later serial numbers delivered several months beforehand. For example, Mr Nielsen has a 17,563,*** Ranchero delivered to Sweden on 8.1.1960 according to the Omega EOA and yet I have recorded a 17,407,*** delivered to Finland on 11.8.1960 according to an Omega EOA.
There’s surely a logical explanation for this discrepancy
but it seems odd that these watches with serial numbers in excess of 150,000 difference don’t follow suit delivery date wise. I’d expect the above 2 examples to have delivery dates the other way round, wouldn’t you ?

 

Look, just one correction: Not one Ranchero was ISSUED to any military. The Ministry of Defence can issue , following strict government guide lines. You see and talk about private purchases from soldiers, often via Military deployments and via duty free shops, who had the back engraved. That had nothing to do with an military watch, issued by the MoD. Please change that description in your remarkable research to be factual true. Kind regards. Achim

 

Hi Achim
Noted and I’ve edited my post to read “delivered” not “issued” to Army/Air Force.
Obviously I misunderstood the context within the Omega EOA’s.
Does that mean F.A.P. Watches are not Military issued either ?
Kind regards
Gary

ps thank you for your kind words, it’s a labour of love currently standing at 119 now recorded

 

Gary, there are lots of fake engravings ...... Here is the Omega official sales catalogue for the Peruvian Forces from 1959::::::: dont look at the prices..... Only these two were issued to the FAP. Kind regards. achim

 

Thanks Achim
There is currently a FAP engraved double signed Ranchero Seamaster for sale which I’ve had details of for some time. It was apparently delivered to the Peruvian Air Force in 1961.
This watch screamed alarm bells to me. Being a double signed dial it suggests it was supplied to the German Market and as these are rare they appear to fall into a certain serial range. I have 4 recorded along with the aforementioned FAP, the 4 all have mid 16M serials, the FAP mid/late 17M. An anomaly?

 

No idea. You are the expert here. I go by the original records. Many fake engravings applied in the hope, that they might increase the value......rubbing off from the FAP issued Rolex Chronograph. Which is very rare now. Kind regards. Achim

 

I dont think they were sold i serialnumber order back then.

17.563.xxx:



17.562.xxx:

 

Possibly not but by far the majority of serial numbers did follow date order especially around what I refer to as the “sweet spot” which is 16.2M-16.6M.
The 2 examples you show here are fairly close ( ie within 1000 ) and only a month apart, which is plausible

 

Yes Achim, many fake engravings, swapped dials etc as there always will be when money can be made. The FAP Ranchero just doesn’t add up for all sorts of reasons

 

a cool pair



the first with the Portuguese Salazar mark on the lugs complete with extract

[s.n. 16.616.xxx Jan 1959 Portugal]







and another with original early 7077 braceler end link 4