Does anyone know what the red star on the dial under the OMEGA word means please? High end watch? Low end range? Military sale/Sold through a PX? 1950s version of a Geneva-range?
Essentially a model dedicated to the Teddington observatory award that OMEGA won; since at that time their movement was judged to be the most accurate. According to the thread the watches wouldn't be worth much today and most red stars have been water damaged due to the high humidity in Brazil and thusly redialled. So not very high end essentially, yet a vintage piece which could be worth something if it's all original maybe? It's a buyers market really.
Then there is something wrong with the search function here, - obviously I did a search on red star and it threw up nothing! So it is some sort of specially 'blue-printed' ultra-high end movement that was for some reason only sent to one SA Market where it was sold for a very high price? But the dial couldn't withstand the country's humidity so they aren't worth much today? For a model dedicated to the Teddington observatory award that OMEGA won, it doesnt look that special to me, - no special regulator, bridge configuration, sub-second dial-at-9 etc, -And this guy thinks it is worth a fortune, for what his watch with the corroding-away stainless steel-on-the case is: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Omega-watch-30t2-Military-Rare-ref-2271-4-/202464830371Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network. I wonder if he is confusing the red star with that in the pen community, where a star on the clip on a Parker is actually very rare & is SUPPOSED to mean it was sold in a PX? (which still doesn't make it military!) I just got one and the dial is none too terrible. It is at my repairer, where we are looking for a No:2 wheel, which seems to have fallen out. But I suppose it bodes well for when I get it back and put it there in competition!
This thread is beginning to sound interesting. So let's get this straight. The watch is an ultra high grade Calibre which is the only one ever to qualify for the Teddington Observatory standard. But they were for some reason only produced in tiny quantities and most of them went to Brazil. Where the dials have mostly gone South because of the humidity? That might make this piece slightly interesting when I get it restored and onto eBay. The serial number dates it to early 1944, which makes one wonder why it didn't have an incabloc shock absorber. Possibly because they were having difficulty getting that 30T2SC movement to Observatory Standard with the new shock absorber? Now to look for the seconds wheel and a balance staff. Doesn't exactly sound difficult? There seem to be lots of calibres to look for with interchangeable parts.