Specific model and parts, Grandfather's watch.

[NKantikas]

Hello all,

I guess this is just another one of many threads asking for help finding which model is this and parts for it.
My grandfather left me this watch which was fixed and worked on many times by random watchmakers. I used it a couple of times but for years it was on the box. Now my wedding is coming up and I want to wear it but when I went to pick it up i realized not only its not working but also the crystal fell off and the hands were scratched. These hands are also not original, neither the crown.

My my goal is to send it to Omega eventually but now I dont have time neither $$ to do it (wedding costs add up real quick). For now I would like to know if theres anyway I can source the crystal, original hands and crown for it?

If yes where? How? Im not a super watch guy, I do own 2 or 3 that I like and I connect to somehow but im far from a specialist. Would someone kindly help me out? I have a month to do it.

 

[TexOmega]

Crystal should be easily obtainable within a month(generic or otherwise) original hands and crown will be a challenge within a year or two if you get very lucky.......the process may entail buying a part's watch with a damaged movement.

Good luck and welcome

 

[Dan S]

In the short term, you may just want to have a watchmaker service it and install a generic crystal. That way it will be wearable next month. Give yourself more time to research the rest. The hands don't look bad to me.

 

[NKantikas]

Thanks for the replies, how can I find out how the hands should actually look like for this model? Would it a standard hand or does it change according to the dial design? Because Ive seen similar watches from similar years with different dial designs but never seen the same so idk how they even looked like.

 

[sheepdoll]

TexOmega

...the process may entail buying a part's watch with a damaged movement.

The problem is one parts movements become two, then two become four, then four become 8. It never ends.

Hands are probably the hardest part to match. One has to spend years if not decades, collecting old advertising ephemera. Catalogs, Scouring the web and sites like this for photographs. It becomes an obsession.

Keeps one up at night bidding on things that should probably be left to the other obsessed addicts.

 

[Dan S]

NKantikas

Thanks for the replies, how can I find out how the hands should actually look like for this model? Would it a standard hand or does it change according to the dial design? Because Ive seen similar watches from similar years with different dial designs but never seen the same so idk how they even looked like.

Let me ask you this. Why do you think the hands are wrong?

 

[DON]

Blue steel leaf hands. Enough generic hands out there that pretty much every watchmaker should have some.

crown. Don’t bother. Back then they weren’t signed and yours fits fine

generic crystal. Low dome and watchmakers always have stock

movement in average condition and missing case screws, but bezel holds movement in place

post location and maybe someone can name a watchmaker

don’t send to Omega. $$$$$ dollars to service

 

[mac_omega]

Two thoughts:

I can´t tell for sure by the photo - are these luminous numerals? It looks as if there is some lume left... then you would have to source "syringe hands" with radium powered lume.

also judging by the not so brilliant photo of the movement: it looks as if the balance is monometallic and not bimetallic as it should.
If monometallic it is a wrong replacement taken from a younger movement (caliber 265 likely). But this can be sorted later or left as is.

An important question is how much you want to spend to make the watch look original because neither the case nor the movement are in great condition? I would have it serviced, new crystal and 2 case srews - thats it... and kept as an heirloom from your grandfather.

 

[Dan S]

mac_omega

Two thoughts:

I can´t tell for sure by the photo - are these luminous numerals? It looks as if there is some lume left... then you would have to source "syringe hands" with radium powered lume.

That’s an interesting possibility. I hadn’t looked so closely and assumed they were painted gilt numerals, badly worn.

 

[ErichPryde]

mac_omega

Two thoughts:

I can´t tell for sure by the photo - are these luminous numerals? It looks as if there is some lume left... then you would have to source "syringe hands" with radium powered lume.

also judging by the not so brilliant photo of the movement: it looks as if the balance is monometallic and not bimetallic as it should.
If monometallic it is a wrong replacement taken from a younger movement (caliber 265 likely). But this can be sorted later or left as is.

An important question is how much you want to spend to make the watch look original because neither the case nor the movement are in great condition? I would have it serviced, new crystal and 2 case srews - thats it... and kept as an heirloom from your grandfather.

Would you mind highlighting where you think you see lume on those numerals? I rather hope they weren't but I am curious as to what you see.

 

[X350 XJR]

Dan S

painted gilt numerals, badly worn.

This is what I see as well.

 

[gatorcpa]

I think that the dial was harshly cleaned years ago and the silvering in the numerals was a casualty. My guess is that the proper hand set would look something like these two watches:

These are two examples from Bill Sohne, which are the two types of the existing 2410: CK2410, 30SCRg steel and CO2410, 30SCRg steel with 14K gold bezel. Bill Sohne was the Omega collector responsible for introducing me to the 30mm chronometers some 15 yrs ago.

https://squelettewatches.com/chronometres-30mm/

I would leave the sub-seconds hand. It's the proper vintage and close enough. You want the silver leaf hands and the blued seconds hand. All will be very difficult to find.
gatorcpa

 

[NKantikas]

Dan S

Let me ask you this. Why do you think the hands are wrong?

Because they were put at a random watchmaker in Brazil.... i dont think theyre horrible or anything. I just, ideally, wanted it to look original eventually.

 

[NKantikas]

mac_omega

Two thoughts:

I can´t tell for sure by the photo - are these luminous numerals? It looks as if there is some lume left... then you would have to source "syringe hands" with radium powered lume.

also judging by the not so brilliant photo of the movement: it looks as if the balance is monometallic and not bimetallic as it should.
If monometallic it is a wrong replacement taken from a younger movement (caliber 265 likely). But this can be sorted later or left as is.

An important question is how much you want to spend to make the watch look original because neither the case nor the movement are in great condition? I would have it serviced, new crystal and 2 case srews - thats it... and kept as an heirloom from your grandfather.

I dont think they are, I remember this watch since I am a kid, im 35 now and I never seen it have any kind of luminescence (is that the proper word? Sorry if not haha). It was already pretty old by then but i guess it would have been a bit better 30years ago.

 

[NKantikas]

gatorcpa

I think that the dial was harshly cleaned years ago and the silvering in the numerals was a casualty. My guess is that the proper hand set would look something like these two watches:

https://squelettewatches.com/chronometres-30mm/

I would leave the sub-seconds hand. It's the proper vintage and close enough. You want the silver leaf hands and the blued seconds hand. All will be very difficult to find.
gatorcpa

Pardon my ignorance what is the blued seconds hand?

I might aswell do what you say with the hands, thank you very much for the pics

 

[NKantikas]

mac_omega

Two thoughts:

I can´t tell for sure by the photo - are these luminous numerals? It looks as if there is some lume left... then you would have to source "syringe hands" with radium powered lume.

also judging by the not so brilliant photo of the movement: it looks as if the balance is monometallic and not bimetallic as it should.
If monometallic it is a wrong replacement taken from a younger movement (caliber 265 likely). But this can be sorted later or left as is.

An important question is how much you want to spend to make the watch look original because neither the case nor the movement are in great condition? I would have it serviced, new crystal and 2 case srews - thats it... and kept as an heirloom from your grandfather.

Ill consider it. I had a watchmaker offer me a practically new dial but different design which I honestly dont want to change because this watch design reminds me of my grandfather and my childhood, it would be a different watch if i changed. I wouldd love though to have the same design but new.
Thank you for your reply

 

[ErichPryde]

NKantikas

I dont think they are, I remember this watch since I am a kid, im 35 now and I never seen it have any kind of luminescence (is that the proper word? Sorry if not haha). It was already pretty old by then but i guess it would have been a bit better 30years ago.

I don't think it was ever lumed, but if it had been, the glow would have died well over 35 years ago. Radioactivity from Radium would have powered the illumination in a watch from the 1940s (like this one) and Radium is highly destructive to the paint itself to the point that the glow dies well before the radium is done powering it (which, well, it would still be radioactive today and for the next 1,000+ years).

 

[Dan S]

NKantikas

Because they were put at a random watchmaker in Brazil.... i dont think theyre horrible or anything. I just, ideally, wanted it to look original eventually.

They're not bad at all, IMO, and there's really no way to know exactly what the original hands were. Like @mac_omega, I would be happy to leave the watch as it is. The watch has lived a life, but it's still appealing, and replacing parts won't increase the sentimental value. It could even decrease the sentimental value if you change things too much.

 

[Gabguzro]

I agree. I would source a new crystal, service the movement, and then wear it like that. Especially considering the short time you have before the wedding. You can keep an eye out later in case you want to change the hands.

Congrats on the wedding and the cool watch!

 

[mac_omega]

ErichPryde

Would you mind highlighting where you think you see lume on those numerals? I rather hope they weren't but I am curious as to what you see.

Lumed dials of this age often have lost most of the luminous material and the numerals look like metallic foil. The rough structure on several numerals made me think of this possibility. The photo is not sharp enough to make a final decision. You have to look at it with a 10x loupe or/and expose it to UV light and see if there is some luminous left. Even with radium lume there might still be a very faint glow visible.

I want to demonstrate the loss of luminous material on 2 examples of ref 2410



You can see the starting of lume loss on the left example and in the right example nearly all of the luminous is gone except tiny rests at number 6 and 8. Without these minor residuals you might think the dial was designed with metal foil numerals only. Sometimes the rest of luminous can be hardly seen. When assessing dials I rely on my experience and go from the dial design - OP´s dial might have started as a luminous one...

Here you have a comparison with one of my ref 2337 examples on the left:



Although it is a centre second dial you can see the similarity in the layout: with zone and the same shape of the radially orientated numerals (here with fully intact lume though).
Disclaimer: All photos for comparison from my chronometre book.

Edited: Jul 31, 2024