Many thanks to members for chiming in. A big thank you to Tom for his inputs and also taking the trouble to research and source the print from the German catalogue which indisputably validates and confirms the existence of this dial style/variation. Also, thank you to Erich for his additional comments and also for the image of his dial for comparison.
Regarding the chance of a re-dial, as pointed out, I cannot imagine anybody achieving this amount of fine detail - and what would be the point of such a massive effort to achieve that?
But Erich makes two interesting suggestions:
Firstly “… a partial reprint - maybe logo and Omega script has been re-applied.” But I cannot understand why that would have been done - and there are no signs at all of any original logo/script.
Then moving on to Erich’s second point: “… it is also possible that there have been several different versions during the short time the Medicus has been produced - maybe different dial manufacturers/contractors.” I think this is VERY possible. If one wanted to find out, it would be interesting to see the underside of the dials - probably different manufacturers’ markings. Again as Erich points out, there are slight variations/differences - not just the finer logo/script but also the gap between the scales.
These dials were meticulously done by hand so it makes sense that dial makers would have applied their own personal touches with subtle variations of the logo/script from the different makers. Dial making back then was a laborious, meticulous and painstaking process. I feel a dial refinisher would find it very difficult to achieve the same results and/or level of detail and consistency (i.e., notably the fine printing and detail of the scales, the positioning and spacing of the lettering, the precise length and equidistance between each minute marker, the defined thickness and size of each of the circular rings, etc.).
As Erich pointed out, the notch at 12 was common on dials with complicated prints and this was a practice dial makers employed. Dial makers did also apply a notch at 3 o'clock for more complex dial work. Hence, it would be safe to assume that not all notches you see at 3 are indicative of a redial.
Finally, the degradation, blemishes and patina you see on dial including the OMEGA script, is consistent with the time period of production.
Many thanks again to OF members, especially Tom and Erich for sharing their views, insights and experiences.
