The 1068 / 620 is an oddity, it appears very rarely

I didn't pay attention for quite some time, then it really piqued my interest, my theory is that it was a combination some AD's made happen

This North Korean watch is even more interesting, they were ordered directly, so if this watch had this bracelet originally, it could've been a combination option Omega provided too



I recently completed my collection of steel C-Case bracelets, I think I have 12 different types

I'm missing a funky Mexican 1040, there's a US market 1040, one very ugly gold/steel milanese that Omega commissioned - so I don't technically have every Omega made or commissioned bracelet, but I have all the main good looks

I started writing a book but it was a very challenging undertaking, compared to some masterpieces my approach seems like a rushed term project report, I got a bit demotivated and paused after this realisation - it's hard to come up with a good visual presentation and format, I'm going to release it as a free ebook once it's complete

 

Great idea about the book, in fact, i was thinking maybe it will be a good idea if someone knowledgeable about bracelets of omega could start a thread here and identify each bracelets and which omega watch do they belong to.

I for one have this one omega bracelet sitting in my drawer because I made a wrong purchase not long ago, it is an Omega LD 1037/275 bracelet, and to this day, I have no idea which omega watch did it originally belong to, and google was not much of a help.

 

Did you mean 1307/275? If so, these references:
196.0128
196.0129

To not detract too far from the point of the thread, here is my beloved c-case:

 

yes, that's what i meant, sorry, btw, i love your strap, what strap is it?

 

Reviving the discussion from a few weeks ago, I wrote to @kaplan in private in regards to this particular caseback:

It is a brazilian cased watch. The words "Ind. Bras." are an abbreviation for "Indústria Brasileira", the equivalent of "Made in Brazil".

It is also fitting to the papers of the piece, which are in portuguese. "Certificado de Alta Precisão".

Very cool piece. I am checking brazilian markets often but this is the first time I came across such a caseback. Even though Omega was big in Brazil for decades, I almost never see this.

 

I've been wondering how many C-Case's were sold in total, @Peemacgee shared a forgotten sticky with an incredible document: http://users.tpg.com.au/mondodec/Offcial_Omega_Museum_Calibre_ list.pdf

There are a total of 510.000 750-752 movements, I think it would be at most 200.000 751's as 752's seem more common, and 168.029 being the dominant model, there could be up to 50.000 of them

The number for 561-565 movements are 2.800.000 - it's a more mixed family and very hard to make guesses

My purely non-scientific guess for the 561, 564, 751 cal. C-Case's to be around 200.000 at most

Maybe I'm biased and this caused me to skew the numbers upwards, but it seems to me that the C-Case was the most popular model at the time, it was the peak of watchmaking before the Quartz burst, post wars, it was a time where the world peaked too, when the middle class were thriving

Being a resilient model I think at least half of them should've survived

What do you guys think?

 

I'm hardly an expert, but we can look at the competition and try to deduct something. I think Rolex Datejust would be the nearest competitor in general, both are general use/office/dress watches in a premium price range. C-shape is much more modern in design than the Oyster cased Datejust and thus probably targeted a bit younger or progressive demographic. My thinking is that the way world was changing then, Omega was more involved and progressive in it with their design. Maybe that resonated well with customers too, as they outsold Rolex back then with big margins.
But on the other hand, Seamaster line was more conservative in design and still had very good specifications (water resistance, automatic movements, date etc).
I'm rambling on here, but without Seamaster (Cals 562-565-752) figures, it's a hard call whether C-shape Constellation was the most popular line.

 

I suspect that @kaplan was referring to the Constellation/ Seamaster chronometer competition rather than standard Seamasters.

However, the popularity of the C-case is unknown and being 'avant-garde' (for the time) may have been limited or even geographical.

in the UK, local case-manufacturers were still producing facsimiles of precious metal Constellation lyre-lug case designs, from the late 50s/early 60s, right up to the early 70s (indicating how staid the UK market was)
Other than a couple of spurious (?) locally cased facsimile gold c-cases that have popped up, none of the main local suppliers (UK, France etc) seem to have produced precious metal c-cases - this may indicate their popularity (or lack of it)

As per the lists I gave earlier, the Constellation range was extensive from the mid 60s and so the competition to the C-case was significant.
(Desmond's essay suggests that the c-case was an affordable version of the constellation - it would be interesting to know if there was a cost differential between the c-case and its contemporary constellation rivals.)

 

True, I missed that point. There are only chronometer c-shapes.

Excellent point, the Constellation range was huge. Lots of other models with Cal 712 for example.

 

This arrived a couple days ago. First gold cap c case for me. Really liking the extra skinny markers! I removed a couple of links last night and she’s ready to go today!

 

i also need to remove a link on my a bracelet like this, so if I may, can I ask if it is a pin and collar type?

 

It's a spring bar. You need to use a tool to compress it from the outside, like you would to remove a spring bar from drilled lugs. I did one side at a time and it is a bit tricky because compressing it just the right amount so your tool doesn't go into the interior link takes a bit of feel. I am not sure if a tool exists to do both sides at once, but I can imagine that would make it easier. I can PM you a video if this description isn't clear. Let me know.

 

thanks!! yes, it felt like it, i originally was trying to use a pin and collar tool to push it out, then i tried poking it with a spring bar tool and noticed it was bouncing like a spring bar so I stopped trying because I was confused and afraid i might damage it.
and yes, a video would be helpful

 

Longines, omega and universal geneve were top in Spain. Rolex was for aficionados.

 

This popped up today and it's another 1970 high serial watch (326*****) - seeing the brushed dial only on high serials supports the theory that this could be the final variation of this dial style before the last starless variation of the dial

Also this doesn't seem like a watch that received a dial treatment with that wrong crown - the dial/hands has imperfections that match the watch/movement, so the bad state of this watch is another supporter



My brushed dial arrived a week ago, it was a good birthday with 2 unique C-Case arrivals - but to be honest the dial didn't grow on me yet

It photographs a darker gray but it's almost a mirrory silver gray in reality, certainly unique but I don't find it as appealing as the original meteor(?) pattern. I guess my main issue with this specific brushed dial is that it's very low contrast with steel, and it also just reflects the crystal light pattern, since the crystal has a curve/dome, that light reflected made the dial initially appear warped to me. But this is likely just the initial confusion. However I'll remove the movement from the case once out of curiosity just to confirm it's not actually warped

 

I was very surprised that the relojerías and joyerías in Spain are selling badly redialed omega at sky rocket prices.

 

I did it already, thanks for the spring bar type link info (single shoulder 11mm spring bar probably more than 1.5mm thick), the removed link has a spring bar that has one side of the bar stuck inside already.

 

Glad you were able to get that done!

 

Am I right that 1970 was when it was all happening with changes in dial lettering on 751 movement c-cases?

1970 is 31000000 - 32999999, right? (contrary to some online ressources that attribute the 31 millions to 1969).

My own example has serial number 31936153 and has the "transition" type dial, i.e. with the old layout (Omega at the top, Constellation + star at the bottom), but the new font (straight final "n" in "Constellation" etc.). I've also seen 1970 numbered watches with the old font however, including (oddly) at least one that has a serial number higher than mine, in the 32 millions. But there were also c-cases with the 751 movement made in 1970 that had the full new style layout and font (Omega at the bottom, Constellation at the top, no star), before the transition to the 1000 series movements, right..?

 

Yah, I have an early 60's seamaster (don't remember the ref off the top of my head) with a vertically brushed dial and it really looks warped when the light hits it a certain way. Kind of a strange phenomenon and the only thing I don't love about the watch. I'll add a picture to this post when I can take one.