Afternoon all A recent purchase for me and one I am really pleased with, its not an Omega but it is and its a prototype. So, I have some great friends around the world who know I love my Omega prototype watches, one of them recently contacted me to tell me he'd picked up a Tissot Prototype Hardmetal (jut up my street) so I snapped it up, needless to say I am delighted It is a Tissot watch (yes I know I am posting in the vintage Omega section) but the movement is cal 1250 Omega but without any markings other than the mainpulate stamping and a joint Tissot/ Omega stamped case back with the usual bulova licensing stuff, the movement is the Omega pink coloured 9162 with simply with the stamp the number 12 in the main plate and serial plate........very cool. There were a range of these hard metal prototypes made and I guess it makes sense that Tissot were also developing them at the same time as Omega using the Omega stock I first saw these hard metal prototypes on a trip to the museum where they have a few on display alongside the production Cermut and the Vader and Skywalker, I owned a cal 1342 version previously and know of another cal 1250 version in private ownership. I spoke at length with the museum team about them and they confirmed they were not a production watch but formed part of the R&D around the cermut etc, they had intended on them going in to production but they never made it. The watches never went in to production I guess because of how brittle the cases are: very scratch resistant but not impact resistant (hence there are so many skywalkers and vaders with chips. Anyway, one I will be enjoying and felt was worth sharing with the community.
You post so many very cool looking watches. It is always great to see what you share, and I do love the ones you post for sale.
cool watch .... Im personally not a huge fan of that BIG 1970ies dial furniture ... but it has appeal (let alone its historic relevance) ENJOY Thoroughly!!!!
Thanks chaps Yep very pleased with it, there are some awesome Tissot's out there but I do absolute adore this little beauty, certainly not something I'm likely to see on many peoples wrists
Hi Tom. Very cool find! These so called Hard Metal cases. Are they made from tungsten-carbide? It seems that also Rado made several versions with the Mosaba movement (Omega f300). Cheers.
Indeed they are, they are vickers 1000 tungsten carbide coated metal cases, awesome and a great party trick (I had a mate to had a new bar, he dared me to wipe my wife Tungsten IWC Edison over the bar....... Edison.... not a mark...... the bar.......... quite a gouge! Wonderful cases but flawed as they are extremely prone to chipping
Took a dive on my bicycle heading for work some time back. My Eterna DiaStar survived unmarked , but movement had to be fully rebuild after the impact. ESA9162. Same as Omega f300 Not a prototype, but I have yet to see many more of these.