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Vintage Omega Watch repair

J
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I’m looking for a place in New Jersey where I can send what I think is a vintage Omega watch for repair. It originally belonged to my father, and the family story was that he bought it shortly after his marriage in the early 1950s out of the back of a truck, so we always had some doubts as to its authenticity. It looks like some of the numbers are loose and/or tarnished, but it does still work. It does look like some pictures I found on the web for an Omega Automatic, so maybe it actually is an actual watch. I’ve attached a photo if that provides any help

IMG_0439.webp
 
ErichKeane
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The text "Omega Automatic" is the most suspicious to me, plus some odd minute markers, plus the logo itself looks wrong. The dial at least isn't an Omega one...

You might get someone here to suggest a watchmaker in NJ (though NYC has a TON of watchmakers, so plenty to choose from!), but I'd suggest pulling the case back off (or having a jeweler do it for you) and taking a picture of the movement to make sure that at least that part is real.
 
J
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ErichKeane ErichKeane
The text "Omega Automatic" is the most suspicious to me, plus some odd minute markers, plus the logo itself looks wrong. The dial at least isn't an Omega one...

You might get someone here to suggest a watchmaker in NJ (though NYC has a TON of watchmakers, so plenty to choose from!), but I'd suggest pulling the case back off (or having a jeweler do it for you) and taking a picture of the movement to make sure that at least that part is real.
Thanks for the quick response! Just out of curiosity, what is suspicious about the text “Omega Automatic”? As I noted, the family story was that it was bought under somewhat questionable circumstances, so its legitimacy is definitely suspect! In fact, we used to refer to it (behind my father’s back) as his “Comega”). However, he loved it and wore it every day, wearing out several bands, so repairing it is primarily a homage to his memory.

Again, thanks for getting back to me so quickly!
 
JimInOz
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Possibly an Omega with a redial. I don't think fakers would go to the expense of using gold plated Breguet style numerals, which look a lot like the Omega "Empire" or "Paris" style.
The Ω symbol looks unusual, but could have been done by the dial maker (Omega didn't make the dials in that era).
Only way to be sure is to open the caseback and show good clear pictures of the inside of the caseback and the movement itself.

The leaf style main hands could be original, the sub-second hand looks like a generic replacement.



A quick photo of the back of the watch will also help.
 
ErichKeane
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The writing itself looks uneven/hand-drawn. Omega typically made dials with a well-etched pad printing/stamping machine (or something like that), so uneven letters/not straight lines/etc are just not present on authentic dials.
 
JimInOz
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J jdcrowley
what is suspicious about the text “Omega Automatic”
The positioning and spacing of the text is all wrong, as is the font and weight of the print.
 
Dan S
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J jdcrowley
Thanks for the quick response! Just out of curiosity, what is suspicious about the text “Omega Automatic”? As I noted, the family story was that it was bought under somewhat questionable circumstances, so its legitimacy is definitely suspect! In fact, we used to refer to it (behind my father’s back) as his “Comega”). However, he loved it and wore it every day, wearing out several bands, so repairing it is primarily a homage to his memory.

Again, thanks for getting back to me so quickly!

The dial has obvious signs of repainting. With experience you will recognize the signs. Repainting dials was common, however, and doesn't necessarily mean that the watch isn't authentic. We would need more photos to determine that for certain. Photos of the inside would be particularly helpful.
 
J
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I’m not certain how to open the case without doing more damage but I do have one additional question. Most of the similar watches I’ve seen on the internet do not have the entire hour range specified in numbers. In other words, they only have the 3, 6, 9, and 12 listed. This watch has all 12 numbers listed. Would this be another potential indication of a fake watch?
 
JimInOz
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J jdcrowley
This watch has all 12 numbers listed. Would this be another potential indication of a fake watch?
No, there were many dial styles for a perticular reference.

Phots will answer all of your questions.
 
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