I have recently started searching for an Omega 2179 "U.S. Army" watch but I have a few newbie questions that I'd like to get cleared up before I get too far into this.

1. Is this the sort of watch that could be worn everyday even though it is 80 years old? Would I have to avoid rain, warm climate, ...clapping?

2. Is the 30T2 SC a relatively easy to service movement with easy to find parts? Would I have to pay a lot or wait a long time for parts if something were to go wrong?

3. I don't really have a trust worthy watchmaker in my back pocket. Is there a recommended watchmaker in the American Mid-West (Southern Indiana area)?

4. Should I be concerned about prolonged exposure to radium or radon gas?

5. Even if all these questions have answers that I probably won't like, is it still worth it to go after something this cool?

 

5. Yes.

 

Just the one vintage watch is rarely worn every day, it has to take turns with all the others

 

It is a cool watch but have to tried it on? I think it’s just under 35mm and some people may find that too small for modern tastes.

 

Chances are an 80 year old watch is 50 to 60 % used up. Even after a thorough service. It has likely been retired from somebody’s rotation for reasons such as a/ no longer as accurate as when new, b/ finding someone who I’ll service it competently, c/ difficulty finding parts, or d/ reliability factors. By wearing such a watch as a daily driver in all conditions, you might use up the rest of the watch in one, two, three years, or even faster. Or, worn carefully, as a casual wear/best wear watch (the way an 80-year old watch should be worn), you could get decades of pleasure out of owning it. The choice is yours. Watches today seem to have become disposable items, such as pens, razors, etc. That’s okay for a cheap watch that is easy to replace when it quits. But not so for a vintage or antique one.

 

Get help NOW.

 

1. Any non-waterproof watch should be handled with care around moisture. I wear my 50-100 year old wrist watches in regular rotation- I’m just careful when washing my hands, take it off doing dishes- and avoid humid days or flash rain days in summer.
As for the clap- they have a shot for that but avoid situations where that may be a possibility

 

That photo is a 12-18 period snapshot from a few years ago only

 

Takes one to know one. I’ve added three new vintage pieces to the collection in the past month.

 

To sum. Most not all of us don’t wear these as daily wearers. Most not all of us have a watchmaker we see all too frequently. Most not all of us don’t take these to the beach, rainy days, sweaty days, bang around days. Most not all of us have modern pieces for tougher duty. Given your stated profile, I would buy a modern watch..

 

Based on the questions asked, I'm going to suggest that this watch is probably not right for the OP. He would probably be better off starting his vintage collecting with a more modern water-resistant shock-resistant watch from the 1960s with tritium lume.

 

1. Is this the sort of watch that could be worn everyday even though it is 80 years old? Would I have to avoid rain, warm climate, ...clapping?

- Definitely a watch that can be worn everyday. Everyday does not mean every condition. The radium is definitely fragile and although it is a waterproof case i would not suggest using it when raining or at least have it be in contact with the element. Also be careful while washing your hands thats a given with any vintage watch.

2. Is the 30T2 SC a relatively easy to service movement with easy to find parts? Would I have to pay a lot or wait a long time for parts if something were to go wrong?

- The 30t2 movement is a very robust movement and great for daily wear. Servicing is fairly easy and any skilled watchmaker can service it. As for cost it should be standard.

3. I don't really have a trust worthy watchmaker in my back pocket. Is there a recommended watchmaker in the American Mid-West (Southern Indiana area)?

- Maybe you could do a thread for watchmaker recommendations in your area. Word of mouth is often the best way IMO.

4. Should I be concerned about prolonged exposure to radium or radon gas?

- That i think varies from one person to another and is personnal. It is definitely not safe but radiation is everywhere around us. Having your cellphone on you all day is also a concern.

5. Even if all these questions have answers that I probably won't like, is it still worth it to go after something this cool?

- Do it. The CK2179 is a great looking watch, great size and wears super well.

 

I wear my vintage watches like this, helps protect them from damage.

 

Thank you all for the thoughtful advice! Apologies, but I think I might have misrepresented myself a bit here. I do have some modern watches, mechanical and digital, and a G-Shock for when I really start clapping vigorously. But I am definitely new to the vintage market and I consider the cost of the watch I'm interested in to be a considerable sum of money. I just don't want to be disappointed with a watch that I can only wear extremely sparingly because it is fragile. Nor do I want to be disappointed with a non-functioning watch because I can't find someone to service it or find parts. Going for a more modern, robust watch for my first vintage is probably good advice, but I must admit that I am completely besotted with the CK2179.

 

I have non-shockmounted not-waterproof watches and I don't do anything special with them. I have even shot a Colt .45 Automatic wearing these watches.

In 30 years of owning and wearing such watches, I have never damaged one.

But that's me.

Tom

 

The watch you are looking at was robust for it’s time and will work on a regular rotation if properly serviced and the above advise followed. All the advise above is relevant to any vintage watch- and as you have already probably seen, a great majority of us here wear vintage watches on the regular and just excercise common sense.
The best advise any of us can give you is take your time, do your research (the search function here will yield hours/days of reading), and buy the best example you can afford. Do not buy a project watch- it will be a money pit.
Keep an eye on the classified’s here- they do pop up and you will pay a premium for a stellar example, but it’s worth it for a turnkey. If you try your hand at eBay you roll the dice and invariably you will be dissapointed.
And clapping has never been a problem with any watch I have worn...now jackhammering....

 

I may be the minority here, but I'm not exceedingly rich so I can't collect multiple vintage pieces. In fact, I put all my money into an Omega 2451 321 Chronograph, and I daily wear it. Forum members may disagree, but I love this watch and love to see it on my wrist throughout the day. Putting it simple, it makes me happy to wear it.

I do have a watchmaker I work with, but because my watch is a 321, it will likely have to go back to Omega if/when service time comes up. On a side note... I have thought about purchasing a spare 321 movement that may not be working to have extra parts on hand.

So I guess my answer to your question is get the watch, be careful with it (don't abuse it), and enjoy!

 

I guess my next question should be do I hold out for an example that has the U.S. Army engraving? Or just go with the best dial? I do typically wear my watches dial-side-up, but that engraving is too cool...

 

That depends on your goal. But, "listen to your heart" is useful advice.

Tom

 

As you probably know, without the engraving, it is not actually a verifiable military watch. Just another civilian watch in a military style. Night and day difference for a collector. If you don't care about the military provenance, there are probably a number of other references that would interest you.