Which came first...

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Helvetia History

·Mar 3, 2021

In know the General Watch Co acquired the Helvetia name from Omega in 1925,

but there definitely seems to be some more cross pollination. But which way, the Helvetia is from 1956:

This isn't the first Helvetia I've seen with some Omega DNA. Any other Omega-a-likes out there?
Connie is from felsby in the 2852 thread.

 

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JohnWoo

·Mar 4, 2021

Very close interbreeding in the family.

 

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Vitezi

·Mar 4, 2021

Helvetia History

Any other Omega-a-likes out there?

I daresay they were all buying from the same dial manufacturers - this example is circa 1955:

 

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TimeODanaos

·Mar 4, 2021

That's a tricky one really, and I want to resist the temptation to over-claim. For example, this 1958 Helvetia could be seen to resemble any number of luxury watches of the period, including Omega, but I'd need convincing it wasn't more a question of design Zeitgeist doing its thing probably.

 

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Helvetia History

·Mar 9, 2021

I agree that certain styles were definitely in vogue at different times and it's no surprise that several manufacturers had similar designs out at the same time. I was just struck by just how similar my Helvetia was.

And how about this one?

and this one from the sales forum here a while back.

 

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Foo2rama

·Mar 9, 2021·Nowhere near as grumpy as he used to be...

Dials in many cases where designed by dial makers and can be identical to other brands.

 

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Helvetia History

·Mar 11, 2021

Foo2rama

Dials in many cases where designed by dial makers and can be identical to other brands.

Yes, I am sure that is a big part of it, I just think it's interesting just how close some are.