Hello, I'm pretty new to Omegaforums and first posted in the main section about a Speedmaster 105.012 that I purchased last year. I'm now on the lookout for a Tri compax and the UG section on OF has been very helpful in highlighting the many pitfalls.

I came across this Tri Compax, ref. 22250 which looks almost identical to the one featured on the cover of Sala's book, as well as on page 336. The moonphase wheel lacks the smiling face in this example. I'm aware of the notoriety of this particular dealer and the price seems pretty steep?

http://www.lorologiese.com/us/brand...-ref-22250-in-near-new-condition-cal-481.html

Any comments/opinions are most welcome and I would like to further my learning on this great brand! Thank you!

 

It has a supply dial from the 60's, imo

 

Apart from dial (which is acceptable) and the Moon disk, it does look like it has had some sort of repair on lugs. I expect one or more came off and they have been welded back on (pretty common with claw lugs). Additionally but not a big deal, the crown is incorrect (but they were pretty generic back then) and one of the set buttons seems to be corroded.

All things that you should expect in a watch of that age. However, price does not reflect the obvious issues/imperfections. It is a nice looker, a little overpriced though ...

 

is that a HMT?

View attachment 357466

 

I like it

 

Thank you all for your replies!

gop76, how can you tell it's a service dial and specifically from the 60s? I thought the dial's condition did seem too good to be true.

Diabolik, I wasn't aware the lugs are a weak point. I do like the look of claw lugs, a slightly different detail than the typical straight lug. Could the corrosion of the button compared to the clean movement be a red flag? I'm wondering if the button can be brought back through cleaning and polishing.

The bridge holding the chronograph runner and the minute-recording runner lacks a "Swiss" stamp. Could that be an issue?

I've also never owned a watch that used radium as luminous material. How does the radioactivity age the dial over time?

FullyWound, I'm sure "HMT" is meant to be a joke but I don't get the reference! My apologies!

 

wont affect the dial just biological material you know people plants keep the watch safe and dont breathe in powder after you say replace a crystal clean the dial etc and wash your hands its ok unless it gets inside you so dont eat the watch and dont give it to your children to eat

 

This is pretty rare to find tricompax with the claw lugs, looks like a service dial, these don't come around often, with UG on the up, how do we accurately price them ?

 

There's no "-" between Tri and Compax and those were made around 60's, i believe

 

Don't know but 7.490 euro seems a little to much for a 34mm...

 

Quite right @gop76 ...
The 60s 70s ug commissioned replacements usually do not have the "-" but there are exceptions to the rule; the thing to bear in mind is that ALL commissioned dials were 32 mm. Therefore, if a dial is a 32 mm and it looks to good to be true, then there is a good chance that it is one. Lume can also be a good indicator as very early dials (1940s - 1950s) as they would have used radium while later dials would have used tritium (radium was discontinued in the mid to late 1950s by most watch houses).

 

Lugs
Look at images and you will see that one if clearly thinner/smaller. Claw lugs are nice but repairing a case (silver welding) can be very expensive.

Setting pusher
I suppose it could be polished. I don't like the way it sits on case. Could indicate other issues.The other option is to have another tuned to the same pattern.

Bridge
No problem

Radium
The quantity of radium used on a dial is around a microgram. I doubt if there would be any health issues. However, radium has a half life of 1600 years. That means that in 16,000 years, you will have 1/1000 of the original material or around a picogram that has yet to undergo decay. Even though dial does not Lume, it does not mean that it is harmless. It just means that the material that fluoresces , is no longer reacting to being bombarded by electrons so as always, when dealing with radioactive substances, it is wise to use caution ...

 

They didn't make UG Tri-compax with lugs like this bigger than 34 mm, so if you want claw lugs its your only choice.

 

As I have a 22250 in my small collection, I look for this model quite often. They don´t come for sale very often, and as said before the claw lugs are very special. For me the design and proportion of the watch are just perfect.And the Cal. 481 is one of the most beautiful imho. But price is quite high...

I like the watch of OP only missing the smiling moon.

 

After seeing my post, Rman has contacted me privately about selling his 22258 with a very tempting offer.

Diabolik, you may be familiar with his watch as you made some comments when he first posted the watch in this thread:

https://omegaforums.net/threads/tricomp-find-in-europe.31024/

 

Here is my 22258 for reference:

 

Fwiw, I still think rman's 22258 is a very nice watch.

 

Hi ELV web, I recall a post you wrote in 2016 on the "Post your Universal Geneves" thread and in one particular photo, a wrist shot in front of your apartment window, the view outside looked very similar to buildings I recognise here in Singapore.

Do you happen to live in Singapore by any chance? Your "Freccero" Tri-Compax is divine really.

 

Thanks for sharing your 22258 gop76! Such lovely patina and the combination of the gold hands and applied markers in a steel case really stands out!

I'm looking at as many dial, hands, markers, case combinations as I can to see what appeals to me.

 

Check this out

https://omegaforums.net/threads/cant-help-myself-but-i-got-to-post-this-d.28373/#post-316972

Many OF members with much higher standings than me in Singapore