Real Omega?

[colorado14ers]

I got this off of ebay and it says Omega on the face but I was wondering if it is real? The inside also is stamped Omega. I dont know anything about this watch!

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

A History of Mining on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska - Grab it through Amazon!

[SteveDodds]

I would have to guess that it is real. But without pictures and complete measurements of the movement and some of the parts I can not say for sure. I am no professional. I am only a self taught watchmaker. Get out your loupe and look closely for any numbers or stampings on the movement under the balance and under all of the bridges. Is there some sort of a seven digit code on the case? It would look something like BF 147.657 Of course the numbers and letters would be different.

 

[crankyolman22]

I'm thinking somethings not right. While the movement does closely resembles the ones I've seen, however it seems to me to have some issues. It lacks the Omega symbol above the name. It has no serial number. There is something about the regulator that doesn't quite look right to me and there is no jewel for the center wheel. My personal opinion is that it could be a period fake, although my opinion really doesn't count for much. I am certainly no expert and they did produce watches of different grades so I might be wrong, after all I was wrong once
My wife just pointed something out to me. It looks like the watch has had considerable repair work done to it and some parts may have been replaced by used parts from other watches.

 

[SteveDodds]

I'm thinking somethings not right. While the movement does closely resembles the ones I've seen, however it seems to me to have some issues. It lacks the Omega symbol above the name. It has no serial number. There is something about the regulator that doesn't quite look right to me and there is no jewel for the center wheel. My personal opinion is that it could be a period fake, although my opinion really doesn't count for much. I am certainly no expert and they did produce watches of different grades so I might be wrong, after all I was wrong once
My wife just pointed something out to me. It looks like the watch has had considerable repair work done to it and some parts may have been replaced by used parts from other watches.

I know what you mean. A person would think that because this is an Omega and that their name would be all over it and there would be jewels on every wheel but actually some from the period appear like this. As far as the damage to the screwheads, obviously someone over through the years wasn't very careful when removing them. But thats quite common. The damage on the screws also show me that this watch was important enough to have it worked on and serviced at a time when a service job would have cost a pretty penny. Why would someone pay for repair and service to a watch that is a fake. As far as having parts of different watches on here I would have to guess that this one is old enough that a lot of parts might not have interchange-ability of parts. As far as the serial number, Omega was founded in the late 1840's if my memory serves me right and serial numbers weren't put on Omega watchse until 1895

 

[crankyolman22]

I'm thinking somethings not right. While the movement does closely resembles the ones I've seen, however it seems to me to have some issues. It lacks the Omega symbol above the name. It has no serial number. There is something about the regulator that doesn't quite look right to me and there is no jewel for the center wheel. My personal opinion is that it could be a period fake, although my opinion really doesn't count for much. I am certainly no expert and they did produce watches of different grades so I might be wrong, after all I was wrong once
My wife just pointed something out to me. It looks like the watch has had considerable repair work done to it and some parts may have been replaced by used parts from other watches.

I know what you mean. A person would think that because this is an Omega and that their name would be all over it and there would be jewels on every wheel but actually some from the period appear like this. As far as the damage to the screwheads, obviously someone over through the years wasn't very careful when removing them. But thats quite common. The damage on the screws also show me that this watch was important enough to have it worked on and serviced at a time when a service job would have cost a pretty penny. Why would someone pay for repair and service to a watch that is a fake. As far as having parts of different watches on here I would have to guess that this one is old enough that a lot of parts might not have interchange-ability of parts. As far as the serial number, Omega was founded in the late 1840's if my memory serves me right and serial numbers weren't put on Omega watchse until 1895

SteveDodds,
Like I said, I could be wrong and the things you say are true and you probably have seen more old omegas than I, however there are still issues that concern me. First to me is that damage to not just screw heads but other areas. Granted over a hundred years damage does happen but when you are handling a watch you should be careful and someone wasn't. This seems quite amateurish to me. In fact it appears to me that the screw which holds the movement to the case is turned in such a way as to not be doing anything and to me the damage appears recent not old. The hands look mismatched but hands may get damaged and changed over time but it could also indicate an amateur putting a watch back together from parts on hand. But the most disconcerting thing to me is the positions of the main and ratchet wheels, (for anybody reading this who may not know these are the big and little gears to the right in the second picture), In the older Omegas I have seen the positions of these wheels is reversed to this one, these wheels are in the opposite positions ( with the watch in this position the main {small} wheel should be on the bottom and the ratchet wheel on the top) Omega seems to have reversed this in later years but of course then it would be serialized, and of course its not. As far as interchangeability of parts, even by the late 1700s parts were becoming pretty standardized to watchmakers could easily repair them. Now upon pondering this watch for some time this all leads me to believe that some amateur took a lesser quality movement, put an omega face, (which judging from the damage spent some time out of its case) and an Omega regulator cock and a case that fit and cobbled together a watch they could sell on eBay for a lot more than a cheap old unmarked pocket watch.
But like I said before, I am no expert and I WAS wrong once.