Omega

Hi, I am an Omega’s lover, and I enjoy every piece that I have. I have some knowledge about Omega but limited. Please help me on this one. I just recently bought this watch for $1500 USD. The only thing bother me is the movement…How come it does not have the special microregulator like I have seen in many Chronometre Omega watches? Is the watch normal? Have you seen this kind of dial before?

Thanks for reading and replies, Hao

 

Omega Chronometre

-         Cal. 265 16 Jewels

-         No. 12172894

-         Ref. 2603-2

-         Triple signed

That appears to be a standard  30mm movement Omega with a dial redone to indicate it is a chronometre. It of course is not. The case ref is not listed in the vintage database, but may be original to the watch. IMHO, you have been scammed. 

Hi guys...

The watch in question might very well be a chronometre.  I agree the word chronometre on the dial was added .. But the Omega signage and Red Star looks to be original..   The gilt star underneath the OMEGA symbol identifies the model as having the same wristwatch calibre as the one which obtained the best-ever result at the Kew-Teddington precision competition in 1940.   Known as a "Teddington Model", not  a lot of info on this model , some say it was for the South American market .  I would have to think Omega used the term "the model " to mean the movement family ? maybe ? .

I have seen Red star dials with 265 , 266 and earlier 30 mm movements..

It is against forum guidelines to talk about $$ paid for watches, if you want to know my opinion on this examples. Please  PM me..


Good Hunting

Bill Sohne

it is a regular  30mm caliber with an "altered" dial. Just adding the word chronometre does not necessarily make a chronometer out of a simple SS watch...

It is NO chronometer at all!

But don´t be upset when I tell you you should have done some research BEFORE spending such an amount on a rusty Omega.

best

erich

... here is a 1940 Brazilian advertisement for the Teddington.  It has the case references for these models.  If a watch is not one of the three listed, I'd be suspicious.

From the Omega Vintage Database description for Ref. 2271:

"The red star which is sometimes featured under the Omega logo identifies the watch as being equipped with the same type of calibre as the one which obtained the best results until that point at the 1940 Kew Teddington precision competition."

This movement could be original to the watch.  The red star dial would not be marked as a chronometer, so at the very least the dial has been altered.  However, the condition of this movement is so rough, my thought is that this example has been put together with parts of various watches. 

I don't think the Teddington was made with the RG movement, since these were not introduced until 1943.

One thing I've learned with vintage Omega is never say never, or ever.  Anything is possible.

Hope this helps,

gatorcpa

 

sorry for poor pics but they are from my archive. 

i know its gone now, but it would still be nice to know.

Graham

Hello

regarding the "Teddingtons" .... if you look on Google, in the last six months there have been at least three coming out of South America.  Can this all be related to that Brasilian advert?  That is, if you have a normal 30T2 with a bad dial, nd you are in South America ......  you just get it redialled with a star - or add one to the dial - and the value goes up 500%.

I would say that either needs to be one of those references in the advert (or confirmed in Bienne), or that the serial number results certified as a "special chronometer regulation" in the Omega Archives..

Sorry about the negative thoughts

Best wishes
Franco

IMHO most of the "red star ornated" watches (I guess more than 99%) do not mean it is a "Chronometer". In my understanding the red star on the dial was just a marketing tool in the journal ADs to show potential buyers that the watch houses a movement out of the famous 30mm family - a movement which is one of the world´s best movements - as was proved at the Teddington observatory... I am sure there are very few "Observatory movements" which had participated at Teddington competition (I have read about 4 of them in the year 1940!). Most of the watches (or expressed more precisely: movements) later on participated only at the observatories of Neuchatel and Geneve as can be tracked from publications. For this purpose they have not been in wristwatch cases but in special aluminum "boxes" which allowed to regulate them in different positions more easily than in an ordinary wrist watch cases!

Observatory competition box

Observatory competition movement without any “Rg” device. Source: "Ein legendäres Werk - Das 30-Millimeter Kaliber von Omega" out of the journal "Klassik Uhren" 3/97 Most of these competition movements were not only used for a single competition but one and the same movement for several competitions over the next following years! There have been only VERY view of these movements which were encased into real watch cases to leave the factory for sale - I doubt if any... Most of them were kept in the factory and may be found in the Omega museum in Bienne now. And an important detail: These (watches) movements did not even have a "Rg" adjustment device and no "Chronometre" inscription on the dial as they were only "tools" for winning a competition and not designed to be sold! So what is a "Teddington" watch??? Is it a watch that really participated at the Teddington competition? Or is it a watch with a red (or golden) star on dial? Should these be chronometer rated watches? I think the red star was just to commemorate the great result of Omega at the Teddington competition and this fact was used for public relation for several years after 1940! A watch with red or gold star on the dial need not be a chronometer. There are early Omega chronometers without "Rg" and even without "Chronometre" wording on the dial (most have at least the word Chronometre on dial, as Ref. 2254 does), but they are extremely rare and can only be confirmed by the Omega archive in the museum in Bienne. If all the "hints" like the "chronometre" word on the dial and the "Rg" and the polished crown- and ratchet wheels of the movement are absent - how can you find out it is a chronometer? Only Omega could do... You can not ask Omega for every single 30mm watch if it was a chronometer or not as there are millions... Just my 2 (euro) cents ......... have a nice weekend! - best - erich This message has been edited by mac_omega on 2008-09-13 05:35:55

Hi, Thanks for the replies and thoughts that you have for this watch. I always learn something new every time I log on this site. This site is so helpful. In my conclusion, I made mistake for buying this particular watch. I will do a better research for my next one. Best Regards, Hao

Hi

Here is a 2254 I picked up years ago black dial with painted luminous hands from 1941  Omega confirmed 30T2SC ' chronometre "  dial looks original to me... even though it is not signed Chronometre.










This example is a later engraved caseback style...   Post 1943 2254 ( Omega introidced the 30T2SCRg in 1943 )...  The dial was totally unreadable when I found this example so I had it repainted...








Best regards


Bill Sohne