Omega

i did promise myself that i wouldnt look on the big auction site and wouldnt consider buying anything else, but i have a lot of time on my hands so temptation got the better of me. whilst browsing the site i came across this watch. the sellers pics were pretty bad and it looked a bit rough sitting on a Speidel non original stretch bracelet. i'm a great believer in supporting the underdog and took pity on this poor neglected auction lot, took a punt on it and won.

it has several redeeming features. it has a 560 calibre auto movement so is one of only 3000 pieces ever made, it is a Norman Morris cased model reference KL6312 with the 10kt gold filled case made in the US by the Jonell case company (i'd like to thank Hans_Jorgen_1968 for a lot of this information, the rest i took from a blog on the interweb). it also has a dial with numerals at 12, 6 and 9, that Hans has not seen before on a 560 calibre. in the world of vintage Omega we learn never to say never so this could be an original, but scarce variation, a replacement dial or a special order for a customer. we'll probably never know.

it finally arrived this morning after spending several days in customs and once i'd unpacked 2 boxes and 20 metres of bubble wrap i was very pleased with what i had bought. this is the point where i discovered how bad the sellers pics were as the case is in far better condition than i expected with just a few scratches as you would expect of a 46 year old watch ( i forgot to mention that it dates from 1964, but most of you who know me would have guessed that) and no wearing of the thick gold fill. after a quick polish it looks great. it has an original crown which is recessed slightly into the case. the case is 33mm and has very nice horned lugs. the plexi glass is in pretty poor condition so i'll get the polywatch out in a bit and see what i can do to improve it. if that doesnt work its only a 10 minute job to replace it.

the dial is superb. the silvery base has a light tapestry effect, the lovely markers are i think, gold as are the numerals and the date aperture at 3 oclock. behind every marker is what looks to be the original blob of lume. the text on the dial just says 'Omega Automatic', but according to the blog i read, this case reference is that of a dress watch which doesnt fit into any model catagory. the same blog also states that this reference is one of the least common of the 10 identified case references. whether this is in fact true i really dont know. the text and the minute track also appear to be original under a 10x loupe. the stick hands are gold with a thin lume fill to the centre. i'll let you know if any of the lume still glows.

once the stainless steel caseback is off it reveals a movement that looks to be in excellent condition. the calibre 560 is a 17 jewel movement made specifically for and imported into the US uncased (mostly) to avoid all sorts of taxation problems the US government were trying to cause at the time. some of them are adjusted to 2 positions, but this one is unadjusted. it has a swan neck micrometer regulater so will be impossible for me to adjust, but does indicate a certain quality. the jewels look great, especially the one at the top of the balance which looks different to the others so may be a replacement. there is a lot of information about this movement on both this forum and the rest of the web.

what started off as an ugly duckling has turned into a pretty nice swan. i'm very pleased, especially as it only cost me £110 with a total price of only £160 (inclusive of shipping and customs charges). as many of us have said in the past, if you have the time and know where to look there are plenty of bargains out there.

here's some pics for you to enjoy

 

if you havent got into vintage Omegas yet then do it before the prices rocket out of control.

Graham

I've seen quite a few on eBay over the last couple of years.  Questions have been asked to the Omega Museum and they are sticking to the 3,000 produced movements, which is a mere blip on their radar screen.

I think that your example is a very high quality redial as the fonts are a bit different than the norm.  But no matter, it's a very nice watch.

Here's a couple of pictures of mine for reference, also a KL 6312:

The above were sellers' pictures.  The watch has been totally serviced, all discoloration polished out, and a new crystal installed.  The dial is in near mint condition with a starburst finish.

Congratulations on another fine 1964 acquisition,

gatorcpa

P.S. I have one 1964 in my collection as well...

... in a non-Omega 18K case.  My first vintage watch purchase.  I got an e-mail from Omega several years ago saying it was delivered in July 1964.  One of the last 30mm movements made.

Take care,

gatorcpa

Hi Gatorcpa

Thanks for sharing the pictures of this magnificent advertisement piece with "Conoco".

Dont hesitate to contact me if you one day want to say goodbye to her

Cheers

Hans

Congrats Graham on yet another very nice 1964 !
Fleabay can be such an interesting place in search for cool stuff ... i once 'misbought' an Alpina watch and it turned out to be a very nice timekeeper.

Your 64 collection is growing in the right direction G !!! Up up up ....

Cheers,

Filip

Very nice watch Graham...you always seem to find the bargains! Your picture quality is outstanding. I am sure you are using a top notch camera, but do you have any pointers to improve my skills...or lack there of! I have an Olympus C-4000, 10x zoom and can never seem to get the focus on close ups consistent, even in the macro mode.Thanks Dave McWilliams

A neighbor of mine is a very good photo hobbyist who sells a loyt of his work. He told me that the Panasonic Lumix 12x zoom with the Leica lens was, in his opinion, the best all around camera for a small, light weight camera. I can get one here in the US for about $160..not a bad price. Only problem is that I have closet full of cameras and lenses that are gathering dust.

All the best and thanks for the tips...I'll keep experimenting.

Dave

I choose close up (the flower) mode with biggest size that I can get. (3648 X 2432), no flash. Import into my laptop and choose the most important part then crop it. And here it is.

      

... by using the digital zoom feature inside the camera to zoom in beyond the macro mode.  I use old software called Lviewpro to edit and crop.

This was done on a little Nikon S610 point-and-shoot on a table top tripod. No flash, of course.

I realize we're going a bit upfield on this thread, but I don't yet have any real good Omega pix using this technique.  I'll try some more soon.

Take care,

gatorcpa

 

No message body

. . . five decades in the making. I doubt the original owner felt as pleased then as you feel today ;-) . . .

... although people said this is a redail, it seems to me it must have very nicely been finished. the watch looks in very good condition throughout. the movement is clean and gorgeous as usual.

with the cost you pointed out, i find it is a treasury to me. anyway, well done my friend, your 64s collection is growing more and more!

stefan

Great purchase, Graham!  How about find me one made in 1952.

Maybe I should just commission you to get me a collection of 1964s?

Well done.

Regards,

Richard.

Hi Graham my friend

Again, huge congratulations on a great catch for chips

And I am happy I could help you

I have come across the 6-9-12 dial, but have only seen a few on the 560 calibre. I have two myself, a KL6303 from 16-08-1963 and a KL6292VB, exhibition back from, hey 1964

On the photo with a few calibre 560 friends

Dont really want to tell you how many calibre 560 I have now....

Cheers

Hans

 

...But I could look out for one from the right year for you

Cheers

Hans

By the way

I received my reference 166.020 back from my Omega AD today. I let them fix the matter on the "jumping" second hand. Especially down ward when gravity kick´s in.

As usual, I can not live with something that does not work...

After two rounds and 1½ Month at the AD (did have to explain the problem twice, but got only a bill of DKK 95, or say some EURO 13.. really cheap. Maybe I have been bying to many watches there.. at least they called me a very valuable customer.. on both visits..)

They changed spring (which seemed weak).

Thankyou Graham aka G99 and AaronM for your help on the matter

Cheers

Hans 

You've picked up a very attractive new piece!  I love the textured dial.  Enjoy your new beauty!

Cheers,

Daos