Omega

Team,

A short story about this photo session:

Weeks back I got a phone call from one watchmaker, not mine, saying that an old guy was looking for someone to take pictures of his small watch collection. I said that I only do this as a hobby. I was about to hung up when he said "you go to enjoy the watches, they are Omega Cosmic from 40's/50's".

This phrase changed everything and we book a session for the same day, considered that the owner was from another town.

The owner is an old gentleman. dressed very conventionally with a dark suit and he said that he needs to take pictures of those watches to send to his brother, as a demonstration that he did not sold the watches that they inherited from their father. He want to know how much I was charging for the pictures and I sated that my only request was his authorization to post the pictures here and he agreed after I showed the PuristSPro site.

Something about the Omega Cosmic.

The Omega Cosmic Triple Date Moon Phase is a watch that Omega produced (correct me if I'm wrong) on the late 40's to the 50's and it was one of the creams of Omega collection at that time.

Here in Brazil, Omega was a high end brand and a Cosmic customer was seem as a very successful person.

All Cosmic Triple Date Moon Phase is powered my a hand wind in house Omega caliber.

Here is an advertizing piece of that time:

Here is the box with the collection. I was not expecting what was inside:

Cosmic galore!

My hands started to shake when I see the inside:

I never ever saw this Cosmic "concentration".

With the watches, some certificates! This one from 1952!

Let's go for the watches. The watch quality varies, as we go to see.

Some, I believe, has a redone dial.

Some, has a wrong crown.

Notice that most of the watches have a Portuguese names for months and day of the week.

Some in gold, some steel, some gold caped.

Wrong hands?

This one is 100% original, IMHO.

Weird dial patina

Just to compare the size, here is one over the watch (Omega 42mm) that I was wearing.

When I finish with the pics, I wrote a CD and the owner departed, with his case full of Omega Cosmic inside a grocery bag. No one will guess the treasury that he was carrying.

Funny point. I forgot to ask his name.

After that, I was thinking about how many other collections, that we never go to see, are out there.

Thanks for seeing.

Cheers,

Nilo

And I recently saw one of our friend's collection of JLC Triple Calendar, moonphase or not.

Just breathtaking to see so many Triple Dates together....

So I can really imagine how you felt when facing these marvels.

Really impressive.

Thanks for sharing!

Nicolas.

It's funny to see how the customers were obsessed with full calendars and moon phase sixty years back.

IMHO the JLC that you posted is more refined in terms of design, but let's remember that Omega was considered, at least here, a very high end brand.

Cheers and thanks for seeing,

Nilo

As would our Cockney Purists friends say

Considering that some are older than me, they are in shape.

Of course, a good visit to my watchmaker is recommended but I don't think that this will happen.

Cheers,

Nilo

People you do not know just come with a plastic bag full of watches...?

He was recomended by a common acquaintance and, believe it or not, I got te feeling that he is unaware about the overall value of the collection. He valued the gold ones, I could notice that he was paying more attention when I handle those.

I don't handle those cases very well but I know dealers that travel to the interior of the country hunting for watches that people don't know the real value. Sometimes they got lucky.

I consider this a rip off but that's life.

Answering your question: I don't think that there is anyone outside with a box full of square Cosmics. Square watches were not popular here, as far I know.

Cheers,

Nilo

I really want one of these now! :-( 

But is hard to locate one in good/great shape.

I believe, as I was informed by an experienced seller, that the dial making process used by Omega until mid 60's didn't last on our hot and wet climate.

That is the reason for many redone dials.

Cheers,

Nilo

You need to see a port that I'm working related to another Omega line (modern, no one is perfect).

It will be an homage to Michael Schumacher. I'm only waiting to confirm his true retirement.

Cheers,

Nilo

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I have never seen more than three Cosmic watches together at a time before. Thanks a lot for asking for the permission to share this treasure with us. And to the gentleman owner, if you are reading this, please accept my sincere admiration from Thailand.

Ruckdee

But, for sure, it was a sensory experience.

Cheers,

Nilo

these round cases came out in 1947 and continued until i dont know when. the square cased model came out in 1951, but you rarely see them. i had the museum edition which was too much bling for my liking.

funnily enough i have seen an influx of cosmics online over recent months. having owned the re edition its no longer a watch i would search for again. i dont really like moonphases as you need to either keep it running or be very accurate when you set it.

its a big shame about the dial conditions on many of these pieces. they do hit the value big time so not a brilliant investment. the problems of living in a high humidity area like yours.

thanks for the pics Nilo and thanks to the owner for allowing them to be shown.

G

Here, this movie was named as "A Última Esperança da Terra" (Earth's Last Hope).

Did you know that there is a previous movie stared by Vincent Price (Same story, based on the book "I'm a legend").

The fact is that there are many Omega collectors here and we use to tease then a lot.

I'm glad that some of then allow me to take pics from their collections because to collect watches here is always a risk proposition.

That is the reason for their annonimity.

Cheers,

Nilo

... over the years to get a Cosmic. I had gone off the boil a bit with it, but your photos just reignited the flame.

Thanks to you and the owner for sharing here.

Andrew

I own just one (A Zenith Chronomaster) and I only consider to wear it when is full moon!

Setting a moon phase watch is an exercise of patience.

Cheers,

Nilo

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Hi

holy cow !!!  That must have been a great experience !!  When the box was opened !1 I would have been stunned.    I always like these....   I missed a steel one about 20 years ago and a oversized pink gold one while trying to surf the net with a palm pilot 3 with a analog modem in a Madrid hotel room about 15 years ago ....   I never got one  looking back 20 plus years !


That collection is something else !!!

Good Hunting

Bill Sohne

Well, after reading this older post, I suppose I should consider myself lucky for finding this one, although maybe the calendar date hand may be wrong ;-)




Jimmy

what bothers me more is the fact that it has a poorly re-done dial...

Someday I'll find mine in steel.

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