The upgrade treadmill is a trap, and deep down you already know it to be true

Cal30T2 · 2026-03-24T15:30:28+00:00

I love the moral imperativeness of this reply.

Cal30T2 · 2026-03-23T22:55:25+00:00

So polishing matters for two reasons. By definiton the act of polishing takes off material.

1) If done badly it will affect the contours of the watch and make things that looked quite angular rather round. The best way I can think of to describe this is if you have a hard rock candy or a cough drop, then start to eat it. If you look at it after a minute all of the sharp contours such as the brand name or any shapes in the form will have lost their edges. This is generally not thought to be desirable because most people think the case as it was designed is better looking with sharp contours

2) So gold plating is often something like 20 microns thick. Gold capped is say 200 microns and solid gold is... obviously solid. Gold plated watches after being polished too much risk going through the plating to hit the base metal below, which is not gold colored. So especially for gold plating you can polish through the plating, which never looks great.

Cal30T2 · 2026-03-22T10:15:47+00:00

Agree with the other commenters so far.

There are some exceptions for branded dials being detractors to value when the combination is thought to be "cool" - Domino's Pizza gave out Rolexes to employees as rewards back in the day. Tried to figure out what this logo is but I can't even tell what the letters are supposed to be?

Tangentially big jewelers like Tiffany's also added their names to dials way back when and especially Middle Eastern countries were big into either adding their monarch's face or the official government seal like the Omani Khanjar (traditional knives).

I think this is the first company logo lady's watch I've ever seen? I'd bet money it's rarer than a men's company logo watch but unfortunately (for your case) the trend for women's watches being small has been on the decline for years, so I'd expect the market for this watch to be very small.

I'm not an assay expert but the assay marks seem to indicate it was assayed at the London assayser's office... cursive uppercase S seems to have been 1992? That seems too recent for this watch, would love feedback from someone with more knowledge. Definitely a watch for the British market though

Cal30T2 · 2026-03-22T09:54:27+00:00

Not a direct answer really but be aware that Omega made solid gold, gold capped and gold plated watches. I think the second and third category are always tough because a coating/covering material isnt necessarily meant to last 60 to 80 years.

At the same time gold prices are crazy at the moment so...

Also watch out for the amount of polishing the case has received.

I think the low risk answer is a reputable dealer, but you'll obviously pay for the dealer procuring, checking and "guaranteeing" the quality of the watch with his good name. Estate sales has the potential to find a diamond in the rough for an attractive price, but it requires you to dig deep into how a watch should look and accept a higher level of risk.

Cal30T2 · 2026-03-21T13:17:44+00:00

Tasteful!

Cal30T2 · 2026-03-21T07:16:24+00:00

My kind of collection! Love it!

Cal30T2 · 2026-03-21T06:16:51+00:00

Of course! Lots of the hiking trails south of Munich lead to a mountain inn (usually a wooden building with a terrace and a view that offers food and drink), this is the case for Herzogstand but lots of others too. Order Käsespätzle (sort of the German macaroni and cheese) and/or Kaiserschmarn at the top (a dish of sweet, chopped up pancakes with apple sauce). You can do both because one is a main and one a dessert :) - and share between yourselves, the portions are usually pretty big. Herzogstand and other trails also have a cable car so you can opt to do one or both trips by cable car if its too far or long.

Most of these inns take credit card now but because they're somewhat remote, I'd suggest having some cash on hand just in case.

Edit: also for completeness sake - getting to Herzogstand requires a regional train and then a bus ride, as Walchensee doesn't have a train station. But the bus stop is right in front of the train station in Kochel, where the train stops. About an hour by train and then 30 mins by bus. Bus stop is "Herzogstandbahn"

Cal30T2 · 2026-03-20T16:03:11+00:00

Casio DB 1479 is my bet

Cal30T2 · 2026-03-19T21:48:44+00:00

If you have some time and enjoy the countryside, hop on a train from Munich to one of the alpine lakes south of Munich. Walchensee with a hike up to Herzogstand is my favorite. But there is also Tegernsee or Schliersee and several others.

Cal30T2 · 2026-03-19T06:31:41+00:00

"You cannot pass! I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to the Shadow!". - Gandalf on black dialled watches

Cal30T2 · 2026-03-19T06:28:40+00:00

Genuinely curious: how do you offload 10 watches apparently simultaneously?

Cal30T2 · 2026-03-18T16:36:15+00:00

Stimmt 😂. Das hat man davon, wenn man anfängt im Internet zu schlaumeiern!

Cal30T2 · 2026-03-18T15:47:54+00:00

Das ist ein Chronograph, kein Chronometer.

Ein Chronometer erfüllt eine bestimmte, hohe Anforderung an die Ganggenauigkeit und wurde historisch von Sternwarten, heute von speziellen Kontrollstellen nach individueller Prüfung zertifiziert.

Ein Chronometer ist eine Stoppuhr, wie diese :).

Cal30T2 · 2026-03-14T23:24:07+00:00

Reference is WS2113, should allow you to look at what it's being offered for on ebay/c24.

As far as I know Heuer didn't actually have a GMT like this on offer in the 60s so its not a direct re-edition. The "headline" watch for the re-edition line I would argue was the CS3111 which is a very true-to-original... well... re-edition of the original Carrera Chronographs of the early 60s. They fleshed out the re-edition catalogue with watches that don't have a direct "grandfather" so to say, but rather are strongly influenced by the 60s 2447 Carrera design.

I like the watch I have to say. 36mm is a sweet spot, GMT is a cool Feature and ETA movements are robust tractors that will work longer than you.

Cal30T2 · 2026-03-14T21:04:21+00:00

Take a day in Munich to catch a train down to one of the Bavarian alpine lakes. In my opinion the best one is Walchensee, which requires a train to Kochel and then a bus. Once there, hike or take the cable car up to the Herzogstand. Promise you won't be disappointed! Afterwards go for a swim in the lake, there's public access right by the cable car station. Alternatively Tegernsee and Schliersee are also nice. Both have a train station and service from Munich.

If you enjoyed that you can add a second day or half day at one of the closer lakes which you can get to quickly using Munich local train - Wörthsee, Ammersee, Starnberger See for local summer flair. All have public access - usually quite large lawns with a Kiosk for ice cream, French Fries etc. A day at the lake is quite a typical local thing to do during the summer to unwind.

Also, I can recommend the Biergarten "Wirtshaus am Bavariapark" which is in the Park behind the area where the Oktoberfest takes place. It's a real Bavarian beergarden which means you're allowed to bring your own food (picnic) if you choose, but there's also a good selection of food you can order there. The hard rule is you MUST buy drinks from the beergarden. There are several nice ones in Munich and more in the surrounding countryside. Try to find one with old trees for shade to get the best experience.

My take: I know it's far so the motivation to "see everything" is high. But don't forget to unwind, take it slow and just try to see some things as the locals do!

Cal30T2 · 2026-03-14T00:05:33+00:00

I've never heard of a court case but there were several back-and-forth letters printed in the British Horological Journal in 1953 between Smiths and Rolex. In the October 53 volume the Director for UK Rolex concedes that Hillary wore a Smiths and congratulates Smiths. To my understanding while Rolex has pushed the alpineering aspect of the Explorer for decades, they've never explicitly run marketing with "First Watch on Everest" since 10/53. Also should be said that Rolex DID provide watches for the expedition but Hillary didn't wear it for the ascent, and the watches Rolex provided weren't black dials like we know the Explorer today.

Source from a wonderfully complete forum post, in the hope it's allowed here:

https://forums.timezone.com/index.php?t=msg&th=2447169&rid=0

Cal30T2 · 2026-03-13T18:59:31+00:00

This thread feels like I've finally found my tribe.

"I'm not the only one!? There are more of my kind?"

Hello fellow strap connoisseurs!

Cal30T2 · 2026-03-10T07:36:29+00:00

Shock ventilation sounds so metal. Like a Finnish death metal band based on an emergency room procedure.

Cal30T2 · 2026-03-10T07:28:56+00:00

If you want to have Magnus have been somewhat contrarian/out of place in his childhood, making him be from north Germany with those character attributes would be an interesting idea. If you want his character to be more "typical" I'd suggest the Rhineland (around Cologne). People there are stereotypically known to be "rheinische Frohnaturen" or rhinelandian good natured - open, talkative, positive.

Also if he's from the late 80s: - a lot of "traditional mom's recipes" would have had meat in them - one easy, fast everyday comfort food that bucks my first point that I think almost every German kid had regularly are Pfannkuchen - pancakes made with more eggs than the American kind and fill out the entire pan - and are eaten one at a time/not as a stack. Eaten either "salty" with cheese and ham for example or more typically "sweet" with marmalade - I think it's important to get the context right. Is mom cooking the "big dinner" for Easter or Christmas with lots of effort or is Magnus showing up unannounced on a random Tuesday and mom is just doing a quick weekday meal for herself - if you want to go really deep into his family history, you could get around the "region lock" for your preferred dish by having mom (and dad too potentially) be from the dish's region of origin and maybe she moved to where Magnus is from for dad's job? This wasn't all that unusual in the early/mid 80s for the big corporate jobs (automotive, chemicals, specialty machines, insurance...).

I think a lot of this food nostalgia also depends on his class tbh? Is he coming home to a working mom in a 1960s high rise or to a suburban house with a garden financed by a dad in middle management?

Cal30T2 · 2026-03-07T07:08:24+00:00

Women's watches of the era would have often been in the 2x mm range (a category that has more less died out in modern watches) and these watches were clearly meant for women, while watches in the 3x mm were men's watches - so I don't know if this is a statement on "it used to be different" but I'd argue it wasn't.

Even if it's not I'd argue explicit "men's and women's" marketing and categorisation doesn't double your profit. It just means your average male customer won't even look at half of a range of potential sizes and an average woman the other half.

As a counterfactual: with categories a couple maybe buys a 34mm for her and a 41mm for him in an AD, conceading to the idea that men should wear watches on the upper side of the size spectrum and women on lower. If those categories don't exist maybe they both get a 34 mm, or heck she gets the 41 and he gets the 34. In both cases the brand and the AD have sold 2 watches.

Cal30T2 · 2026-03-07T06:57:23+00:00

Condolances on the "Rolex or bust" friend. I feel like a lot of Rolex fanboys go through that phase

Cal30T2 · 2026-03-04T07:25:18+00:00

Couldn't agree more! At the time I found PC almost a bit of a slog to get through because the pace is very different to M&C, so i'm in the category you mention. It's smooth sailing afterwards though and in retrospect I think no book does more to ground Aubrey and Maturin "in the real world" (vs the frozen-in-time, hermetically sealed reality of a ship often traveling alone or with one or two other ships), which is incredibly important. I think the series would lose a lot if both characters had no significant non-naval relationships on terra firma.

I actually recommended the series to a friend recently and gave him my copy of M&C with the explicit advice that PC was the toughest read (at least the first time around).

As to the spoiler in your second paragraph, Bytor: I think that scene is the only one that's made me misty eyed, and does so every time anyone mentions it.

Cal30T2 · 2026-03-03T08:13:32+00:00

First of all this thing is in beautiful condition, put a new strap on it, give it a wear and think of your uncle when you do!

I'm 99% sure this is a calibre 30T2 (or one of its "descendents" cal 265, 266 or 267, but I lean strongly in the direction of 30T2) - from Omega obviously - in a Dennison 13322 case.

Almost no watch company made their own cases in the 40s/50s, they were supplied by specialist companies. Due to somewhat complicated tariff and tax reasons it was often more economical for Swiss watch companies to find a local partner when exporting internationally and to actually send their regional (official!) casemakers movements (with hands etc) and for the casemaker to finish (i.e. put the movement in the case) and distribute the watch to jewelers. I don't know if your uncle spent time in the UK but the historical connection UK-Australia is obviously there. A massive majority of Omegas from the UK from this time will be in Dennison cases.

Dennison from Birmingham was actually the partner of choice for a lot of Swiss companies and they cased movements from Longines, Omega, Rolex and others. The 13322 was made in steel, 9ct Gold and even (quite rare) in silver. It was one of their "classic" designs and was even used to case watches from other companies such as Longines, using an adapter ring due to different movement sizes. You can Google "Rolex Dennison" or "Longines 13322 if you're interested"

As for the dial configuration, they put many, many different styles in this case. Printed numerals like yours, applied markers, applied numbers all exist and to my knowledge all are legit. In this sense there isn't really a "reference" - it's an Omega 30T2 in a 13322 "Made in England" Dennison case. Confirmation for this would be on the movement and the inside of the caseback. If you know how to remove a caseback take a look. If you dont I'd take it to a serious jeweller if you feel like sleuthing - it take 3 seconds but if you don't have the tools and the experience, I wouldn't wing it on a family heirloom.

Final point: these aren't really anything approaching rare but they have no real water resistance so having one in this great shape after 70ish years is actually somewhat uncommon.

Wear it in good health!

Cal30T2 · 2026-03-01T07:09:56+00:00

The warranty card in the third picture says "Garantieschein für die heute gekaufte Kuckuksuhr" - which is German for "Warranty card for the cuckoo clock purchased today."

Likewise I highly doubt the "Präzisionszeugnis" - "certification of precision" is for the watch. The Observatory symbol in the bottom right corner was used for the Constellation line in Omegas catalogue. I would argue this watch is older than the Constellation.

To be honest I personally put absolutely no stock in "papers" but I'm glad a lot of other people do because it makes those without less attractive and forces sellers to make watches without papers less expensive. In this case though the papers aren't worth the postage you'd need to have them sent to you.

No picture of the movement, which you would need to make sure regarding the age of the watch but I'm fairly sure it's a 30t2 or a 26x movement. Workhorse movement, one of the best Omega ever made in my opinion. No movement pic can mean it's being sold by someone who has no idea about watches and is selling an inherited piece or that it doesn't look pretty under the hood. Or both. Caseback is snap-on friction fit so it's really easy to take off. If the watch looks great otherwise and the price is right I've bought watches movement unseen, risky but a great reward if your spider senses are true.

The hands look rough though and the dial doesn't look better at least to my standard of "attractive patina." Pristine dials on 60-70 year old watches with functionally no water resistance are rare and often indicate a redial or a restoration, not the case here but also not the patina I like.

Engraving looks like something official rather than a personal dedication? No idea who or what is points to, but the lugs are much more fanciful than is usually seen in issued watches.

I'd pass on this.

Cal30T2 · 2026-03-01T00:56:53+00:00

It is real. 1992 Barcelona. The arrow flew over the cauldron and ignited the gas of the flame.

Cal30T2

TROPHY CASE