I don't know how old this watch might be, so I entered 1979. Found this watch going through my late Father-in-law's garage. Not sure it if was his or his father's. As seen in the pictures, it was not stored in the best of conditions (in the bottom of a shaving kit bag that was probably in the non-climate-controlled garage for more than 40 years. The pictures are after cleaning off most of the green corrosion. Surprisingly, after in my pocket for a day, it does run and keeps time. Other than the "observatory" depicted on the back, there are no other markings visible. The face looks to be in bad shape, with a lot of what appears to be multiple tiny corrosion areas. Just curious as to how old this may be, what the significance of the "observatory" on the back is (I did read about the observatory at the top of the building in NY to set time, but not sure of the connection to this particular watch). I would also like to know if it would be a candidate for restoration (or checked out for any issues). Regardless of who owned it, the watch has family sentimental value.
Thank you, Ralph
Hi Ralph. The case of your watch is unknown to me, it doesn't appear to have been made by Bulova. Is it possible to take it to a jeweler and have the case back removed? A photo of the inside of the case back AND the movement would be helpful in determining what you have.
Thank you both for your inputs. I did find images of Omega Constellation casebacks online after your comment. I just thought it was a Bulova back because of the connection to the observatory on the building in NYC.
I did find a site that listed dozens of pictures of various Bulova watches by decade, but did not find a face that matched the one I have.
The next step is finding a jeweler nearby that has experience with watches. Seems like most local places sell jewelry (rings, earrings, necklaces, etc.)
Any suggestions for the Littleton, MA area?
I'm going with Non-Conforming Ralph. That's the designation we have for watches that are assemble from parts that are not Bulova.
I recommend searching for watchmakers, not necessarily jewelers. Some jewelry stores have a watch maker on staff but ASK if they send it out, that will could you MUCH more. If they have a 'maker in house it should be cheaper. Also check with a NAWCC chapter in your area, they can probably recommend someone.
Well, took it to a local jeweler just to take the case back off. From what I can see, the 10BZAC on the 30-jewel movement is 1950 up to 1966, and the "M3" seems to correlate to 1963. There are also an "X" and "M1" visible on the movement. Not sure what those numbers mean.
Inside the (Omega, as others have noted) case back is a serial number 168010, with some hand-scratched info: "EW-5-2-72" is visible just above the "STAINLESS STEEL" stamping; perhaps this was the last service? There is no family knowledge of why the watch has the Omega back.
There is additional marking (looks almost like pencil, but I didn't touch it) that looks like 40 over A86 over 15J. Not sure what that might mean.
There is still considerable corrosion on the case and case back, especially in the threads. I'm going to carefully clean what I can, and then figure out where/ who to send it to to see if it can be brought back to operating condition to wear.
Thanks again to all that responded.
Ralph