Horological Meandering

. . . brought our former Omega forum moderator Bill Sohne out from his home in Brooklyn armed with several vintage watches. First up is this exceptionally rare Omega ref 2519, ca '53 . . . . . . that immediately captured my attention. Not only is 2519 a s...  

. . . to restore this rarity to its full former glory. Amazingly, they're still available. Art

. . . was posted previously, but is worth sharing again if only to point out the matching Mido buckle. Vintage guys are obsessed with details! ...  

. . . mid-size range for sure.

That’s fabulous 👌

. . . Soladiver. Don't see waterproofs often with arrow hands and sub seconds. Way cool! ...  

What an incredibly beautiful looking classic Omega! I like that 67 years ago someone got it SO right: wonderful looks with a great bumper movement. I LOVE, that 67 years later it looks so incredible, and is still obviously loved for its looks and movement... 

. . . is known to all. Fifties model, right, Nico? Sub-seconds auto, gold-filled. Nice! ...  

. . . well, Bill has . . . . . . Omega's version. Capped in pink gold, cal 302 movement. Lugs take a 20 mm strap - enormous considering the size of the case. ...  

. . . Le Cheminant? I hadn't, either. But this example is in Bill's collection . . . . . . on the strength of its relation to a certain VC: the case is identical to that of a Vacheron Thunderbird. ...  

. . . chronometer . NSO . . . ...  

. . . I happen to be familiar with, mostly on account of long-time community member anaesdoc, who has an heirloom model from around the same era as this one. ...  

. . . but can't recall details. Perhaps Padj remembers . . . ...  

. . . but any original black dial T17 sets my heart aflutter. ...  

. . . presumably from the '50s or early '60s. I had heard of Wyler before, so it wasn't a complete novelty to my eyes, but my knowledge of the brand is of their more recent production. ...  

. . . produced in the mid-'40s. Interestingly enough, the American military order was based on an earlier civilian version . . . . . . produced in a few different dial configurations. Here's Bill's example with pontife hands. ...  

. . . which was similar to the ref 3635 with the addition of a sapphire(!) crystal. The grey Fab. Suisse dial is the icing on the cake! Omega tank goodness at its best. Art ...  

Just had to comment on the fantastic lineup of vintage watches. Great post Art.

. . . and it was ever so enjoyable meeting up with Bill again - he's quite the character! Art

Not always easy to be around, but great fun and highly entertaining.

Recognize many of them.

Thanks for sharing Art, some really interesting watches from Bill’s catalog.

NT