NY NY - Saugerties, WhtMale 35-45, 405UMNY, PJs under suit, Omega Sea Master watch, ring, Feb'70

[Nate_Bro]

Coming back to this, luxury watches manufactured in Switzerland have the words "Swiss made" in tiny lettering at the very bottom of the dial, one word either side of the numeral for 6. See here for a 1960s example of an Omega Sea Master watch:

https://www.propertyroom.com/l/mens-14kt-gold-plated-1960s-vintage-seamaster-omega-watch/11980477

The point about Omega and other similar luxury watches is that part of their prestige lies precisely in their having been made in Switzerland. I therefore find it hard to believe that any would have been made in the US just to evade tariffs - even if the necessary watch-making skills were available there.

However, if you know otherwise please do clarify the situation.

Ross 14kt cases

What were the years(beginning to end) for the importation into the US of Omega movements to be cased by Ross Case co? Where was Ross located? Were the only cases used by Ross for Omega solid gold? This one encases a non-Seamaster cal 354 Automatic circa 1954.

omegaforums.net

 

[Nate_Bro]

The serial number was available somewhere... IIRC the watch was bought by a jewelry store in Oporto, Portugal.

MOO

Hi where did you see this info? Can't find it in this thread

 

[MelmothTheLost]

View attachment 585538

Ross 14kt cases

What were the years(beginning to end) for the importation into the US of Omega movements to be cased by Ross Case co? Where was Ross located? Were the only cases used by Ross for Omega solid gold? This one encases a non-Seamaster cal 354 Automatic circa 1954.

omegaforums.net

Thanks - this is really interesting. It sounds as though there were Omega and Not-Quite-Omega watches floating around in the US for several decades - evidence of the US's tendency to protectionism. Presumably Omega were satisfied with the ability of the US case manufacturer to fully seal the case around the movement, which would have been crucial in models such as the Sea Master.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Hi where did you see this info? Can't find it in this thread

It's in post #103 quoting information from NY state police.

 

[PatLaurel]

The serial number is usually on the bezel, and if not, can be found by opening the back.

My post wasn't clear. I meant that I remember seeing the S/N posted somewhere.

 

[PatLaurel]

Hi where did you see this info? Can't find it in this thread

I couldn't find it.

It's in post #103 quoting information from NY state police.

I can't see the S/N. Could you please post here? TIA

ETA: Doe Network has the S/N listed: 16815714

 

[PatLaurel]

View attachment 585538

Ross 14kt cases

What were the years(beginning to end) for the importation into the US of Omega movements to be cased by Ross Case co? Where was Ross located? Were the only cases used by Ross for Omega solid gold? This one encases a non-Seamaster cal 354 Automatic circa 1954.

omegaforums.net

JD's watch is a 1956 Seamaster, manufactured in 1959. I'm 100% positive it was made and assembled in Swiss.
Portugal was living under a dictatorship (António de Oliveira Salazar) at that time (1926-1974). I can give you a few reasons why the person who bought the watch never registered the warranty. Or even the jewelry store.
Anything that would pose as a threat to the national production was basically forbidden. Contraband was a thing back in the day and punished with long jail time sentences.

Between 1957 and 1974 about 2M Portuguese left the country clandestinely. And most likely half of them, if not more, lost contact with their families for fear of retaliation. If our JD is in fact Portuguese, this may explain why he hasn't been identified after all these years.

MOO JMO

 

[PatLaurel]

JD's watch is a 1956 Seamaster, manufactured in 1959. I'm 100% positive it was made and assembled in Swiss.
Portugal was living under a dictatorship at that time (1926-1974). I can give you a few reasons why the person who bought the watch never registered the warranty. Or even the jewelry store.
Anything that would pose as a threat to the national production was basically forbidden. Contraband was a thing back in the day and punished with long jail time sentences.

Between 1957 and 1974 about 2M Portuguese left the country clandestinely. And most likely half of them, if not more, lost contact with their families for fear of retaliation. If our JD is in fact Portuguese, this may explain why he hasn't been identified after all these years.

MOO JMO

Replying to myself for context.

The link below is in Portuguese but it explains how things worked back in the day regarding luxury goods.

O Carimbo de Salazar — Bernardo Entusiasta


"Import Restrictions:

As part of his economic policies, Salazar established strict import and export laws. His goal was to reduce Portugal's dependence on foreign products and encourage the consumption of domestically manufactured goods."


"The Impact on Luxury Watches:

Salazar even wanted to control the ownership of imported luxury watches. To achieve this goal, he introduced a control system that would become one of the most distinctive landmarks in the history of watches in Portugal: the Salazar stamp."


The Salazar Stamp:

This stamp, also known as the "Salazar stamp", consisted of a marking placed on the case of watches legally imported into Portugal during the dictator's regime. It didn't matter if the watch was a Patek Philippe, Rolex or Omega, they all had to have the Salazar stamp.

"This marking in the upper left corner of the box became an unmistakable sign of the control and supervision implemented by Salazar."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It would be interesting to know if our JD's watch had the Salazar stamp. It could tell us a bit more about him.

MOO JMO