Vintage Omega search and a story

I wasn’t close to my late father who died last year at the ripe old age of 92. He did however have an interest in watches that is probably where I got the bug …. He could never indulge himself, but his pride was a 1971 stainless steel Omega model number ST168044. He would buy Seiko dress watches as well. For his 80th birthday I had it serviced for him as my present – he had never had it serviced in over 37 years !

His last years were spent on a dementia wing of a specialist nursing home. They looked after him well, are paid a pittance and things get lost/removed/taken by other residents/put in the bin etc.

The only thing he left me was “my Omega watch”. When he sold his house some years prior I collected the box and papers. He kept things meticulously.

It was Covid lockdown 2 when he passed away and when we were able to go through what few pitiful items he had in his room there was no watch.

The papers themselves are interesting in terms of how they have survived in such a pristine condition for over 50 years. And £79.50 in 1971 on an inflation calculator is £1,250 today which would have been a fair whack for him. Also of note which I have not pictured is paperwork from 1972 when the movement was changed under warranty.

My recollection (and I was a young boy at the time) was that it came on a black leather strap and later on he bought a steel bracelet – see spare link in the photo (which is different to the models I think are the same on ebay). I don’t “do” ebay, but the listing numbers for similar watches are 701639 and 692847 - https://www.ebay.com/itm/265754663241

So I wonder if the TZ collective have any idea how to possibly track down the watch. Anyone finding it would probably try and sell it for couple of hundred quid. I would not wear it either, but it would be nice to reunite it with the box and papers and it would be a bit of family history – 2 of my 3 sons have the watch bug & it would be the origin of the story.

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It's sad that the watch has gone missing but the chances if finding it are virtually nil. It's even possible that the movement number is no longer attached to the movement, on this movement the number is printed on a small label that can come adrift during servicing, I have a Geneve from this era with no movement number on it, it happens. There's no numbering on the case so if the movement identification has gone there's no way to identify the watch.

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Originally Posted by walkerwek1958

It's sad that the watch has gone missing but the chances if finding it are virtually nil. It's even possible that the movement number is no longer attached to the movement, on this movement the number is printed on a small label that can come adrift during servicing, I have a Geneve from this era with no movement number on it, it happens. There's no numbering on the case so if the movement identification has gone there's no way to identify the watch.

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Thanks - the bracelet might help identify it as it is like a jubilee which I don’t think was the usual


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Best of luck with the search sir

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Originally Posted by dandanthewatchman

Thanks - the bracelet might help identify it as it is like a jubilee which I don’t think was the usual


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To be honest I can`t recall ever seeing one of these on a bracelet, I didn't think a bracelet option was offered but I may be wrong, perhaps the OP can correct me.. In those days it was easy to buy the watch then order the correct bracelet later from your friendly Omega stockist jeweller, but people also opted for after-market generic bracelets too, many of which were excellent quality.

I`ve come across most Omega models from this era but this one on a bracelet doesn`t ring any bells but I`m happy to be corrected on this.

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Originally Posted by walkerwek1958

To be honest I can`t recall ever seeing one of these on a bracelet, I didn't think a bracelet option was offered but I may be wrong, perhaps the OP can correct me.. In those days it was easy to buy the watch then order the correct bracelet later from your friendly Omega stockist jeweller, but people also opted for after-market generic bracelets too, many of which were excellent quality.

I`ve come across most Omega models from this era but this one on a bracelet doesn`t ring any bells but I`m happy to be corrected on this.

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The ones on eBay are on bracelets. I recall my dad buying the bracelet from the AD for about £20 as soon as the leather strap had worn out. Surprisingly for him, I can’t find the receipt for it - but I have the 1 spare link


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Every day's a schoolday! Omega made so many variations during this period, it's impossible to remember everything.

Good luck with the search, but I think you're looking for a needle in the proverbial haystack.

Lovely watch. I do like a seventies TV dial.

Not my pic but shows the watch in question. I don't think this model is particularly scarce so the chances of finding your father's exact watch would be very slim I would say.

Could be nice perhaps to buy another in his memory to pass down? Would still be rather nice with the original box and papers to go with, and if possible fit your spare link so at least a tiny part is original to your father's watch. Could be as close as you can get.

Good luck op.

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You never know your luck. Set up some saved searches on eBay with email alerts and you may just get lucky.

I’m not surprised stuff goes missing in care homes, especially in dementia settings.

How awful and not a little shocking it should get 'lost.' I hope it turns up..

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Originally Posted by craggie

How awful and not a little shocking it should get 'lost.' I hope it turns up..

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I’m not sure the OP is suggesting theft, in a dementia environment stuff goes missing all the time as residents take each other’s stuff without understanding their actions … stuff gets taken, moved, lost all the time.

My experience of the carers is that they are generally very decent people doing a very hard job for poor pay.

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Originally Posted by Montello

I’m not sure the OP is suggesting theft, in a dementia environment stuff goes missing all the time as residents take each other’s stuff without understanding their actions … stuff gets taken, moved, lost all the time.

My experience of the carers is that they are generally very decent people doing a very hard job for poor pay.

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+1, my thoughts exactly. My sister suffers with advanced Parkinsons and she’s in a care home, at the age of 68 she’s a youngster in that environment and having complete control of her mental faculties she’s almost in a minority of 1. A significant proportion if her fellow residents suffer from dementia and they definitely are not responsible for their actions. To assume the watch was wilfully stolen is naive.

My experience of carers is consistent with the previous comment, they do a job I don’t think I could do regardless of the pay.