Omega Koku Tetsu on black sage himo

It has been ages since we've talked about railway pocket watches! But if you appreciate the historical importance and undeniable horological value of watches which have played such a significant role over the past hundred years, then this short note will delight you. A Journey Through Time is Omega’s Bible and a ‘must have’ book in your library.  While section five, "Official Watches", bundles railway watches with shooting and military pieces, it still provides records of Omega's involvement in the production of railway watches, showing examples sold to various Government Railway authorities from the late 1800s to 1980s. An important account, but far from being complete or definite. For that reason, we are always excited when new pieces are discovered and catalogued - like the three Omega pocket watches from the early 1950s for Japanese National Railways that we recently acquired. All three pieces are almost identical, yet with some case, dial and hand variations, 48mm nickel ‘open face’ stem wound and set. The case back is stamped with two kanji characters: Koku (country) and Tetsu (steel) which translates to Japanese National Railway. The issue year is Showa 27 (1952) and issue numbers are 148, 681, 1076. Form the inside, the case backs are stamped 141 21 and 141 22 which are Omega model reference numbers. One also bears the stamp 'GR' which is the same GR we've seen on other Omega watches supplied to Government Rail - in other words, a special issue. The serial numbers are 12.4 mill range corresponding nicely with early 1950s Omega production. Mechanism: the trustworthy Cal. 38.5L.T1. It is important to remind you that Cal 38.5L was first introduced in 1932 and remained in production until 1966. It was an inexpensive mechanism to manufacture and in 34 years of production, Omega made 998,700 movements. I do however dislike the fact that 38.5L is non-incabloc which means a slightest drop would be fatal to balance staff. As any watchmaker would testify: finding an original balance staff in a Cal 38.5L is almost unheard of! Hands and dial variations: I will leave this for further in-depth study once more examples become available. Small curiosity: one JNR piece comes with a nice, well-preserved black sage himo. All three pieces are sourced directly from Japan and trust me, it took a fair bit of arm-wrestling to convince three individual collectors to part with them. But I am very pleased that JNR Omegas are reunited, once again. The search continues!

Omega: A Journey Through Time (ISBN 9782970056225) is out of print, occasionally available on ebay. And slightly off the topic, but still on subject - page 213, Omega pocket watch for Bulgarian Railroads, erratum:

The caseback monogram is not АЖБ but  ДЖБ. It is easy to confuse Cyrillic letters А and Д, but in this case there is no room for misinterpretation: the monogram ДЖБ stands for Bugarska Drzavna Zeleznica or Bulgarian State Railway (not Royal Bulgarian Railroads).

Yes, while Bulgaria in 1925 was ruled by a Tzar Boris Klemens Robert Maria Pius Ludwig Stanislaus Xaver aka Boris III, the railway was owned by the state. And while we are on Bulgarians... here is a pic of Boris's father, Ferdinand Maximilian Karl Leopold Maria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. All the medals aside, Ferdinand is one of a few monarch who lost 3 wars - the Second Balkan war of 1913, World War I and World War II. Not much luck picking the winners...

The most expensive watch in the world

This weekend, history was made. A one of a kind Patek Phillipe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010 sold for AUD $45.3 million. The previous world record for the highest priced wristwatch sold at auction was Rolex Daytona 'Paul Newman' but Patek sold for more than double. What is so special about it you might wonder? The world record price is a combination of three factors. Firstly, Patek 6300A-010 is simply an amazing watch. It is one of the most complicated Patek wristwatches ever made featuring over 20 complications which include no fewer than five chiming modes, two of which are patented world firsts. It stands out as the first and only Grandmaster Chime made in stainless steel. It features a hand guilloched hobnail rose gold dial on one side, as well as a black ebony dial on the other. To put it simply, this is the Grand Daddy of Patek Phillipe watches. The second factor is the venue. The watch was part of 50 one of a kind timepieces auctioned by Christie's on behalf of a charity event called Only Watch. This bi-annual event held in Monaco is a who's who of horology; both mega brands and independent watchmakers submit one piece for auction where all proceedings go to charity. The third reason is rather bizarre: there is simply so much cash floating around. While AUD $45 million for a wristwatch is insane, this is still just pocket money for a billionaire. There are currently 2,153 billionaires on the planet with a combined wealth exceeding GDP of 153 countries and this list does not include the thousands of billionaires who made their money dealing in illegal stuff. Overall, the auction was a success where both brands and charity were winners, with a number of pieces setting brand records. At the auction: Tudor sold for half a million Australian dollars, Hublot sold for $350,000, Hermes sold for $307,000, Louis Vuitton for $409,000, Chanel for $190,000, and Bell & Ross sold for $80,000.

By the way, if you happen to be the owner of the most expensive watch in the world then I would like to remind you that your Patek is not water resistant. The more complex they are, the less waterproof. And no, you cannot wear it in the shower.

Celebration Time - Godfather wanted!

We invite you to be a part of the NH2 Timascus project. It's simple: NH2 No. 5 and NH2 No. 6 have been freshly assembled and are now ready to be named. Your suggestions are welcome! If your suggestion receives the most number of likes then we will send you a small thank you gift - A Rebelde carbon fibre ballpoint pen. Give it your best shot, or simply like other's suggestions. To take part in the competition, like or comment on our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/B4lUOssJEeN/

Is this a Seamaster or a Speedmaster?

As humans, we've come a long way. But what is particularly amazing about our journey is how much we have conquered in the last 200 years. From horse and carriages to space travel, from transmitting messages in Morse code to email, from navigating at sea with only the help of a mechanical clock to global positioning systems accurate to the centimetre, all that in just a couple of generations. It is no wonder that we take technological changes for granted. Our ability to record and reproduce voice with high fidelity dates back to the early 60s which is not really that long ago. The credit for hi-fi goes to Yamaha. (Neither of my three youngest assistants knew what hi-fi stood for because they simply don't remember pre hi-fi times). We only achieved the ability to measure and display 1/100th of a second with a wristwatch in 1988. And the credit for this goes to Omega. In 1988, Omega released the legendary Seamaster Polaris. It was powered by quartz movement calibre 1670. The electronic calibre is equipped with a microprocessor integrating 50,000 transistors, allowing for the first time ever the display of 1/ 100th of a second by means of a hand, and with perfect readability. The memory is also able to register up to ten simple, additional, intermediate, final, lap, and total times. It was the perfect watch for timing sporting events at the Olympic Games in 1988, held in Calgary and Seoul. Omega Polaris was the first watch designed for nerds and in a way, the first 'smart watch'. It takes plenty of intuition to familiarise yourself with all of the stopwatch features that Polaris offers. With all due respect, it wasn't a watch for a common man. What was also revolutionary about Polaris was the case and bracelet. Polaris was offered in two versions, stainless steel and gold as well as titanium and gold. And I vividly remember the day when I saw Polaris in the window of Jeweller Wempe on the Koenigstrasse in Stuttgart. If only I could afford it!

Killing Sarastro with bémol

Mozart was a pure genius - he composed his first opera at the age of twelve. But composing is probably the wrong way of describing what was actually going on. The creative process was not a matter of putting together bits and pieces of music; the whole opera, all of the instruments, notes and voices were already composed in his head. He worked fast, filling pages after pages of partitures like a summer thunderstorm pouring onto dry land. Mozart's last opera was The Magic Flute which premiered on September 30, 1791. Mozart died two months later at the age of 34 and he was buried in an unmarked grave. But The Magic Flute was an immediate success. 228 years later, it is still the second most performed opera of all time. It is well recognised that aria "Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen" (Hell's vengeance boils in my heart) sung by the Queen of the Night is one of the most powerful and most important operatic masterpieces in history. The vengeance of hell boils in my heart, Death and despair flame about me! If Sarastro does not through you feel The pain of death, Then you will be my daughter nevermore. Disowned may you be forever, Abandoned may you be forever, Destroyed be forever All the bonds of nature, If not through you Sarastro becomes pale! (as death) Hear, Gods of Revenge, Hear a mother's oath! The queen, consumed by rage, instructs her daughter to kill Sarastro, her rival. This short aria is written for the soprano coloratura and it lasts only 2 minutes and 49 seconds. An incredibly difficult aria to sing - which requires not just the soprano’s vocal range from B3 to F6, but the ability to convey dramatic intensity in a very powerful manner at the very top of range. A soprano who can combine acrobatic abilities with power is extremely rare. And for the past 228 years, every soprano who ever lived wanted to be known and remembered as Mozart's Queen. The first Queen was Mozart's sister in law, Josepha Hofer. At the time of the premiere, she was 32 years old and had an extraordinary upper register and an agile voice. It is said that on his death bed, Mozart hushed his wife, Constanze: "Quiet, quiet! Josepha is just taking her top F". Unfortunately, we will never know how the first Queen of the Night really did sound on stage but we do have recordings of some great queens from the past 90 years. This made me wonder: which great diva sung the aria the way Mozart had heard it in his mind? Thanks to the internet and YouTube, we have recordings of over 40 queens from 1935 to now. Most of them are no longer with us, but their voices still are. Nowadays, there are only a handful of sopranos who perform in The Magic Flute who are regarded as the best living queens. And then there is an endless list of contenders. Last weekend, I immersed myself in the quest of finding the best Queen of the Night. Stating the obvious: while the winning voice would be selected subjectively, a rather firm set of objective criteria served as guidance: -    In his mind, Mozart heard the voice of a powerful German speaking woman,       and accordingly, the perfect Queen should be German / a native German           speaker -    Rage! In this performance, power is essential -    Hitting the high F6 perfectly, impeccable staccatos -    Dramatic coloratura -    Clarity -    Dramatic onstage performance On Friday, glued to the screen, the quest began with six hours of watching and listening to every Queen of the Night I could find, in every version of The Magic Flute available online. I went to bed with total chaos in my head, wrecked and worn out. By late evening Saturday, refreshed and reinvigorated, the search continued. Unfortunately, the Chinese, Korean and Japanese divas and contenders were no longer of interest: while their vocal capabilities were as brilliant as any, their German was rather unconvincing. Had Mozart himself ever seen an Asian woman raging in perfect Austro-Bavarian? I doubt it. I narrowed the list down to eleven divas:  Diana Damrau, Erika Mikolsa, Edita Gruberova, Natalie Dessmay, Susanne Elmark, Luciana Serra and Edda Moser - all still living - and Lucia Popp, Cristina Deutekom, Joan Sutherland, and Maria Callas, who are sadly no longer with us. The longer I listened, the more obvious the differences between the sopranos were. By early Sunday morning, my ears and brain finally tuned in, with fine 'details' unnoticed before beginning to emerge. Two minutes and 49 seconds, over and over again, hundreds of times... I got out of bed around lunch time Sunday completely brainwashed with "...meine Tochter nimmermehr" and "Hört! Hört! Hört!!!" echoing endlessly. Two looped phrases, two powerful voices, two divas - it was clear that one of them was going to be my winner. The best time to immerse yourself in music is when everyone else is already in bed. Headphones on, dimmed lights, alone in a room. Damrau, Deutekom, then Edda Moser, just for a final check. Then Deutekom twice, Damrau. Deutekom again. And again... At 7:30 Monday morning I was ready for work. With no time to waste, I played "Der Hölle Rache" just once - the 1960s version performed by Cristina Deutekom. Cristina Deutekom (28 August 1931 – 7 August 2014), was a Dutch operatic coloratura soprano. In 1963, she made her debut with De Nederlandse Opera as Queen of the Night, but after some lesser roles with the company, she contemplated giving up singing altogether since her career did not seem to progress. Yet while she was 'warming up ' her voice for those smaller roles, Cristina would sing some of the most difficult Mozart arias in her dressing room backstage. One day, her warm-up session was overheard by Dame Olga Maria Elisabeth Friederike Schwarzkopf, a diva herself: "Child, do you know what you are singing there?" Schwarzkopf was shocked to hear that she was not performing Mozart's masterpiece all over the world. "I do not think much of any impresario that does not recognise such talent", she said and introduced her to her own manager, Rudi Rothenberg. In no time Cristina went on to conquer the major opera houses in succession with the 'Queen of the Night' being her most prominent role. Like Mozart's sister in law Josepha, Christina was 32 years old. In 1968 she was critically acclaimed by The New York Times to be "the greatest Queen of the Night of our time". The vocal range which covers two octaves, stone hard German r's, perfect punctuation, impeccable staccatos, rage and power, surgically clean-cut triplets, twelve bars lasting 'bonde', terrifying bémol - all sung effortlessly by Deutekom, a Queen like no other. Headphones on. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQpTGKXAxqA

Let's make it happen!

But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” Mark 6:4

It is hardly a surprise that I am yet to sell a single pair of tweezers to a fellow Australian watchmaker. Yet we sell them all over the world, to Master Watchmakers in Europe, China and even Japan. Dumont tweezers are simply the best watchmaker's tweezers money can buy. And despite the sinking dollar, our prices remain unaltered since we started importing them from Switzerland in 2018. Premium quality, starting at $48. Without quality watchmaking tools, there is no watchmaking. And we don’t invest in Swiss tweezers simply to re-export them overseas – we want to make them available to AUSTRALIAN watchmakers. For us, selling tools is not money; it’s about keeping the dream alive. When big Swiss brands made the decision to restrict supply of spare parts to Australian independent watchmakers, they told us clearly why we are ‘not suitable partners’: we are too old, too dumb and too unwilling to invest. While the first two points could be debatable, the third was spot on: watchmakers absolutely HATE investing in tools and machinery. “I have been using these tweezers for 25 years, and the same screwdrivers for over 30! “ Cool - tell that to Rolex and Omega, that would be the music to their ears. A professional watchmaker should invest in dozens of tweezers EVERY YEAR. And a hobbyist, watch enthusiast or watch collector should buy at least ONE pair of tweezers per year. Why? Because even a modest tool order of $50 per year can keep ONE Australian worker in full time employment. Are you ready to make it happen? Here is the link to our online shop: https://shop.clockmaker.com.au/12-tweezers

And the story goes on

This porcelain dial pocket watch is that of Fairfax & Roberts LTD, Sydney & London: a jeweller which has not only survived, but prospered right up until to today. The history of Fairfax & Roberts began in 1836, when London based optician and jeweller Richard Lamb emigrated to Sydney and established his watchmaking business. In 1842, he was joined by fellow business partner, Alfred Fairfax of the Fairfax newspaper house. The discovery of gold in Australia in the 1850s brought with it a new style of jewellery and watches. Lamb, an artisan from England, combined his skills in the craft with the era defining discovery of gold to create pieces and designs that were unseen before in the colony. By 1858, Fairfax and Lamb had garnered a reputation as Sydney’s most exquisite craftsmen. Lamb & Fairfax made their mark on Sydney in 1873, when they were commissioned to design and manufacture the timepiece for the city’s Central railway station clock tower in 1873. Tragically, Richard Lamb, founder of the original Lamb & Fairfax, died in a sailing accident just three years later. Although designed by both men in the 1870s, construction of the famous clock tower was completed almost 50 years later, in 1921. The tower still stands today at a height of 85.6 metres. Having recognised the company's potential, Oscar Roberts invested in Alfred Fairfax, and in 1886, the company was officially known as Fairfax & Roberts. Fairfax & Roberts designed and created jewellery for some of Australia’s wealthiest families. In 1888, Fairfax & Roberts were described as specialising “… in the setting to order of diamonds and other gems in rings, brooches, tiaras and other ornaments. For this purpose a large stock of stones on hand”. Some special pieces combined gemstones with precious metals; unique, one-of-a kind heirlooms which have been passed down from generation to generation. One of Fairfax & Roberts' most noble customer was Edward, Prince of Wales, who acquired a custom-made sterling silver kangaroo pin whilst in Australia in 1927. Alfred Fairfax died in 1901, and both an obituary and a longer article dedicated to his life, published in The Sydney Morning Herald highlight how respected Mr Fairfax was in society: “Mr Alfred Fairfax died at his residence, McMahon's Point, North Sydney about half-past 7 o'clock on Monday morning, aged 77 years. The deceased gentleman was one of the fast-disappearing old-pioneers of Sydney, and first arrived in New South Wales in 1837, being only 13 years old.” The Sydney Morning Herald, 28th November 1901

In the longer article, special mention is given to Fairfax’s involvement in many different aspects of the Sydney community, in particular, his passion for steamers, his love of yachts and yachting, and the multiple positions he held such as journalist, merchant, commercial broker and founder of Fairfax & Roberts: “The deceased arrived in Sydney in 1841, and shortly after landing he joined the literary staff of the "Sydney Morning Herald." Sometime afterwards he opened in business under the style of Messrs Alfred Fairfax and Co, in George street and subsequently in Wynyard street. The establishment occupied in George Street stood next to the Royal Hotel, and the work of demolition has just been completed. Later on he became a commercial broker. His connection with mercantile pursuits extended over 50 years. The late Mr. Fairfax was one of the original supporters of the first line of steamers which ran between Sydney and Melbourne. The service was owned by the Sydney and Melbourne Steamship Company. […] Talking of leading yachtsmen of the past and present in Sydney, Mr Thornton said the other day: “Mr Alfred Fairfax from the outset, took a very active and successful interest in yachting, and in building, owning, and sailing yachts he was most successful, having had some of the best boats that were ever in the colony.” The Sydney Morning Herald, 27th November 1901

Over 100 years after Fairfax’s death, Fairfax & Roberts to this day remains a brand synonymous with authenticity and quality. They are the oldest established jeweller in Australia and are currently situated on Castlereagh Street, Sydney. Unfortunately, I couldn't find much regarding the London branch except that in 1902, the English buying office was located at 36 Basinghall-street, London, E.C. I have contacted Fairfax & Roberts directly and I am waiting for the opportunity to ask for the full story. I will keep you informed.

Your First Watch

Our last subscriber survey that was conducted a couple of years ago revealed that 40% of you have between 3 and 5 high grade watches. 45% have more than 5, and about 10% of subscribers are yet to buy their first serious watch. If you are a member of the latter group, then this article is specifically for you.

5 Reasons why an Omega Seamaster James Bond Quartz should be your first watch 1. The blue Seamaster James Bond is simply a well-made timepiece. A very accurate quartz mechanism fitted in a 300m well-machined stainless steel case means longevity. It is a watch built to last forever and I really like that. 2. Easy to fix. I'm not exaggerating: Seamaster quartz is the easiest watch to repair. It is actually so easy that I could train any able-bodied person with average eye sight to fix it within two weeks. And yes, easy to fix means affordable low-cost maintenance. 3. Put simply, it is a good looking watch. Blue dial, blue bezel, 41mm case size, a perfect match for any wrist size. A watch that will compliment your smart casual look; a watch for all occasions. 4. Omega is a Swiss brand on the rise. In recent years, Omega is not only filling the market gap voided by Rolex, but Omega watches are now significantly more expensive than some gold diamond studded Rolex watches. Quite frankly, we didn't see this coming. The quality of new Omega watches, especially of inner mechanisms, has already surpassed Rolex. Unless Rolex raises their game, it is just a matter of time before Omega becomes the new Rolex. 5. Fantastic value for money. Yes, paying around $3,000 for a 10 to 15 year old Omega sports watch might sound a lot to a first time buyer. But there is simply no other Swiss watch in this price range that competes with a good old James Bond. If you invest in one, you will have a watch for life that will serve you well and that you will be proud to pass on. I'm not paid by Omega to speak highly of their watches, and yes there are plenty of Omega models that I certainly would not be interested in. But the reasons quoted here are genuine and the result of 20 years dealing in Seamaster James Bond. I am so serious about this recommendation that you can test me. Even if it came down to Omega James Bond vs my own Mark 1, I would still say that your first watch should be James Bond... And then your second watch should be NH Mark 1.

Is Rolex broken?

No - I'm not talking about a Rolex watch or any Rolex watch in particular. The question I would like to get an answer for is this: Is Rolex Swiss Watchmaker a broken company in desperate need of repair? I have to confess, I have never bought a brand new watch from an authorised Rolex dealer. But today on my way to work, I stopped at the Rolex Sydney Boutique, rang the bell and walked in as a customer, holding in hand my hard earned cash. When a 56 year old clean cut chubby man wearing glasses walks into an establishment, and I mean any establishment you can think of, he is a man on a mission. There is no time to be wasted. A mature man needs no sales pitch, he knows what he wants. He can afford it, and he wants it now. "I would like to buy two Rolex watches please - Rolex Submariner and Rolex GMT Master." Instead of  "Yes Sir, cash or card?" the dealer offered the lost puppy  look. In a hushed voice, he  started sharing that old, worn out, well-crafted story of how Rolex sports models are practically unobtainable, that global demand outstrips supply and that even putting my name down on the five years waiting list would make no difference. Finally, he made an attempt to sum up and tie up altogether in one: Rolex watches were always hard to get! "That is complete nonsense" I said. "Rolex stainless steel models were always easy to get. Until recently, Rolex produced one million watches per year and every dealer's window was literally crammed with Rolexs to the point that just looking at them would make one sick. For the past 80 years, buying a Rolex watch was never a hard thing to do, there was no waiting list." "Not anymore," he said, "I could sell 100 a day, but we only get one watch of each model per month." Make no mistake, the Rolex dealer was courteous, patient and genuinely disappointed that he could not sell me a watch. And the situation we are in right now is the least of his fault. But neither is it mine. Punishing a buyer for wanting something that everybody else wants simply doesn't make sense. I left the shop disappointed, and as I type this, I can only think of those 99 Rolex customers who will feel the same today. Their loyalty to the brand will be tested and they will be left with only three options: to remain loyal to the brand that will never sell them a watch that they dream of, to pay almost double for a second hand Rolex, or to buy an Omega. When a loyal customer is left with these three options, two of which are deeply humiliating, then perhaps something is broken; not in Sydney but in Switzerland, something that no watchmaker can fix.

S. Weisser, Korumburra

The pocket watch we have discovered today is an Omega porcelain dial timepiece, retailed by S Weisser, in Korumburra. Omega released their first pocket watch in 1895 to the German market: A Lépine model equipped with the famous 19’’’ calibre. The serial number from the pocket watch (4293248) translates into the manufacturing year of 1914. It is a 7 jewel Omega movement, stem wound and stem set. >From as early as 1890, Solomon Weisser was an established watchmaker and jeweller in Melbourne, Victoria. Having married Lizzie Eames in 1891, by 1892 he had already set up two branches located in Surrey Hills and Box Hill. A newspaper clipping from 1982 reads: “Mr. S. Weisser, watchmaker and jeweller, notifies in our advertising columns that he has removed his Surrey Hills branch to Union Road (opposite station) where he hopes to receive a continuance of the patronage hitherto accorded him.” Reporter, 24th June 1892

And I believe he did receive a continuance of patronage. Having moved his Surry Hills store to Union Road, he continued to successfully run two Melbourne branches for a number of years, with repeated advertisements in the local newspaper between the years 1892 to 1895:

The Reporter, January 4th 1895 What’s a little confusing is that the porcelain dial reads ‘Korumburra’ and not Melbourne, despite Weisser’s first two stores being located here. Clearly, Weisser either travelled into the city for business or moved to Korumburra in later years. Korumburra a small town located on the South Gippsland Highway, south east of Melbourne. Surrounded by stunning green hills, the town itself was a coal mining town, were much of its wealth and prosperity began in the early 1890s. As this pocket watch dates to 1914, it would seem that by this point Weisser had a pretty successful branch set up in Korumburra, especially as he was retailing Omega pocket watches. The image below was taken in 1909, and S. Weisser Watchmaker & Jeweller can be seen on the left, situated on Commercial St, Korumburra.

Like many watchmakers and jewellers in the 19th and early 20th century, Weisser was also an optometrist. In fact, he was one of the first optometrists to be registered in 1936, after the Opticians Registration Act 1935, at 70 years of age. Weisser’s wife sadly passed away just a year later (1937), leaving him a widower and lone father to their daughter Eva: “Weisser. - On 5th December, suddenly, at her home, Station Street Korumburra, Lizzie beloved wife of Solomon Weisser and loving mother of Eva. – Safe in the arms of Jesus” The Argus, 6th December 1937

However, what amazes me is how long Solomon Weisser lived! He died at 92 years of age in 1958, having lived through two world wars, and bore witness to enormous change. Over the course of Weisser’s lifetime (1866 to 1958), Omega was born and continued to thrived. The 1894 production of the famous Omega calibre movement, “remarkable for its perfect construction, the ingeniousness of certain mechanisms like time setting via the crown, and for its relatively modest price” was just the beginning.