Post by takesalickin on Oct 13, 2014 19:38:18 GMT -8
Not a Japanese watch story, but the best watch story I ever had happen to me. I've saved it on my hard drive for about five years. I first posted it on PMWFG back in 2009. This is the watch in question:
And this is the story as it appeared originally on PMWF:
Last night marked the beginning of the end of an era for me. When I first got into collecting watches eight years ago, it was toward vintage watches that I gravitated. They were relatively inexpensive at the time. I could often score great pieces on Ebay for under $50. I spent a lot of time at TZ's vintage forum and I became pretty well versed in the history of a lot of older watches and watch companies. In 2002 I discovered PMWF and a transformation in my collecting habits was under way. Eventually I stopped looking at vintage watches altogether, and I began to sell off many of the desirable vintagers that I'd amassed.
Toward the end of that phase of my collecting, I had acquired two watches that I held on to for all these years - a 1950 Universal Geneve bumper auto, and a 1957 Omega Seamaster with a gold case. To my eye, they epitomized the elegance of a bygone era of watchmaking. The Seamaster was particularly interesting because it had a case back engraving - a practice no longer in vogue, but at one time a popular way of personalizing a watch given as a gift.
I often wondered about the gentleman to whom the watch had been given, one Dr. E.J.T. Thompson of Mental Health Services. The watch had been gifted to him in early 1958, and I imagined that the watch had been produced sometime around the time of my birth in June of 1957. I felt a special connection to it for that reason. After I received it, I spent some time in futile internet searches trying to track down info regarding Dr. Thompson and/or Mental Health Services, but to no avail. I presumed that the use of two middle names or two surnames suggested that Dr. Thompson might have hailed from the U.K. where that practice is more comon. Little did I know, I was close, but not close enough...
Flash forward to 2009. The wife's Sebring is seven years old. Low mileage, and cosmetically in pretty good shape, but the chrome factory wheels are starting to look pretty dogeared. The chrome is flaking off in spots and the guys at Tire Barn tell me that there's corrosion on the inside of the wheels around the valve stems that is causing the slow leaks that require me to pump up a couple of the tires at least once a week. New wheels are going to set me back $575 and naturally, I start thinking about where I'm going to get the money. My thoughts turn to two vintage watches that I've essentially been warehousing for the last few years.
I decided to list them for sale to raise the cash and was lucky enough to find a buyer for the Omega on the first day. A day later I received an email from Marcos Hedges, who posts here as Hedgesr. He'd seen my sales post for the Omega and had almost pulled the trigger. Although he didn't buy the watch, he was intrigued by the case back inscription and decided to do a little searching on his own. Remember how I said I thought Dr. Thompson might have been English? I'd forgotten how far flung the British culture had become in the 20th century. I should have been looking other places too... like Australia.
Here's the text of Marcos' email:
Jeff,
I was mulling over the possibility of purchasing that 1957 Omega Seamaster you put up on the PMSF. As it wasn’t something I was planning on acquiring, I didn’t pull the trigger. I saw you already sold it, so congrats on the sale and to the purchaser.
Being interested in the engraving, I did some research and *may* have come up with part of the watch’s provenance. This is just speculation at this point, and given the fact it’s sold, won’t pursue it any further, but I thought it would be interesting to share nonetheless.
Our friend Dr. E.J.T. Thompson, to whom the watch was presented, seems to have been an Australian medical services professional. I found some old records from 1930, 1935 and 1938, plus an old picture from the Australian War Memorial (WWII). If you put all findings together, plus the date of the engraving, and a little guesstimation behind it all, chances are it is the same person.
1) In 1930, Dr. E.J.T. Thompson, MC, MA, MB, BSC was the Deputy Medical Superintendent of the Claremont Hospital for the Insane.
2) In 1935, he still held this position, although it seems the hospital changed its name to Claremont Mental Hospital.
3) From 1937 to 1938, EJTT apparently was an Officer of the Royal Society of Western Australia, more specifically a member of the Council.
4) By then the war had broken out. I am rusty on my history, and will not comment as to Australia’s involvement. But I found a pic of possibly 04-07-1946 (or is it 07-04-1946?) of the Royal Australian Armed Forces (?), which includes, possibly, our friend Dr Thompson. That is likely Dr. E.J.T. Thompson, by then a Colonel and Deputy Director of Medical Services (source: cas.awm.gov.au/photograph/099975). (here Marcos inserted a pic of Dr. Thompson)
As you may know, watches were a “good” retirement gift (now you just get a plaque or some other bullsh*t, but times are tough, ya know). Personally, I think it’s somewhat morbid to give you a watch as a parting gift as you reach the waning years of your life, and you are left looking at the ticking away of the time left on this Earth. I’d gladly accept a watch now while I am, statistically speaking, about halfway there (and perhaps even productive!)…
So – working back from 1958 to 1930, add 15 to 20 years of preparation and practice, and there you go, 48 years, a life of service in the medical community. Therefore, with some trepidation, I dare say this is Dr. E.J.T. Thompson, and that is part of the provenance of the 1957 Omega Seamaster.
Now, about that Universal Geneve…
Regards,
Marcos
I thought that was some of the best detective work I'd ever seen! The supreme irony, of course, is that I find out all this on the day after I sell the watch. But better to know now than to have never known at all, and... it just may be the best watch story I've ever had.