
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Omega Ranchero CK2990 Broad Arrow Hands and Archive Extract
- Maker / attribution
- Omega (maker)
- Date
- 1959
- Historical period
- Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Dimensions
- Case 35 mm
- Stock no.
- W-898
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Bulang & Sons (W-898)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Omega Ranchero CK2990 Broad Arrow Hands and Archive Extract (English)
View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by Bulang & Sons (dealer), Copenhagen (stock number W-898), this is a wristwatch by Omega, made in Switzerland, dated 1959. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 35 mm. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Dealer description — Bulang & Sons
The Portuguese connection… The Omega Ranchero was possibly one of the shortest-run Omega tool watches in the brand’s history. Introduced in 1958, it was only available for two short years and struggled to keep up with the Seamaster, Speedmaster and Railmaster, making it a very rare watch indeed. Aesthetically, it borrows heavily from its sports watch brothers, with the triangle hour markers, arabic 12, 3 & 9 and most noticeably the broad arrow hands. This example is in great condition, with the 35mm case remaining in super condition all round. The patina on this watch is great, although we suspect that the lume in the hands was redone early on, as they still have some radium reading. The watch comes with an archive extract, that states the watch was delivered to Portugal, a fact that is confirmed by Portuguese import stamps on the upper left lug. The watch has been fully serviced by our watchmaker. Specifications - Reference CK2990 - Dates to 1959 - 35mm steel case - Cal 276 manual wind movement - Movement serial 1661xxxx - Broad Arrow hands - Omega Archive extract - Bulang and Sons leather strap - Fully serviced by our watchmaker - Includes a handmade single leather watch pouch
Historical context
Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.
The classic era of the mechanical wristwatch: dive watches, chronographs for motor racing and space flight, GMT watches for jet travel, slim dress watches, automatic calendars, and the rise of Japanese manufacturers alongside Swiss, American, German and Soviet industries.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking
Atlas type guide
Wristwatches
Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.
After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.
What to look for
- The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
- The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
- Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
- Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.
Dating clues
- Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
- Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
- Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
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