Bezels for Each Case
Unlike dials, which are compatible across all cal. 1040 or 1041 watches, the bezels generally only fit a single case case.* Variations in base color and text color mainly drive the confusion over bezels.
176.001 – NO BEZEL. Uses reflective crystal tension ring.
176.002 – Inner timing bezel. “Concave” and tall. Mostly black or blue, also seen in grey.
176.004 – Rotating luminous outer diver’s bezel. Also has inner 60 minute bezel. Always blue.
176.005 – Inner timing bezel, square outside, circular inside. Blue, silver, gold, or brown – usually matches the dial.
176.007 – Inner timing bezel. Flat (compared to 002, 005, 010). White, blue, or gold. Sometimes grey.
176.009 – Timing bezel applied on mineral glass. Black.
176.010 – Inner timing bezel – tachymetre/regatta countdown only. Charcoal/black or brown/gold.
378.0801– Timing bezel applied on mineral glass. Black.
*The Speedmaster Mark IV and Speedmaster 125 use the same crystal/bezel. Or, at least, the current service part provided by Omega is the same. There may be some differences on the original parts I’m unaware of.
Different Types of Timing Bezels
As they did with Speedmasters, Omega created different bezel options to suit different professions or specific needs of the user. The four main types of scales are tachymetre (measuring rate of speed over a fixed distance interval), telemetre (measuring the speed of sound in the air, useful for determining how close a lightning bolt hit using the time between the flash and the sound of thunder), pulsometric (useful for measuring heart rate), and decimal (translates seconds into percentage of a minute). A better description of how these bezels work including examples can be found on Chuck Maddox’s site (of course!).
The tachymetre was the obvious default bezel for all models that used one and the by far the most commonly found. Other bezels were available by special request. A Journey Through Time pictures 176.007s with pulsometric and telemetric bezels on page 550. More on that photo and caption can be found here.
The “Yachting” bezels found on ref. 176.010 are tachymetres with a 15 minute regatta timer segment. I am not aware of these bezels made with pulsometric, telemetric, or decimal scales.
Most Common Bezels Colors
Here is a table that illustrates the most commonly seen color bezel by dial and case material:
Hopefully the table is self-explanatory, but I would like to stress that “most common” doesn’t mean “only”. There are exceptions and less common variants. I have my opinions on the exceptions but can’t prove them one way or the other. But while we’re on the subject…
You’ll notice that certain bezels have multiple text colors listed. In the case of gold bezels for 176.007, I cannot tell if there are actually bezels with brown text or if the red text ages differently or if it is all just a factor of the lighting in the photos I’ve looked at. I’ll discuss the blue 176.002 bezels in more detail below and show some examples, but those did come in two distinct text colors.
Less Common Bezel Combinations
As you can see from my production estimates, roughly a quarter of all 1040s are steel 176.007s. Since these are by far the most common reference and they had 5 common dials and 2 other less common dials, most of the bezel variation is seen in the 176.007.
Blue on Blue, White on Silver
As we can see above, typically the 176.007 dials – A and B specifically – follow a straightforward convention. The 4 blue dials normally came with a white bezel and the silver dial came with a blue bezel. The most frequently observed of the exceptions to the chart above occurs when the convention is flipped: blue on blue or white bezel on silver dial.
Above photo sources: Watchuseek, user csikora, nikiasgold.com
The blue on blue look is attractive, and in line with the common design patterns common on blue-dialed 176.002 and 176.005. White on silver looks off to me, so I personally suspect it isn’t an original correct offering and that the bezel (or dial) was probably switched at some point.
Yachting Bezels
I believe the standard for bezels on the 176.010 Yachting chronograph is straightforward as well: steel cases get the black/charcoal bezel, gold plated cases get the gold/brown bezel. However the gold-plated 176.010 is hard to pin down. It’s the least common case of all the 1040s, with around 1,000 or less pieces being produced by my estimate. And the few examples I’ve seen have seen an have had an unusually large variety of dials and bezels installed. There are no examples of gold Yachting chronographs in AJTT or in period ads to compare either.
Above photo sources: Aicher Watches, regatta-tachttimers.com, Watchuseek posted by rasmus_denmark
Subtle Differences – Finish and Color
Not counting variations in timing scales (i.e, tachymetre vs. pulsometric) there are about a dozen possible standard bezels in the table above that vary by shape and color. But even those individual bezels can vary in color or finish in subtle ways. This could be due to changes in manufacturing process over time, changes in the actual manufacturer of the individual part, or the effects of exposure to different environments on the aging process such as light, humidity, etc.
It can be tough to distinguish the differences in color from online photos, and it is also difficult to determine if the finish is glossy or matte from a photo of the bezel installed in a watch due to reflection and distortion from the crystal. From a collector’s standpoint, these subtle differences don’t make difference in value but are interesting.
Blue 176.007 Bezels
Rather than look for all the variations of all the different bezels, let’s just look at the blue bezels for ref. 176.007.
Color
The bezels in the photo above are from a lot I purchased on eBay. The watches show definite signs of aging and are clearly 4 distinct colors now, but I don’t know how similar they were when new. The top left one has a flat or matte finish, the others are glossy, though this photo doesn’t convey it well.
Finish
Finish and color are somewhat correlated, actually. It seems that the darker blue colors are usually glossy. And modern service parts tend to be darker and glossier, so maybe the aging process fades both color and gloss.
Above photo sources: Vimeo.com posted by Analog/Shift, Watchuseek posted by Ericherz
Oddities and Exceptions
There are other bezels out there, but they’re so uncommon it’s hard to say much about where they belong. Are they Omega parts, or for some other brand that happen to fit? If they are Omega parts, which dial/case combination should they go to? Were these legitimate options back in the 1970s, or later service parts?
Grey 176.007 Bezel With Light Blue Text
This bezel probably belongs with a silver A3 dial based on the fact that silver/grey bezels go with silver dials on the 176.005 and 176.002. But of the three times I’ve seen it only once was it paired with a silver dial.
Above photo sources: left unknown, right vintage-portfolio.com
The third bezel above could actually be a blue bezel with white text that has completely faded. And yes I realize that the dial in the second shot above is a Speedmaster and likely not original to the case either, casting suspicion on the originality of all the other parts.
UPDATE May 2017: Grey / Silver 176.007 Bezel, White Text
This one could, I suppose, be a blue bezel that has faded but if I had to guess I’d say it is silver or grey. I consider it to be a different shade of grey than the three above, and the text is clearly (to me) white.
Photo source: ebay seller es_zario
Brown 176.007 Bezels
In the lot I mentioned above that included the blue bezels pictured, there were also four brown bezels. The lot was described as Seamaster and Speedmaster bezels, with no other specific model numbers mentioned. As noted in the table, typically all gold-plated 176.007s come with gold bezels. I have looked at a lot of photos of 176.007s over the years, and I have yet to see one with a brown bezel – even the brown-dialed variant.
Again, I’m not sure if these are actual Omega parts or not, but they match in size, shape, and font with legitimate 176.007s as far as I can tell. I threw this up as a question on Omega Forums and it was suggested that these are possibly just faded blue bezels. But because three of them are nearly identical in color I doubt they have changed much in color over time – and again I have no way to prove it either way. I think these are brown and if they are Omega parts they are most likely meant to go with dials A4 and A5.
Blue Bezel Text Variations and Possible “Gunmetal Grey” Speedmaster Mark III Bezel
In the table above, I list the text color on blue Mark III bezels as either white or light blue. I have seen both, and in many photos I can’t tell which it is. Both are probably correct, one may or may not have preceded the other, but I can’t say for sure. I have also seen several shades of blue on Speedmaster Mark III bezels as with the 176.007 bezels above, and am just as unclear as to whether the variation has to do with aging, different manufactures, intentional changes in design over time, ort some combination.
Above photo sources: Antiquorum, Christie’s, vwf.fr, copeaurnwatches.com
The third and fourth photos show a bezel that might not be blue but could be a “gunmetal” grey bezel with light blue text, similar to the odd 176.007 bezel. Or it could just be a blue dial changing color with age due to fading or exposure to humidity.
Speedmaster Mark III Grey/Silver Bezel
I have also seen grey/silver bezels with black or dark blue text on a Mark III. Each example I’ve seen has been paired with a blue dial.
Above photo sources: Watchuseek posted by jds1017, center unknown, Omega Forums posted by hamish kofoed
These are a distinct color from the “gunmetal” grey bezel.
I have a gut feeling that all these less common Mark III bezels are still legitimate Omega parts mainly because I cannot think of another case that uses a Mark III-style bezel, which is tall and has a steep ramp down to the dial. Plus the idea of them being faked is is hard to believe.
All-Gold Yachting Bezel
I’ve seen this bezel on one 176.010, and I consider it to be legitimate – if not an Omega part it is a legit Lemania part. Lemania used this case on other watches, and Tissot uses the exact same black/charcoal Yachting bezel as Omega on some Navigator models in the same case. Was it originally installed on the Omega below? Not sure.
The majority of the few gold-plated 176.010s I’ve seen used the brown/gold bezel, which is darker and more brown toward the center. This bezel lacks the “brownness” and has a uniformity to the gold color.
FURTHER READING: A detailed dissection on Omega Forums of the Black/Charcoal Yachting Bezel
Looking for the guide for cases? Click here.
Looking for the guide for dials? Click here.