Omega Triple Date Moonphase Model Ref.2473 14ct 1951

Omega

Since the company was founded in 1848, Omega has pioneered a huge range of innovations. Britain’s Royal Flying Corps chose Omega watches in 1917 as official timekeepers for its pilots and again in 1940, RAF Pilots watches were supplied by Omega. The 1940s also saw the first tourbillon wristwatch and the first of the famous Seamaster watches, whilst the ’50s and ’60s introduced the legendary Constellation, Speedmaster, Seamaster 300 and Railmaster. Over these years, everyone from John F. Kennedy to Elvis wore Omega watches on official duties. What’s more, in 1962, astronaut Wally Schirra took his Omega Speedmaster into space on NASA’s Mercury Sigma 7 mission and in 1969 two Speedmasters landed on the moon, worn by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

Description

Here we have a Omega Triple Date Moonphase, in 14ct yellow gold from 1951 – and what a beguiling work of art this timepiece is – and so easy to fall in love with!

In common with Vacheron Constantin, Rolex, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Longines, vintage Triple Date Moonphase watches of this period each adopted very similar designs for their dials. And while you may pay £20,000+ for the vintage Rolex triple date moonphase version, the Omega watch here has a movement which is at least on par, for a small fraction of the price.

The Dial

The rare, original, unrestored and untouched silver dial is in top grade condition. The light reflects against the silver dial wonderfully and complements the applied yellow gold ‘arrowhead’ and ‘baton’ hour indices and original ‘lance’ hands. The black sweep date hand features a leaf on the very end which frames the day of the month perfectly. The outer date track in blue, which looks superb against the silver dial, yellow gold case and hands.

Setting this watch is very simple and straightforward. Setting the day of the week is done first. This is achieved by rotating the hands until the correct day is shown. The month is then set via a small pusher on the edge of the case at 2 o’clock. The date of the month is then set via a pusher at 4 o’clock. Finally, the moon phase is set via a pusher at 8 o’clock. An important point to remember is never to advance any of these functions while the hour hand is anywhere close to the number 12, as this can harm the movement. Another point to note is that the month does not auto advance at the end of each month. This is done manually. As long as one remembers these points, the watch will perform faithfully and reliably.

The dial is simply signed ‘Omega’ below 12.

Usually, we restore the dials of the watches we sell, however, we decided in this case, due to its unique condition, to retain its originality and charm for the many collectors who prefer this. This watch has a clean original dial with a very even patina. It also helps to contrast with almost all of the other watch dials you see on our website, which have been restored.

Please note, studio lights, professional-grade digital cameras, and macro lenses can be very unkind to an unrestored vintage watch dial. Also the dial here measures less than 1.25 inches across, so the image you see here may be between 5 – 25 times larger than the watch itself. Therefore please keep in mind you are seeing many tiny flaws which cannot be seen, or will be very hard to see with the naked eye, even under close examination. Suffice to say, on the wrist, in natural light, this dial looks much better and carries a great deal more charm than the photographs portray.

The Movement

The watch contains its original Omega 17 Jewel, Calibre 381 hand-wound, Triple Date Moonphase movement. This movement superseded the earlier Omega Calibre 321 Triple Date, on which this movement is based. This movement has in fact, four ‘complications’, in that it indicates the day, the date, the month and the phase of the moon. This was quite an amazing feat when this watch was first produced, yet this movement was completely designed and produced in-house by Omega. Even more remarkably, these watches are accurate and reliable, provided they are regularly serviced and are not abused. Also, because this movement was produced by Omega, servicing and replacement parts are not a problem.

This movement is correctly signed Omega Watch Co, Swiss, with 17 Jewels, the calibre number 381, and the movement serial number 12879468. The serial number dates the watch to 1951.

Our vintage Omega specialist watchmaker has given this movement a full inspection, overhaul and service and commented he found it to be particularly clean and well maintained. Upon completion, he has carefully calibrated the watch. After our final checks and prior to photography, the watch was found to be keeping time to within +10 second per day! This was tested and confirmed by our electronic time-grapher and is truly outstanding for any watch of this age. As can be seen, the movement is in sparkling clean condition.

We are therefore very happy to offer the watch with a 12 months warranty*. With care and with regular servicing around every 3 years or so, we would fully expect this watch to run quite happily for many more decades to come.

*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only applicable if the list price is paid.

The Case

The three-piece 14ct yellow gold case measures 35mm in diameter, excluding the correct Omega signed winding crown.

The case, as we would expect from Omega, is very solid and well made and the press-fit case-back closes with a very solid and satisfying ‘pop’, indicating the case has been impeccably built and maintained. It is of full-thickness and has never been engraved.

Inside the case-back all is correct and as expected. It is signed with the Omega Watch Co branding, ‘Fab Suisse’ and ‘Swiss Made’. The serial number 11116668 is also shown, along with the model reference 2473 and 14ct hallmarks.

Having been cleaned, carefully examined and lightly hand-polished by our case-maker, the case is totally immaculate, being very crisp with no scratches, dings or other blemishes visible to the naked eye. This, along with the superb general condition of the rest of the watch, indicates this watch has received an excellent level of care and only light use.

As ever, our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Strap & Buckle

A high quality brown Crocodile strap has been fitted, along with a matching gold plated Omega buckle. Please note, we feel the strap matches the watch nicely, however, if a different colour or style of strap is preferred, please let us know and we will do our best to oblige free of charge. We carry tan, conker, dark brown and black in stock in plain padded leather, crocodile skin or lizard skin, however, we can also obtain most types and colours at short notice.

Box and Papers

Although there are no original papers with this watch, the reference numbers, markings, signatures and hallmarks are all correct, dating this watch to 1951.

Detailed particulars will be included with our purchase receipt for your interest and security. A separate insurance valuation for the replacement value of this watch will be provided at the time of sale along with our unique ‘Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee’ which states: “If this watch proves to be anything less than 100% genuine, authentic and original, a full refund will be given at any time”.

The high quality hardwood presentation box shown in the photographs is included.

Payment and Delivery

If you would like to pay by bank transfer, we will be pleased to assist you with this. Similarly, if you wish to pay by International SWIFT or Bank Wire Transfer we will provide you with our BIC / Swift number and our IBAN number.

Please check the import duties and any taxes your government may apply, these are different for each country and, unfortunately, out of our control.

We understand there may be some ‘loopholes’ that may help you avoid these charges; however, attempting to use these could impact our ongoing ability to serve our growing international customer base.

For those who happen to visit London on occasion, we are, of course, more than happy to store your watch until we can meet you in our offices in Kensington, London, and hand your watch directly to you there.

As with all our watches, this watch will be sold under our 14 days no-quibble sale or return policy.

In Conclusion

This is a very impressive vintage Omega hand-wound wristwatch, which is ready to wear and very practical for everyday use. If treated with care, this watch will make an excellent investment or heirloom piece. Omega has always benefitted from a first class reputation for the superb quality of their watch movements and just as in the case of Longines, which have been undervalued in the past, this is beginning to show in the way Omega watches are increasing in value.

A word on our prices – We always try our hardest to acquire the very highest quality watches we can find, before restoring them to the highest possible standards. We then offer these at the fairest prices we can, taking into account our pre and post-sales care and service. This approach means we will never be the cheapest, but nor will we be the most expensive. Indeed there are some well-known stores in West London which are highly successful charging between two to three times the price you see here. We, therefore, consider our prices to be fair, given the quality of watches we have to offer.

Please note, we also welcome part exchanges. If you have a watch or a small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss this.

We will also be happy to Service your watch, Repair your watch or Restore your watch, all at ‘sensible’ prices. Please see here.

If you have any questions please call us on 020 7727 7095 or if calling from overseas on +44 207 727 7095.

Please take a look at our other fine vintage gold watches.

Thank you.