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 1950s and ’60s introduced the legendary Constellation, Speedmaster, Seamaster 300 and Railmaster. Over the 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 to 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
A beautifully original, unrestored and untouched Calibre 580 ladies 9ct white gold dress watch from 1961, on its original 9ct white gold integral bracelet. This beautiful watch is in superb condition, having only been lightly worn and has simply required only a light hand-polish to return to the almost as new condition you see here.
The Dial
The beautiful original, unrestored and completely untouched silver-white dial carries the traditional Omega styling cues. Gilt ‘baton’ hour indices inlaid with onyx at ‘3 – 6 – 9 – 12’, swept by the original silver ‘Index’ hands. The dial is framed by a beautiful crystal effect bezel insert, which catches the light wonderfully. The dial simply carries the Omega brand and signature and is marked ‘Swiss Made’ at the bottom.
This is the original dial which considering its age, is in remarkably good condition and just has slight signs of fading and pitting. The overall effect is quite wonderful with a very nice and even patina. There is some gentle ageing across the whole of the dial, in the form of light spotting, just as many collectors like to see.
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. It also helps to contrast with almost all of the other watch dials you see on our website, which have been restored. If however, you would like to purchase this watch and you would prefer the dial restored, we are happy to do this at the price of a dial restoration for £395.
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.
Movement
The watch carries its original high grade Calibre 580, 17 Jewel movement which is in sparkling clean condition. The movement has been fully overhauled and serviced which means it has been completely disassembled, cleaned, inspected and rebuilt using only original Omega parts where necessary, by our vintage Omega specialist watchmaker. When tested and calibrated, this watch was running to within +15 seconds per day, which is outstanding for any vintage ladies watch of this age and when fully wound, this movement has an excellent 36-hour power reserve.
The movement is correctly signed ‘Omega Watch Co Swiss’, and ’Seventeen 17 Jewels’, with the calibre number 580 and the serial number 18423470 which dates this watch to 1961.
These movements are strong, accurate and very reliable, making the watch perfectly appropriate for regular everyday use should you wish to do so. This movement is in top condition and with regular servicing, every 3 years, we would fully expect this watch to run very happily for many more decades to come! We are therefore more than pleased to offer a 12-month warranty on this watch movement* and regular servicing in the future.
*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only applicable if the full list price is paid.
Watch Case
The sturdy 9ct solid white gold case measures just 16mm in diameter, excluding the correct Omega signed crown, making this a mid to small size ladies watch. However, the case is very robust so the watch, while ‘ladies cocktail watch size’, is certainly still suitable for everyday use.
Inside the case-back, all the markings are correct and display The Omega Watch Co. triangle, along with Swiss 9ct hallmarks and the Omega case reference number 981.
The case has been cleaned, carefully inspected and carefully hand-polished, which was all that was required to bring it back to its current tip-top condition with no scratches dings or marks of any kind visible to the naked eye.
Please note – as always, our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.
The Bracelet
The original heavy integral Omega 9ct white gold bracelet is in close to ‘as new’ condition, having simply been cleaned and lightly polished to bring it back to the condition you see here. It is of its original full length and is adjustable between 17.8cm to 18.4cm which equates to 7″ inches to 8.5″ inches i.e. a small to medium size ladies wrist. The bracelet can be adjusted using the two-step Omega ladder locking catch.
Please note – this bracelet can be tailored free of charge by our watch case maker, if required, once purchased.
The Box and Papers
Although there are no original papers with this watch, the reference numbers, markings, signatures and hallmarks are all correct, dating the watch to 1961.
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”.
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
A rather special and rare vintage gold ladies automatic watch from one of horology’s most famous names, which will provide an excellent financial investment as well as be something to treasure and enjoy!
This is a truly top class example which is in immaculate condition and with an original dial. The watch is ready to wear and totally practical for everyday use. If treated with care it will make an excellent investment or family heirloom piece. Even though vintage gold Omega prices have risen markedly in the past 12 months, we still feel great examples such as this are still undervalued, because as each year goes by, the world market for vintage Omega watches is expanding almost exponentially, so we think prices are destined to climb ever higher in the foreseeable future.
A word about our prices – We always try our hardest to acquire the very highest quality watches we can find, before restoring these 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 inevitably means we will never be the cheapest, but nor will we be the most expensive. Indeed there are a number of well-known stores in West London which are very 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.
We welcome part exchanges and if you have a watch or small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss this.
We will also be happy to Service, Repair or Restore your watch, all at ‘sensible’ prices. Please see here.
If you have any questions, please call our landline 020 7727 7095. If calling from overseas our landline number is +44 207 727 7095
We await your call! We will be happy to answer any questions and offer advice about this or any of our watches listed for sale. If you would like some general advice regarding any aspect of vintage watches, including buying, selling, or collecting, we will be very happy to hear from you.
Finally, please enjoy some time spent viewing our other fine vintage gold watches!
Thank you.
Andrew M via feefo 
3rd December 2024 
JLC1891 
