Omega Bumper Automatic Cal.331 18ct 1945

Omega Watches

Since the company was founded in 1848, Omega has pioneered a huge range of technical innovations in watchmaking. 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 40s 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 Omega Speedmasters landed on the moon, worn by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

Description

A truly exceptional wonderful automatic dress watch in 18ct yellow gold, in complete original, unrestored and untouched condition. There are numerous aspects which make this watch special, including the stunning off-white honeycomb dial and the pristine condition of its very high grade Cal.331 automatic movement.

The Dial

The superb honeycomb, off-white dial catches the light beautifully, as we have tried to demonstrate in the photographs. The original ‘arrowhead’ hour indices match the original unrestored ‘leaf’ yellow gilt hands and look wonderful against the dial and yellow gold case. This dial, with its subsidiary seconds dial and inner minute railtrack, is typical of the early 1940s, effortlessly classic, elegant and stylish. It is just the kind of style which never goes out of fashion and which many of the largest watch companies are trying to recapture today.

The dial is simply signed with the Omega branding, ‘Omega’ and ‘Automatic’ just below the 12.

This dial is original and unrestored and has been left untouched by our restoration team due to its superb condition. Usually, we restore the dials of the watches we sell, however we decided in this case to leave it alone, due to its unusually good condition and to retain its originality and charm for those 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. The hands, likewise, have also been left in their original untouched condition.

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’re seeing 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

As can be seen, the original Omega Chronometer grade Cal.331, copper-tone bumper automatic movement is totally pristine. Bumper movements use a rotor which wind the movement by gently bouncing backwards and forwards between two spring ‘bumpers’ which is caused by the movement of the wearer’s wrist. These watch movements are very accurate and reliable making this watch perfectly suitable for both evening wear and everyday use.

The watch has just been fully overhauled and serviced by our vintage Omega specialist watchmaker and is calibrated to run arrow straight within +15 seconds per day with a 42-hour power reserve when fully wound. We are therefore more than happy to offer this watch with our 12 months’ warranty on the movement*.

The movement is signed ‘Omega’, ‘Swiss’ and ‘17 Jewels’ with the Calibre No.331 and the movement serial number 10,270,422, which dates this watch to 1945.

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

The Case

This watch has obviously been very well cared for and has seen only light use. The beautiful 18ct solid yellow gold case has swept-back lugs which raise the case slightly on the wrist and emphasises its presence. At 34mm in diameter, excluding the correct Omega signed crown, this is a good-sized watch by the standards of its day.

The watch has been very well cared for and after a close inspection has simply required a careful clean and a gentle polish to bring it back to its current, almost as new condition. The case, the case-back and bezel are all in superb condition with no marks or scratches visible to the naked eye. Even under high magnification, it is very hard to find any signs of wear, indicating this watch has seen very little use and has had a charmed life. The case is of full-thickness and has never been inscribed.

Inside the case-back, all is correct and as expected, signed ‘Omega Watch Co.’, ‘Fab Suisse’ and ‘Swiss Made’ with the case serial number 10528034 and UK 18ct hallmarks.

Please note – as ever our standard advice applies: vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Strap and Buckle

The watch is fitted with a high quality brown alligator strap and Omega gold-plated buckle, which we feel suits the watch perfectly. 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 burgundy and black straps in stock, in plain, padded leather, alligator, crocodile or lizard skin.

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 1945.

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 also 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 Omega 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

A truly beautiful and very rare vintage automatic dress watch with a good-sized 18ct yellow gold case, from one of Switzerland’s best known and most respected brands. The Omega Calibre 331 automatic movement is of a very high grade and on a par with watches far more expensive than this. Indeed when new, this watch would have cost more than the equivalent Rolex. Omega watches are highly collectable and the rarity of this watch means the value will always remain strong.

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.