Omega De Ville Automatic 18ct Cal.1012 1973

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 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 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 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 beautiful example of the sought after Omega De Ville, here in 18ct yellow gold with an original, unrestored dial in tip-top condition. Here, the Calibre 1012, 23 Jewel automatic movement is a gem and following an overhaul and service, is in tip-top condition and running perfectly.

The Dial

The style here is classic Omega, very clean and simple, comprising of a wonderful gold dial with applied onyx inlaid ‘baton’ hour indices, matched with original classic ‘index’ hands. This dial really catches the light beautifully and looks far better in real life than in the photographs. The dial carries an applied gilt Omega brand and is signed ‘Omega’ and ‘Automatic’ at the top below 12, with ‘De Ville’ in the lower part of the dial and ‘Swiss Made’ at the very bottom below the 6.

This is the original dial which is unrestored, but has aged very gently and remains in superb condition.

The Movement

The watch carries the original, high grade Omega Calibre 1012 automatic movement which as can be seen, is in sparkling clean condition. The movement has been completely disassembled, cleaned, inspected and rebuilt using original Omega parts, only where required, by our vintage Omega specialist watchmaker. His work is superb and when final tested and calibrated, the watch was running consistently at +7 seconds per day which is truly exceptional for any vintage watch of this age. The movement is correctly signed ‘Omega Watch Co Swiss’, and carries the calibre number 1012, along with the serial number 1660134 which dates this watch to 1973.

These movements are strong, accurate and very reliable, making the watch perfectly suited for regular everyday use. This particular movement is in A1 condition and with regular servicing every 3-4 years, we would fully expect this watch to run happily for many more decades to come. We are therefore pleased to offer a 12-month warranty on this watch movement*.

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

The Case

The 18ct yellow gold Swiss made watch case measures 36mm in diameter, excluding the original signed Omega crown. This would have been a large- sized gents watch case in the late 1960s and early ’70s. 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.

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.

The inside of the case-back carries all the correct 18ct hallmarks and is signed ‘Omega Watch Co’. Externally, the case-back is signed with ‘De Ville’ and the gilt Omega brand.

This watch has not been tested for water resistance and this is not guaranteed. Our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Strap & Buckle

A new dark brown alligator leather strap and gold-plated Omega buckle has been fitted, which we feel matches 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 and black in stock in plain padded leather, crocodile skin or lizard skin, but we can also obtain most types and colours of strap from our partners at ‘Watch Obsession’ within 48hrs. Please take a look at their huge range of 18mm straps if you wish here.

The Box and Papers

Although there are no original papers with this watch, all the numbers and markings on the watch are correct, dating the watch to 1973.

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 watch also comes complete with the high quality hardwood presentation box as shown in the photographs.

As with all our watches, this watch will be sold under our 14 days no quibble sale or return policy and 12 months’ warranty.*

In Conclusion

This is a first class example of a top quality Omega Automatic De Ville, in 18ct yellow gold with the superb Omega Cal.1012 automatic movement. The movement is of a high grade and on a par with watches far more expensive than this. Omega watches are highly collectable and the rarity of this watch means the value will always remain strong.

If treated with care this watch will remain a simply wonderful timepiece to use, wear, treasure and enjoy, providing excellent reliability as well as a sound financial investment – as long-lasting as the watch itself. As each year goes by and the world market for vintage gold watches expands, availability will become more limited, so prices are surely destined to climb ever higher!

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 are happy to accept PayPal as this is the quickest method of payment. However, if you wish to pay by bank transfer, we will be pleased to pass on a 3% transaction saving to you. Similarly, if you wish to pay by International SWIFT or International 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 that happen to visit the UK 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 your watch directly to you there.

Please note, 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 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 0207 727 7095 or if calling from overseas +44 207 727 7095

We will be happy to answer any questions and offer advice about this or any of our watches listed for sale. If you would simply like some general advice regarding any aspect of vintage watches, including buying, selling, or collecting vintage watches, we will also be happy to hear from you.

Finally, please take a look at our other fine vintage gold watches!

Thank you.