Omega Cal.1030 9ct 1978

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 completely original, unrestored and untouched 9ct yellow gold Omega with an elegant silver-white dial from 1978. Omega watches of this period are very highly regarded for their high quality, particularly their movements which are outstanding. Here, the Calibre 1030, 17 Jewel hand-wound 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 silver-white dial with applied onyx inlaid ‘baton’ hour indices, matched with original black ‘index’ hands. The dial carries an applied gilt Omega brand and is signed ‘Omega’ with ‘Swiss Made’ at the very bottom below the 6.

As this dial is in original, unrestored condition, this 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

The watch carries the original, high grade Omega Calibre 1030, 17 Jewel hand-wound 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.

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*.

The movement is correctly signed ‘Omega’ and ‘ Swiss’, and carries the calibre number 1030, along with the serial number 41 206136.

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

The Case

The two-piece 9ct yellow gold Swiss made watch case measures 33mm in diameter, excluding the original signed Omega winding crown. This would have been a typical/average gents sized watch case in the 1970s, however, depending on your wrist size, this may seem a relatively small watch by modern day standards. 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 9ct hallmarks and is signed ‘Omega Watch Co’ and with the serial number 1325017.

Please note – 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 and Buckle

The watch is fitted with a high quality brown lizard strap and a plain gold plated buckle. 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 1978.

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 totally authentic, or not as described, Vintage Gold Watches of London will offer you a full refund at any time”.

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

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.

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

This is a truly first class example of a vintage Omega which is ready to wear and completely practical for everyday use. If treated with care, it will make an excellent investment or heirloom piece. Even though vintage gold Omega prices have risen markedly recently, we still feel good examples such as this are still undervalued and as each year goes by and the world market for vintage gold Omega watches continues to expand, prices will continue to climb ever higher.

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.