Omega Cal.283 9ct 1950

Omega Watches

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 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 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.

In 1932, the watchmaker became the official timekeeper of the Olympics, inaugurating a multimillion-dollar marketing effort. This was recently extended to the 2032 Games.

Description

Here we have a beautiful example of a completely original, unrestored and untouched Calibre 283 gentleman’s 9ct gold dress watch from 1950. This watch has seen a lot of care and remains in superb condition, with a very unique, unrestored dial. The Omega Cal.283 was a development of the tremendously successful Cal.30 series movement and is simply one of the finest hand-wound watch movements ever conceived. It is also an important movement in the record books, for its incredible standards of accuracy and reliability attained at all the competitive trials it entered and won. The quality of the movement and the sturdiness of the watch case makes this a perfect hand-wound vintage watch for both evening wear and everyday use.

The Dial

This fully original, unrestored and untouched off-white dial is one of the nicest we have seen and carries probably the most even and attractive patina we have ever seen on a dial. It has aged beautifully and has turned a slightly darker cream colour with an even amount of spotting. The outer minute dash dial has also become a darker brown colour with age and both tell their own story.

This rare dial carries the original gilt ‘arrowhead’ hour indices which are matched with the also original gilt ‘leaf’ hands, perfectly matched with a blued steel seconds hand. All of the wonderful features mentioned on this dial give this watch the perfect presence when on the wrist.

The dial is simply signed with the Omega brand and the ‘Omega’ signature at the top of the dial below 12, along with ‘Swiss Made’ at the very bottom of the dial below 6.

The dial has a great deal of appeal due to its classic signs of ageing and very even patina. Due to its unique condition and for reasons of retaining the character and the originality of the watch, we have left it completely alone. If however, you would prefer the dial sympathetically restoring, we will be happy to arrange this for you without any extra charge.

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 Omega Cal.283, 17 Jewel movement here forms part of the Omega 30mm series first released in 1939, which was so successful it remained in production until 1963. It became famous for winning first prize ‘for Precision’ i.e. accuracy and reliability, at the Kew Observatory trials in 1946 and went on to win back to back 1st prizes at the worlds most competitive trials in Geneva and Neuchâtel throughout 1947-1951. It not only beat all comers, including Patek Philippe, but also relegated Omega’s own Tourbillon movement to second place! The continued success of this calibre was due to its precision and resistance over time, its easy regulation and the simplicity and logical design of the movement that made it a favourite of watchmakers.

As can be seen, this beryllium-bronze movement looks spectacularly pristine, having been well cared for and properly maintained. It is marked  ‘Omega Swiss’ and ‘17 Jewels’ with the serial number 11733132 which dates manufacture to 1950.

The movement has just been fully overhauled and serviced by our vintage Omega specialist watchmaker and the watch therefore winds, runs and sets smoothly and is keeping excellent time. Following its service, it has been calibrated and is currently running arrow straight at +9 seconds/day! This excellent for any watch of this age and has been verified on our electronic timegrapher instrument. The watch also has an excellent power reserve of 45 hours. We are therefore more than happy to offer 12 months warranty on the movement of this watch*.

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

The Case

The high quality Omega Swiss made 9ct yellow gold case measures 34mm in diameter, excluding the correct  unsigned winding crown. This makes this a slightly larger sized wristwatch for the period, when typical sized watches measured only 32 or 33mm diameter. The case is of a sturdy three-piece construction with a ribbed effect bezel and strong lugs.

After a close inspection, the watch case 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 almost no marks visible to the naked eye, indicating this watch has been very well cared for. The case-back is of full thickness and has never been inscribed. It is tight-fitting and presses back with a pleasing and reassuring ‘pop’.

As this is a Dennison made case, inside the case-back all is as expected and correctly signed ‘Dennison Made in England’ and ‘A.L.D’ with the  case reference number 13337 and the case serial number number 314297. The case also carries Birmingham 9ct hallmarks. Dennison and Sons in Birmingham and Shackman and Sons in London, both produced top quality cases for almost all of the watch brands you see on this website.

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

The Strap & Buckle

A high quality burgundy leather strap has been fitted, along with a gold-plated Omega buckle. 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 from our partners WatchObsession.

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 1950.

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”.

This watch comes complete with a high quality hardwood presentation box, as shown in the images.

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.