Omega Cal.266 18ct Pink Gold 1954 Oversize

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 ’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 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

Here we a have a wonderful example of a 1950s, 18ct pink gold gentleman’s hand-wound Omega with an oversized 37mm watch case and a completely original, unrestored and untouched ivory-cream dial which remains in wonderful condition. This watch also contains the outstanding Calibre 266 hand-wound movement which is also in sparkling condition.

The Dial

The beautiful original, unrestored and untouched ivory-cream dial carries applied gilt ‘baton’ hour indices which are matched with gilt ‘dauphine’ hands. The cross-hair subsidiary seconds dial is, as can be seen from the accompanying photographs, perfectly proportioned for this dial. As you can see, the dial has very few signs of ageing so we have left this dial in its original condition to retain originality and character.

The dial carries the applied Omega brand and is simply signed ‘Omega’.

As mentioned above, 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

This watch contains its original and very special Omega 15 Jewel, Calibre 266 hand-wound movement. As can be seen, it is in sparkling clean condition and signed ‘Omega’ and ‘Swiss’ with the Calibre 266, the movement serial number 14109752 and ’15 Jewels’. The serial number dates the watch to late 1954.

The Omega Calibre 266 movement is perfectly designed and ideally proportioned for superb accuracy and reliability. This timepiece has every luxury feature that one could possibly imagine, including a very complex and ingenious 7 stage mainspring evolution system that gives the watch an impressive 42-hour power reserve.

Our vintage Omega specialist watchmaker has just given the movement a full inspection, overhaul and service and commented that he found the movement to be particularly clean and also indicated it has been properly maintained. Following the service he has carefully calibrated the watch and following our final checks, including testing the watch for accuracy on our electronic test instrument, we found the watch to be keeping time within +9 seconds per day. This is outstanding for any watch of this age.

We are very happy to offer the watch with our 12 months’ warranty*. With care and with regular servicing, say every 3 – 4 years, we would fully expect this watch to run quite happily for many more decades to come!

Please note – our 12 months’ warranty will only be 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 pink gold case carries swept-back lugs which raise the case slightly on the wrist and emphasises its presence. At 37mm in diameter, excluding the correct Omega signed crown, this is an oversized 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 signed ‘Omega’ with the case serial number 397740 and Swiss 18ct hallmarks.

The case has been professionally inspected, cleaned and lightly polished and is in superb condition, showing only very minimal signs of wear with no scratches, dings, or other damage visible to the naked eye.

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 dark brown leather strap and Omega pink gold-plated buckle which we feel suits the watch perfectly. However, if a different colour or different style of strap is preferred, please let us know and we will do our best to provide your choice, free of charge. We carry tan, conker, dark brown and black in stock in plain padded leather, crocodile skin or lizard skin and can also obtain most types and colours from our partners at ‘Watch Obsession’ within 48hrs. Please take a look at their huge range of 18mm straps if you wish here.

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 1954.

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 high quality hardwood presentation box shown in the photographs is included in the sale of this watch.

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.