Omega Cal. 501 Automatic 9ct 1958 / 1959

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 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 to 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

Here we have a fully restored Omega Automatic dress watch from 1958, in 9ct gold and in tip-top condition. The watch features a most attractive Ivory Cream dial, which is beautifully balanced and elegant. The watch case is a good size at 35mm, excluding the Omega signed crown. This watch also has a very high grade HIGHLY ACCURATE Cal. 501 movement (see below), which along with the rest of this beautiful watch is in pristine sparkling condition! This watch could be considered to have been produced in late 1958, as indicated by the Omega movement serial number, or 1959 as indicated by the Birmingham UK 9ct hallmarks on the inside of the Dennison UK made watch case.

The Dial

A simply beautiful dial which is a classic design of the period and one of our favourites. Here it has a wonderful sense of balance, style and elegance. This is an Ivory Cream dial with ‘arrowhead’ hour indices at the four points of the compass which have been refinished in the same green as the original luminous paint. These, and the ‘baton’ indices are matched with the original restored Dauphine hands to complete the typically 1950s appearance of this stunning dial, all in beautifully restored condition. The dial is signed with raised gilt and the Omega brand, ‘Omega Automatic’ with ‘Swiss Made’ at the very bottom of the dial. This is the original dial which has been restored to the very highest standards by the best dial restorer in the UK.

The Case

The original high grade, 9ct yellow gold, 3-piece press-fit case indicates this watch has only seen light and very careful use as the lines and edges are all crisp and well defined. There are no signs of damage and no scratches, dings or other blemishes visible to the naked eye. The case-back is also in beautiful condition and has never been inscribed. This is a British market watch case, made by Dennison in England for Omega. Dennison was a large top quality watch case manufacturer based in Birmingham UK which made watch cases for many Swiss watch manufacturers including Rolex, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Longines etc.

The case measures a large 35mm diameter, not including the Omega signed crown.  Inside the case-back bears the Omega Watch Co. triangle branding and ‘Made In England’ with Birmingham 9ct hallmarks which indicate the case was produced in 1959.  The case also carries the case reference number 926504.

The Movement

As can be seen, the original Omega high grade Cal. 501, 20 Jewels, copper-tone bumper automatic movement is totally pristine. These watch movements are very accurate and reliable, making this watch perfectly suitable for everyday use. The movement is signed Omega Watch Co. Swiss, Twenty 20 Jewels with the serial number 16461410, dating the production of the movement to 1958.

These high grade Cal. 501 movements are very highly regarded for their accuracy and reliability. This watch has just been fully overhauled and serviced by our watchmaker and is calibrated to run arrow straight within +4 seconds/day! This is outstanding for any watch and amazing for a watch of this age. This movement also has a 46 hour power reserve when fully wound. The automatic winding mechanism is very efficient and if worn regularly each day this watch will never need winding. The movement winds, runs & sets smoothly and is working perfectly. We therefore have no hesitation in offering this watch with our 12 months warranty*.

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

The Strap and Buckle

The strap fitted is a high quality Dark Brown Crocodile strap with an Omega gold plated buckle.  Please note 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 and in plain padded leather, or crocodile skin or lizard skin. Please do let us know if you have unusually large or small wrists, to enable us to match the strap accordingly.

The Box and Papers

Although there are no original papers with this watch, the numbers and markings on the watch are all correct, dating the watch to 1958. Please note, although the watch dates to 1958 by the movement serial number, the hallmarks on the watch case date the case to 1959. The is quite normal when the movement was made by Omega in Switzerland and the case was made in the UK so we feel the watch could legitimately be dated 1958 or 1959. A detailed Particulars document will be included at the time of sale with a detailed purchase receipt and 12 months Warranty*. A separate insurance valuation for the replacement value will also be provided, along with our ‘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”.

This watch comes with a high quality hardwood presentation box as shown, included in the sale. If an original matching vintage Omega presentation box is preferred, one can be included with this watch for our cost price which is £100.00.

In Conclusion

A most attractive, classic 1950s vintage automatic watch from one of the most collectable and highly regarded vintage watch brands. This watch will make an excellent financial investment as well as be something to treasure and enjoy! It is completely practical for use as an everyday watch and as long as it is well looked after and serviced every 2-3 years, it will last another lifetime. It carries a great deal more style, individuality and panache than a new watch and to buy a watch of the same quality today would cost at least three times the price of this.

However, you may wish to view this, as each year goes by and the world market for fine vintage gold watches grows even larger, the limited supply and high demand means prices will inevitably climb even higher!

A word on our prices – We always try our hardest to acquire the very highest quality watches we can find, before then 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.

We are happy to accept PayPal as this is the quickest method of payment. However, if you choose to pay by UK bank transfer, we will be pleased to pass on a 3% transaction saving to you. Please contact us to reserve the watch and request our bank details. 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.

If you have any questions please call on Landline 0207 727 7095 or Mobile 07515 949250 or if calling from overseas on Landline +44 207 727 7095 or Mobile +44 7515 949250.

Please note, we welcome part exchanges.

Please take a look at our other vintage gold watches.

Thank you.