Omega Cal.511 Black Dial 18ct 1955

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

A rare Cal.511, Black dial, hand-wound gentleman’s Omega dress watch, with a mid-sized 32mm 18ct yellow gold case, in fully restored, A1 condition. The rarer Calibre 511 was Omega’s slimline hand-wound movement of the time, of which relatively few were made.

The Dial

Simply stunning! A rare Black dial with applied gilt baton indices with double daggers at 12, 3, 6, and 9. These are matched by the original gilt ‘Dauphine’ hands. The dial is simply signed with the applied gilt Omega brand and ‘Omega’ with ‘Swiss Made’ below the 6. The perfect symmetry of this dial, combined with the flatness of the watch as a whole, is highly elegant and well … just wonderful!  This is the original dial which has been restored to the highest standards by our dial restorers, who are considered to be the best in the UK.

The Case

The beautiful 18ct solid yellow gold watch case has been very well cared for and has seen only light use. The swept back lugs raise the case slightly on the wrist which slightly emphasises its presence. At 32mm in diameter, excluding the Omega signed crown, this is a mid-sized watch by the standards of its day. This means this watch may seem a little on the small side by modern day standards. However, this also identifies this as a vintage watch, as 35 and 36mm watches were considered exceptionally large when this watch was first sold.  We would, therefore, recommend this watch to a gentleman with a middle or smaller sized wrist.

This is a Swiss made, Omega 18ct yellow gold case and it is marked as such. Inside the case-back is all as it should be. It is signed Omega Watch Co, with the case reference numbers 158914 and 14370, along with 18ct Swiss Geneva hallmarks. The case has been professionally cleaned, inspected, passed,  and very gently polished, and is in superb condition, showing only very minimal signs of wear. There are 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 Movement

This watch contains its original Omega 17 Jewel, Calibre 511 slimline hand-wound movement, in sparkling ‘as new’ condition and signed Omega, SWISS, 511,  and 17 Jewels. The serial number 14756874, dates the watch to 1955.

Our vintage Omega specialist watchmaker has given the movement a full inspection, overhaul and service. He commented that he found the movement to be particularly clean and also confirmed it has been well 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 +5 seconds per day. This is outstanding for any watch of this age and we are therefore very happy to offer this watch with a 12 month warranty*

With care and with regular servicing, say every 3 – 4 years, we would fully expect this watch to run quite happily for another lifetime!

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

The Strap & Buckle

A new, high quality, Brown Lizard skin 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.

The Box and Papers

Although there are no original papers with the watch, the numbers and markings are all correct, dating this watch to 1955. A detailed written receipt with 12 months’ warranty*, and a separate insurance valuation for the replacement value of the 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 hardwood presentation box shown in the photographs is included with this watch.

In Conclusion

This is a first class example of a highly collectable and highly practical vintage gold watch from one of horology’s most famous names, which will provide an excellent financial investment as well as be something to use, wear, treasure and enjoy! This will make an excellent evening wear dress watch, or a practical highly accurate and reliable timepiece to use on an everyday basis.

Vintage Omega watches are highly collectable and the rarity of this watch, due to its black dial, 18ct case, and Calibre 511 movement, means its value will always remain strong. This watch will make an excellent investment and family heirloom piece and even though vintage Omega prices have risen markedly recently, we feel fine examples such as this still remain undervalued. As each year goes by and the world market for vintage 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 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, Repair or Restore your watch, all at ‘sensible’ prices. Please see here.

If you have any questions, please call our landline 020 7727 7095  or mobile  07515 949 250. If calling from overseas our landline number is +44 207 727 7095  or mobile +44 7515 949 250.

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

Finally, please enjoy some time spent viewing our other fine Vintage Gold Watches!

Thank you.