Omega Seamaster De Ville Automatic 14ct c1968

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.

The Omega Seamaster was introduced by Omega in 1948 and has remained in production continuously ever since.

Description

Here we have a 14ct yellow gold Omega Seamaster De Ville with a Calibre 565 automatic movement and beautiful 34mm case. The watch also carries a beautiful original, unrestored and untouched silver-white dial which is in wonderful condition and carries the Seamaster motif on the case-back. The highly regarded movement in particular, is in spectacular condition.

Omega Seamaster watches have always been highly regarded for their accuracy and dependability and these are considered one of the most practical everyday vintage watches one can buy.

The Dial

The Seamaster was initially introduced as a ‘sporty’ dress watch and due to its popularity and success, divers versions were later introduced in the 1970s. The Seamaster Ploprof for example, was used by Jacques Cousteau in a series of experimental dives, to depths of around 500 metres.

The style here is classic 1960s Omega, comprising of a silver-white dial with applied black inlaid ‘baton’ hour indices, matched with original classic, black inlaid ‘index’ hands. As mentioned above, this watch carries a fully original, unrestored dial which shows some beautiful signs of ageing in the even spotting and pitting. The dial catches the light beautifully as we have tried to demonstrate in the photographs, however it looks much better face to face in real life.

The dial carries an applied gilt Omega brand and is signed ‘Omega’ and ‘Automatic’, with ‘Seamaster’ and ‘De Ville’ in the lower part of the dial and ‘Swiss Made’ at the very bottom below the 6.

The dial has a great deal of appeal due to its classic signs of ageing and very even patina, including some beautiful spotting across the dial. Due to its relatively good 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.

Movement

The watch carries the top grade Cal.565, 24 Jewel movement which is the same movement as used in the top of the range Chronometer rated Omega Constellation of the same period. This movement is very highly regarded for its accuracy and reliability. Here, the beryllium bronze movement is in absolutely tip-top condition and looks as good in fact, as the day it was made.

The movement has been fully overhauled and serviced, meaning complete disassembly of the watch movement to all its component parts, careful inspection under high magnification, replacement where necessary with only genuine Omega parts then careful reassembly and adjustment before final calibration. The watch winds, sets and runs perfectly accurately and reliably. When tested immediately following its service, the movement was performing within +12 seconds per day, averaged over 5 positions. This is truly outstanding for any watch of this age and has been checked and confirmed on our electronic watch timegrapher. The movement also has a superb 50-hour power reserve when fully wound. We are therefore more than pleased to offer 12 months’ warranty with this watch*.

The movement is signed ‘Omega Watch Co.’ and ‘Swiss’ along with the Calibre number 565 and 24 Jewels.

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

The Case

The watch case is a very high quality, Omega Swiss made 14ct yellow gold, advanced two-piece watch case, designed for improved water and dust resistance. This is a large case size for the period at 34mm, excluding the original correct Omega signed crown and it is in simply incredible condition with no marks, scratches or dings visible to the naked eye. Importantly, the exterior of the case-back also carries the wonderful Seamaster motif.

Inside the case-back, all the markings are correct and as expected, signed with the Omega Watch Co. brand and Geneva Swiss 14ct hallmarks.

The two-piece watch case was designed to be waterproof when new and all the rubber seals have been replaced. However, the watch case has not been pressure tested and its water resistance is not guaranteed. As ever, our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Strap & Buckle

A high quality dark brown leather strap has been fitted, along with a gold-plated Omega buckle. We feel this finishes this watch perfectly, however if a different colour or style of strap is preferred, please do 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. We can also obtain most types and colours from our partners at ‘Watch Obsession’ within 48hrs. Please take a look at their wonderful range of 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 c1968.

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.

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 that happen to visit the UK 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 deliver 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.

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