Omega Seamaster Cal.552 9ct 1961

Omega

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 Omega Speedmasters landed on the moon, worn by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

Description

The Omega Seamaster was first released in 1948 and has been a cornerstone of the Omega collection in continuous production to this very day. The Seamaster was initially introduced as a sporty dress watch, however 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.

Here we have a fully restored Omega Automatic dress watch from 1961 in wonderful condition. The watch features the classic silver-white 1960s Omega ‘baton’ dial which is beautifully well balanced and elegant and the watch case is a good size at 34mm, excluding the correct Omega signed crown. This watch also has a very high-grade, highly accurate Cal.552, 24 Jewel movement, which along with the rest of this beautiful watch, is in pristine sparkling condition.

The Movement

The Omega Cal.552, 24 Jewel automatic movement fitted to this watch was one of Omega’s most successful movements, remaining in production for almost 20 years.

The Omega Cal.552 movement is very highly regarded for its accuracy and reliability, making this watch perfectly suitable for everyday use as well as evening wear. The movement is in tip-top condition having been overhauled and serviced by our vintage Omega specialist watchmaker. This means it has been completely disassembled to each of its component parts, carefully inspected under high magnification, replacement where necessary with only genuine Omega parts, before careful reassembly, adjustment and calibration. The watch winds, sets and runs perfectly accurately and reliably within +4 seconds per day, averaged over 5 positions which is excellent for any watch of this age and has been confirmed on our electronic watch timegrapher. The movement also has an excellent 52-hour power reserve when fully wound. We are therefore more than confident in offering 12 months’ warranty with this watch movement*.

The movement is correctly signed ‘Omega Watch Co.’ ‘Swiss’, and carries the Calibre 552, along with the serial number 18293208 which dates this watch to 1961.

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

The Case

The solid 9ct yellow gold case measures 34mm in diameter, excluding the original signed Omega winding crown, so this would have been classed as a large sized gentleman’s watch in the early 1960s. This watch case is totally immaculate with no scratches, dings or other blemishes visible to the naked eye. The rear of the screw-down case-back does not have the Seamaster motif relief. This is because this is a 1961 watch which was the last year before Omega introduced the Seamaster motif.

This is a British market Omega Seamaster watch case made by Dennison in England for Omega. Dennison was a top quality watch case manufacturer based in Birmingham UK who made watch cases for many Swiss watch manufacturers including Rolex, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Longines, Zenith etc.

Inside the case-back, all is correct and as expected, signed with the Omega Watch Co. triangle branding along with ‘Made In England’, ‘A.L.D.’ and Birmingham 9ct hallmarks dating the watch to 1961. The case-back also carries the model reference number 991 and the case serial number 174414.

Please note –  although all the rubber seals have been replaced, the watch has not been tested for water resistance and this is not guaranteed. Our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Dial

The style here is classic 1960s Omega, comprising of a silver-white dial with applied ‘baton’ hour indices, matched with original classic ‘Dauphine’ hands. The dial carries an applied gilt Omega brand and is signed ‘Omega’, with ‘Seamaster’ in the lower part of the dial and ‘Swiss Made’ at the very bottom below the ‘6’.

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.

A new original replacement lens has been fitted as part of the restoration.

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 Strap & Buckle

A new high quality, black crocodile strap has been fitted, along with a gold plated Omega buckle. 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. We can also obtain most types and colours at short notice.

Box and Papers

Although there are no original papers with this watch, all the numbers and markings on the watch are correct, dating the watch to 1961.

Our detailed Particulars document will be included in the sale, along with our detailed receipt and 12 months warranty*. 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 at any time, 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 presentation box shown in the photographs will be included with this watch. However, if this is not required, we will be able to reduce the price of the watch by quite a few £s. Please enquire.

In Conclusion

This is a superb example of the iconic Omega Seamaster automatic watch with the Calibre 552 movement which is of a very high grade and on par with watches far more expensive than this. Indeed when new, this watch would have cost more than the equivalent Rolex. Omega Seamaster watches are highly collectable and the rarity of this watch means the value will always remain strong.

This watch will also make an excellent investment and family heirloom piece. 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 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 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 would 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.

We will 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.

We are here, ready, available and awaiting 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 vintage watches, we will also be happy to hear from you.

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