Omega Seamaster Bumper Automatic Cal.354 18ct 1953

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.

Description

A completely original, unrestored and untouched 18ct yellow gold Omega Seamaster bumper automatic with a wonderful two-tone dial from 1953. Omega watches of this period are highly regarded for their high quality, particularly their outstanding movements. Here, the Calibre 354, 17 Jewel bumper automatic movement is a gem and following an overhaul and service, is in tip-top condition and running perfectly.

The Dial

The beautiful, original, unrestored and untouched two-tone champagne dial is complete with mixed standard Arabic numerals at ‘3 – 6 – 9 – 12’ along with ‘arrowhead’ hour indices that are matched with the original gilt ‘dauphine’ hands and blued steel seconds hand. This wonderful dial catches the light beautifully, as we have tried to demonstrate in the photographs. This dial shows some wonderful signs of ageing in the beautiful, even fading and spotting.

The dial is signed with an applied yellow gold Omega brand along with ‘Omega Automatic’ at the very top and ‘Swiss Made’ at the very bottom of the dial.

As this dial is original and unrestored, 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 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 untouched.

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 Omega Calibre 354 movement which is the same movement used in the range-topping, Chronometer rated, Omega Constellation of the same period. This movement is very highly regarded for its accuracy and reliability, making this watch ideal for regular daily use. It was designed by Charles Perregaux and is a true classic which has certainly stood the test of time. The bumper automatic uses an oscillating rotor which winds the movement in one direction. These watch movements are robust, accurate and reliable making this watch perfectly suitable for both evening and everyday use. Over 1.3 million of these movements were produced between 1943 and 1955 and were carefully designed for chronometer levels of accuracy while remaining robust enough to handle the strong vibrations caused by the hammer action.

As can be seen, the fully serviced beryllium bronze movement is in amazingly clean condition having been fully overhauled and serviced by our vintage Omega specialist watchmaker. This means it has been completely disassembled to all 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 +7 seconds per day, averaged over 5 positions, checked and confirmed on our electronic watch timegrapher. This level of performance is outstanding for any watch, particularly of this age. The movement also has an excellent 50-hour power reserve when fully wound. We are therefore more than confident in offering 12 months’ warranty with this watch movement*.

The movement is signed ‘Omega Watch Co Swiss’, ‘Seventeen 17 Jewels’ along with the Calibre No. 354 and the serial number 13763365 which dates this watch to 1953.

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

The Case

This outstanding 18ct yellow gold case measures a good-sized 34mm, excluding the correct Omega signed crown. The case is of obvious high quality and sophistication and is of a three-piece construction with a press-fit case-back which is of full thickness and has never been engraved. This is tight-fitting and presses down with a pleasing and reassuring pop. The case profile and overall design carry a good deal of 1950s style with beautiful straight lugs.

Having been cleaned, carefully examined and lightly hand-polished by our case maker, the case is totally immaculate, being very crisp with no scratches, dings or other blemishes visible to the naked eye. This, along with the superb general condition of the rest of the watch, indicates this watch has received an excellent level of care and only light use.

The inside of the case back is correctly signed with ‘Omega Watch Co’, ‘Fab Suisse’, ‘Swiss Made’, along with the case reference numbers 2577 and 2520 along with the case serial number 11255825. This case back also carries the correct 18ct hallmarks.

Prior to 1959 Omega did not sign there case back with the Seamaster motif, as can be seen this case back is stunning and has never been inscribed.

As ever, our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Strap & Buckle

This watch is fitted with a high quality dark brown leather strap 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.

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 1953.

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, 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”.

This watch comes complete with a Omega presentation box, as shown in the images.

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.

In Conclusion

This is a first class example of a top quality Omega, in 18ct yellow gold with the superb Omega Cal.354 bumper automatic movement. The movement is of a high grade and on a par with watches far more expensive than this. Omega watches are highly collectable and the rarity of this watch means the value will always remain strong.

If treated with care this watch will remain a simply wonderful timepiece to use, wear, treasure and enjoy, providing excellent reliability as well as a sound financial investment – as long-lasting as the watch itself. As each year goes by and the world market for vintage gold watches expands, availability will become more limited, so prices are surely destined 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