Omega Seamaster Calendar Cal.503 18ct 1958

Omega Watches

Since the company was founded in 1848, Omega pioneered a huge range of innovations. Britain’s Royal Flying Corps chose Omega watches in 1917 as its official timekeepers for its pilots. 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.

Watch Description

Here we have a wonderful early Omega Seamaster Calendar in 18ct gold with the first non-bumper, full rotor automatic movement, from 1958. This watch has a very fine heavyweight 34mm case and carries the original Calibre 503 movement. This movement is so efficient, you will likely never need to wind the watch, particularly as it has an outstanding power reserve of 46 hours. This was a very expensive and fine quality watch when new, being one of very few 18ct gold Omega Reference 2849SC-2 models. Having recently been sympathetically restored, this particular watch is in amazing condition from every aspect.

The Dial

This is the classic Omega Seamaster Deluxe dial of the 1950s with applied gilt ‘spearhead’ hour indices, matched with the original and unrestored ‘Dauphine’ hands, all of which look wonderful against the gold case. The dial is typical of the 1950s – effortlessly classic, elegant and stylish and just the kind of style which never dates.

The superb silver-white dial catches the light beautifully, as we have tried to demonstrate in the photographs. We are fairly sure this is a restored dial, probably carried out around 20 years ago. It is now beginning to age again quite nicely with an even patina in the form of some very slight speckling. It could possibly be original, unrestored and untouched, but we couldn’t make any claims about this.

As this is a Seamaster Calendar, a date window at 3 is delicately framed in gilt, to finish the classic 1950s design.

The dial is signed with an applied gilt Omega brand, with ‘Omega’, ‘Automatic’, below, ‘Seamaster’ and ‘Calendar’, with ‘Swiss Made’ at the very bottom.

Usually, we restore the dials of the watches you see on this website. Here, however, we felt the condition was too good, and many will prefer the character and charm of this lightly aged dial.

The Movement

The Omega Cal.503 is the ‘Date’ version of the Cal.505. Each is considered to be Omega’s first full rotor automatic movement since they are of the same family. This movement was also used in the top of the line Omega Constellation and is so highly efficient, with a 46 hour power reserve, that once set and on your wrist you will never need to wind it even if you leave it on the bedside table over the weekend. Indeed the 500 series has proven over time to be the most precise and indeed the most celebrated movement series in the history of the Omega company. The success of the series 500 owes much to its tremendous reliability and a number of ingenious developments surrounding the self-winding mechanism.

This very high-grade beryllium-bronze movement is, as can be seen, in totally pristine condition. The movement has just been fully overhauled and serviced by our vintage Omega specialist watchmaker and is calibrated to run arrow straight within + 12 seconds / day! We have checked the test results on our electronic watch time-grapher and therefore have no reservations in providing 12 months written warranty with this watch.

The movement is signed ‘Omega Watch Co.’ and ‘Swiss’ and carries the serial number 16888716, dating this watch to 1958.

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

The Case

An early Omega Seamaster in such fine condition as this is a rare thing in the vintage watch market, especially in 18ct gold. This very lightly polished, large and noticeably heavy 18ct solid gold case with very solid swept-back lugs measures 34mm in diameter, excluding the correct, early Omega signed crown.

The case is in amazing condition showing no signs of wear visible to the naked eye and even under a loupe it is very hard to fault.

This watch was one of the very first to carry the Seamaster motif on the case back which here is well defined, indicating this watch has only seen very light use. It is of full-thickness and has never been inscribed. Inside case-back all is correct and as expected: signed ‘Omega Watch Co.’, ‘Fab Suisse’ and ‘Swiss Made’ and with the Omega model Reference 2849SC-2 and Swiss Geneva 18ct hallmarks.

Although the rubber seals have been replaced, and this watch was originally specified as water-resistant, this has not been tested and it is not guaranteed.

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

The Strap & Buckle

A brown calf leather watch strap has been fitted with a matching period gold-plated Omega buckle which we feel finishes this watch perfectly. 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 from our partners at ‘Watch Obsession’ within 48hrs. Please take a look at their wonderful range of 18mm 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 1958.

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 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”.

A vintage Omega presentation box, as shown in the photographs, is included in the sale of this watch.

In Conclusion

This is a superb example of the iconic Omega Seamaster Calendar automatic dress watch with the Cal.503 movement which is of a very high grade and on a par with watches far more expensive than this. Indeed, when new this watch would have cost more than the equivalent Rolex of its day. 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 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 your watch directly to you there.

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!