Omega Seamaster Cosmic Day-Date Cal.752 18ct 1968

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 continuous production ever since.

Description

Rarely found in solid gold, here we have an Omega Seamaster Cosmic Day-Date in 18ct yellow gold. This watch has a heavy 35.5mm, 18ct mono-bloc one-piece tonneau case and carries the Omega Cal.752 automatic, quick-set day-date movement. If worn daily, this movement is so efficient you will likely never need to wind this watch, particularly as it has an outstanding power reserve of 50 hours. This would have been very expensive when new, more than the equivalent Rolex, and with a superior movement!

The Seamaster Cosmic was introduced in 1967 and was produced until around 1975.  This period, as we all know, coincided with the incredible achievements of NASA’s Apollo space program and it is no coincidence, the name and design of this watch reflect this.

The Dial

This amazing original and unrestored solid gold dial is an example of one of the avant-garde designs introduced by Omega during the end of the 1960s. Reminiscent of the times and changes in popular culture and incredible excitement surrounding man’s first landing on the moon, it is no coincidence wristwatches also changed to reflect this. This was a period of so many advances such as satellite communications, the first commercial use of computers in larger organisations and supersonic flight.

The Seamaster Cosmic is perhaps one of the most retro-chic watches from this period. The applied black Onyx inlaid batons are quite bold and blocky and are matched with ‘stick’ hands, which are also inlaid with black Onyx. The dial carries a light vertical grain which lends it an almost pastel lemon colour in certain lights. This moves to a much warmer golden colour under indoor lighting, as we have tried to demonstrate in the photographs. The outer silver minute register angles away from a further seconds register which is subdivided into fifths of a second, providing a slightly more technical look.

Due to the case being made in one piece, the lens is a compression fit and therefore has no bezel. This enables the dial to extend almost to the far edges of the case and gives the impression the watch is far larger than it actually measures.

The Cosmic Day-Date is a rare watch and especially when made in 18ct gold. This example carries a German date wheel and so it reads as follows: Son, Mon, Die, Mit, Don, Fre,  Sam. As this is a quickset movement, the day is set by advancing the hands and the date by pulling the crown to its furthest extent.

The dial carries the applied gold OMEGA brand and is signed ‘Omega Automatic’ with  ‘Seamaster Cosmic’ below and ‘Swiss Made’ at ‘6’.

This is the original unrestored dial which is completely untouched. It has aged very little, with only some of the very faintest spots which are only visible under high magnification. Usually, we restore the dials of the watches we sell, however we decided in this case to leave it alone to retain its originality and charm for those who prefer this.

The lens is original and carries the tiny Omega symbol in the very centre, which can just be seen in one or two of the photographs if you have a large enough screen.

The Case

The heavy 18ct solid gold monobloc tonneau case measures 35.5mm, excluding the original signed Omega crown. The watch wears slightly larger than this on the wrist, due to the size of the dial. The case is of a single-piece design for extra rigidity and resistance to water and dust and is a very advanced design. Having no case-back or bezel, the movement and dial are fitted from the front, behind the lens which is a watertight compression fit.

The case has been cleaned, carefully inspected and very gently hand-polished to remove any tarnish, as this was all that was required to bring it back to its current tip-top condition. There are no scratches, dings or marks of any kind visible to the naked eye.

Inside the case, all is as expected with the correct branding and correctly signed: ‘Omega Watch Co.’ and ‘Swiss Made’, along with Swiss 18ct hallmarks and the Omega model reference number 166.036.

*Although originally specified as waterproof, this has not been tested and is not guaranteed. As always, our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Movement

Omega movement design and manufacture was really at its peak during the 1960s, helping to make Omega the most successful and highly regarded brand among the general buying public.

This is the very high grade, Omega Calibre 752 automatic, copper-plated beryllium-bronze, 24 jewel movement which is in superb condition. The Calibre 752 is known as the 24 jewel, day, quickset day-date, movement and was incredibly advanced in its day.

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. This watch winds, sets and runs perfectly accurately and reliably within +7 seconds per day, averaged over 5 positions. This has been checked and confirmed on our electronic watch timegrapher. Please bear in mind, 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 highly confident in offering 12 months’ warranty with this watch movement*.

The movement is signed ‘Omega Watch Co Swiss’, ‘Twenty Four Jewels’, and ‘Cal.752 Adjusted 5 Positions’ with the serial number 26984905, which dates the manufacture of this watch to 1968. These movements are highly respected for being robust, exceedingly accurate and highly reliable, making this watch perfect for everyday use or evening wear only – as you wish. The automatic winding mechanism is very efficient and if worn regularly each day, this watch will never need winding and seldom need resetting. The movement winds, runs and sets smoothly and is working perfectly, just as it should.

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

The Strap & Buckle

The watch has been fitted with a new black calf leather strap and Omega gold-plated buckle which we think matches the 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 of strap, from our partners at ‘Watch Obsession’ within 48hrs. Please take a look at their huge range of 18mm straps if you wish, here.

The 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 1968.

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”.

The matching vintage Omega presentation box as shown in the photographs is included in the sale.

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 superb example of the rare Omega Seamaster Cosmic Day-Date automatic with the Cal.752 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!