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 previously restored 9ct gold Omega with an elegant silver-white starburst dial from 1960. Omega watches of this period are very highly regarded for their high quality, particularly their movements which are outstanding. Here, the Calibre 285, 17 Jewel hand-wound movement is a gem and following an overhaul and service, is in tip-top condition and running perfectly. This watch is perfect for evening wear or everyday use, as you so wish and also an ideal entry-level watch to the wonderful world of vintage watches.
The Dial
The dial style is classic 1960s Omega – clean and simple and elegant. The silver-white starburst dial carries gilt applied ‘baton’ hour indices, matched with outstanding ‘lance’ style hands. The dial carries an applied gilt Omega brand and is simply signed ‘Omega’ with ‘Swiss Made’ at the very bottom below the 6.
This dial has been previously restored to a very high standard and remains in beautiful condition.
The Movement
The Omega Cal.285, 17 Jewel hand-wound movement fitted to this watch was one of Omega’s most successful movements, remaining in production for over 20 years.
Manufactured by Omega between 1940 and 1963, the Omega Cal.285 movement is very highly regarded for its accuracy and reliability, making this watch perfectly suited 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 all its component parts, carefully inspected under high magnification, replacement where necessary with only genuine Omega parts before careful reassembly and adjustment and calibration. The watch winds, sets and runs perfectly accurately and reliably within +8 seconds per day, averaged over 5 positions. This is excellent for any watch of this age and has been confirmed on our electronic watch timegrapher. The movement also has an excellent 45-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’, ‘Swiss’ and ‘Seventeen 17 Jewels’, and carries the Calibre 285, along with the serial number 17525550 which dates this watch to 1960.
*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only applicable if the list price is paid.
The Case
The two-piece 9ct yellow gold Omega case measures 34mm in diameter, excluding the original signed Omega winding crown. This would have been an average to large-sized gents watch in the early 1960s.
The case, as we would expect from Omega, is very solid and well made. The press-fit case-back closes with a very solid and satisfying ‘pop’, indicating the case has been impeccably built and maintained. It is of full-thickness and has never been engraved.
Inside the case-back all is correct and signed with the Omega Watch Co triangle and the reference numbers 13339 and 10835. As this case was made for Omega in the UK by Dennison, it is also signed ‘Dennison, Made in England’ and ‘A.L.D’. Birmingham UK 9ct gold hallmarks are also shown.
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.
As ever, our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.
The Strap & Buckle
A new dark brown Alligator leather strap has been fitted, with a matching gold-plated Omega buckle. We feel this 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, but 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, all the numbers and markings on the watch are correct, dating the watch to 1960.
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 watch also comes complete with the Omega presentation box shown in the photographs.
As with all our watches, this watch will be sold under our 14 days no quibble sale or return policy and 12 months’ warranty.*
In Conclusion
This is a first class example of a top quality Omega with the superb Omega Cal.285 hand-wound 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 about our prices – We always try our hardest to acquire the very highest quality watches we can find, before restoring these 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 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 this.
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 0207 727 7095 or if calling from overseas +44 207 727 7095
We will be happy to answer any questions and offer advice about this or any of our watches listed for sale. If you would simply 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 take a look at our other fine vintage gold watches!
Thank you.
Andrew M via feefo 
3rd December 2024 
JLC1891 
