Omega Cal.266 18K Pink Gold 34mm, 1953

Omega Watches

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 40s 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.

Description

Here we a have a wonderful example of the classic 1950s, gentleman’s hand-wound Omega, with a large sized 34mm, 18ct pink gold case, in fully restored, A1 condition. This watch contains the Omega flagship, Calibre 266 version of the famous Omega ‘30mm’ series hand-wound movement. First produced in 1939, this movement helped establish Omega as an ‘invincible’ watchmaker, by continually winning top prizes for accuracy and reliability during its production span of 25 years.

The Dial

Simply beautiful! Slightly Off-White with applied arrowhead indices and matching original gilt ‘Dauphine’ hands. Also with the classic ’50s subsidiary seconds dial at ‘6’. Just wonderful. This is the original dial has been restored to the highest standards by our dial restorers, who are considered to be the best in the UK.

The Movement

This watch contains its original Omega 17 Jewel, Calibre 266 hand-wound movement, in sparkling ‘as new’ condition, signed Omega, SWISS, 266, 13,708,408 and 17 JEWELS. The serial number dates the watch to early 1953.

The Omega Calibre 266 movement is perfectly designed and ideally proportioned for superb accuracy and reliability. This timepiece has every luxury feature that one could possibly imagine, including a very complex and ingenious 7 stage mainspring evolution system that gives the watch an impressive 42-hour power reserve.

Our vintage Omega specialist watchmaker has just given the movement a full inspection, overhaul and service and has indicated he found the movement to be particularly clean and that it has been properly maintained. Following the service he has carefully calibrated the watch following our final checks including testing the watch for accuracy on our electronic test instrument, we found the watch to be keeping time within + 6 seconds per day. This is outstanding for any watch of this age.

We are very happy to offer the watch with a 12 months warranty* With care and with regular servicing, say every 3 to 4 years we would fully expect this watch to run quite happily for many more decades to come.

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

The Case

This watch has obviously been very well cared for and has seen only light use. The beautiful 18ct solid pink gold case has swept back lugs which raises the case slightly on the wrist and emphasises its presence. Please note, the watch case is much pinker than many of the photographs suggest. Sometimes the camera has difficulty with the colour rendition and this was just such an occasion. The two horizontal images showing the crown and the lugs were taken on a later occasion and more accurately reflect the true colour of the pink gold watch case.

At 34mm in diameter, not including the Omega signed crown, this is a large sized watch by the standards of its day. Inside the case back is marked with the case reference number F.C.4048 and 18ct hallmarks. The case has been professionally inspected, cleaned and lightly polished and is in superb condition, showing only very minimal signs of wear. There are no scratches, dings, or other damage visible to the naked eye.

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

The Strap & Buckle

A new high quality, Burgundy Lizard skin strap has been fitted, along with a gold plated Omega buckle. Please note, 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.

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 1953. A 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 hardwood box shown in the photographs will be included with this watch.

In Conclusion

This is a first class example of a highly collectable and highly practical vintage gold watch from one of horology’s most famous names which will provide an excellent financial investment as well as be something to use, wear, treasure and enjoy! This will make an excellent evening wear dress watch as well as a practical highly accurate and reliable timepiece to use on an everyday basis.

Vintage Omega watches are highly collectable and the rarity of this watch, due to its 34mm 18ct rose gold case, means the value will always remain strong. This watch will make an excellent investment and family heirloom piece and 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 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 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, Repair or Restore your watch, all at ‘sensible’ prices. Please see here.

If you have any questions, please call our landline 020 7727 7095  or mobile  07515 949 250. Or if calling from overseas our landline number is +44 207 727 7095  or mobile +44 7515 949 250.

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, we will also be very happy to hear from you. We await your call!

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

Thank you.