Omega Cal.342 Bumper Automatic 18ct Pink Gold 1950 – Original Dial

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 1950s 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 into space on NASA’s Mercury Sigma 7 mission and in 1969 two Omega Speedmasters were the first watches to arrive on the moon, worn by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

Why This Watch is Important

This watch contains one of Omega’s first series automatic movements, initially produced from 1942 to 1949 as the Cal.28.10 RA PC. This bumper automatic movement was developed into the 330 series of movements, including the 332 which powered the first Omega Seamaster in 1947-48. The Cal.342, which was part of the same series, was introduced in 1949 and remained in production until 1955.  This highly successful movement, with a power reserve of 42 hours, was part of a family of Omega’s automatic movements with over 1,300,000 produced – 500,000 of which were Chronometers. This series powered many thousands of the early Omega Seamaster and Constellation watches and much of the modern-day success of the Omega company we know today can rightly be attributed to this movement.

This watch has a 35mm, 18ct pink gold case. Typically, during the 1940s and ’50s, gent’s watches started at 30mm in diameter, excluding the crown. The majority were 31 – 33mm and during the 1960s and 70s, sizes were usually to 33 – 34mm. Vintage watches larger than this are referred to as ‘Oversize’ and these are highly sought after because a seemingly small difference in diameter adds significantly to the ‘presence’ of the watch on the wrist. This is because a 1mm increase in diameter, adds over 3mm (3.142) to the circumference of a watch.

The Dial

The dial here is original, unrestored and untouched. Generally, we restore the dials of the watches you see on our website but here, the silver-white dial has aged beautifully, without any significant unsightly damage. Indeed it has gained a very even patina which many collectors prefer and find attractive. The dial is furnished with applied pink gold standard Arabic numerals which are matched with the original pink gilt ‘Dauphine’ hands which are in superb condition. A classic 1950s ‘railtrack’ minutes ring frames the dial beautifully.

This large dial is beautifully well-balanced with a subsidiary seconds dial at ‘6’. The dial is typical of the period, effortlessly elegant and stylish which will never look out of date. The dial is signed with the early Omega brand and signature with ‘Automatic’ below.

The Movement

As discussed above, the Omega Cal.342 was one of Omega’s first automatic movements and part of the highly successful Calibre 330 series of automatic movements, which became the foundation of Omega’s later automatic collection. This series became a cornerstone of Omega’s incredible success with its Seamaster and Constellation family of watches from the mid-century onwards.

The beryllium bronze movement is all correctly signed ‘Omega Watch Co’, ‘Swiss’ and ’17 Jewels’ with the Calibre number 342 and the serial number 12470639, which dates the manufacture of the watch to 1950.

The movement has been fully overhauled and serviced by our vintage Omega specialist watchmaker and the watch winds, runs and sets smoothly and is keeping excellent time. Following its service it has been calibrated and is currently running arrow straight at +4 seconds/day! This is truly excellent for any watch of this age and has been verified on our electronic timegrapher instrument. The watch also has an excellent power reserve of 42 hours. We are therefore more than happy to offer 12 months warranty on the movement of this watch*.

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

The Case

Pink gold watches from the 1950s are rare, as far fewer were produced. As mentioned above, at 35mm, excluding the Omega crown, this is considered to be an ‘Oversize’ watch, making this watch particularly rare.

The case is of obvious high quality and sophistication. It 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 1940s/’50s style with beautifully styled lugs.

The watch has been very well cared for and after a close inspection has simply required a careful clean and a gentle hand-polish to bring it back to its current excellent condition.

The case-back is of full thickness and has never been inscribed. Inside the case, all is as expected and correctly signed and branded ‘Omega Watch Co’, ‘Fab Suisse’ and ‘Swiss Made’ with the case reference number 2659 and serial number 11054179. It also carries the Omega Geneva Swiss 18ct gold hallmarks and an early Swiss patent mark.

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

The Strap & Buckle

The watch has been fitted with a high-quality black Lizard strap with matching pink gold-plated Omega buckle. We think this suits 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, but 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.

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 1950.

Detailed particulars will be included with the receipt, along with our 12 months’ warranty*. A separate insurance valuation for the replacement value will also be provided at the time of sale with our ‘Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee’ which states: “If 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 accompanying vintage Omega presentation box shown in the photographs is included in the sale of this watch.

In Conclusion

Omega watches of this quality and rarity will always remain collectable and values will remain strong, so this watch will make an excellent investment and family heirloom piece. Even though vintage Omega prices have risen markedly of late, we feel excellent examples such as this still remain undervalued. Each year as the world market for fine vintage watches grows ever wider, limited availability means 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 note, we also 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 on Landline 0207 727 7095 or if calling from overseas on +44 207 727 7095.

We await your call and 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!

Thank you.