Omega Cal.344 Automatic 18ct Pink Gold 1953 37.5mm

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 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 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.

In 1932, the watchmaker became the official timekeeper of the Olympics, inaugurating a multi-million dollar marketing effort. This was recently extended to the 2032 Games.

Description

A superb example of a classic, unrestored, 1950s gentleman’s Omega Automatic dress watch, with an exceedingly oversized 37.5mm, 18ct pink gold case. Further features include the stunning, unrestored two-tone quilted dial and the amazing condition of the high grade, Cal.344 automatic movement.

This watch also has an extraordinarily large 18ct pink gold case. Typically, during the 1940s and ’50s, gents 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. For example, a 1mm increase in diameter, adds over 3mm (3.142) to the circumference of a watch.

The quality of its movement and the sturdiness of the watch case makes this a perfect automatic vintage watch for both evening wear and everyday use.

The Dial

As mentioned above, this watch carries the rare and collectable quilted dial sometimes referred to as a ‘waffle’ dial. If this appeals to your eye, please don’t miss this example as we are unlikely to find another for a long time. This two-tone pink dial is furnished with applied ‘dagger’ hour indices and ‘2 – 4 – 6 – 8 – 10’ Arabic numerals. The overall dial design speaks of a level of quality and confidence, in keeping with the high quality of the case and movement.

The dial simply carries the Omega brand and signature along with ‘Automatic’ and ‘Swiss Made’ at the very bottom.

Usually, we restore the dial on each of our watches as part of the restoration. This is because vintage watch dials over 50 years old often become unsightly due to damage caused by sunlight, air pollution and humidity. This typically takes the form of fading, staining, pitting, speckling etc. Damage is also often caused during servicing, since anything which comes into contact with an aged dial will leave a telltale mark. Here however, the dial is in exceptionally good condition and so we have left it completely alone for the sake of originality and because some wearers prefer the charm of an unrestored dial. There are just some very early signs of spotting, only visible under high magnification.

The Movement

As can be seen, the original Omega Cal.344, copper-tone automatic movement is totally pristine. This movement is very highly regarded for its accuracy and reliability. The movement here is in absolutely tip-top condition and looks as good in fact, as the day it was made!

The Omega Cal.344 movement is very highly regarded for its accuracy and reliability, making this watch ideal for regular daily use.

The movement is signed ‘Omega Watch Co Swiss’ along with the Calibre No.344, 17 Jewels, and the Serial No. 13,998,646 which dates this watch to 1953.

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

The Case

Pink gold watches from the 1950s are rare, as far fewer were produced. As mentioned above, at 37.5mm, 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 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.

This particular case has been very well cared for and is in immaculate condition. 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 model reference number 2714 and serial number 11310786. 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 brandy alligator 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 1953.

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”.

This watch also comes complete with a vintage Omega presentation box included.

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.