Omega Chronograph Cal.321 18ct 1948

Omega

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 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 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

A wonderful fully original, unrestored and untouched Omega Chronograph from 1948. Every aspect of this was is in superb condition, from the 18ct yellow gold case, original silver-white, triple register dial and the freshly serviced calibre 321 chronograph movement which is sparkling. Many consider the Cal.321 to be one of the best chronograph movements ever produced.

This watch also complete with an Omega service warranty card dated in 2021.

The Dial

The beautiful, completely original, unrestored and untouched triple register silver-white dial carries applied ‘arrowhead’ hour indices, matched by the original unrestored ‘Lance’ hands, all of which are in wonderful condition. The dial is simplicity and elegance itself and is very easy to read and use.

The dial we have here is, of course, the more sought after triple register chronograph. These registers measure constant seconds at the 9 dial position, minute recording at the 3 position and hour recording at the 6 position. The outer scale in black shows a Tachymeter scale, used in conjunction with the chronograph function to measure speed, or distance travelled. The constant seconds dial runs constantly and independently of the chronograph function while the large centre hand and the other two registers operate while the chronograph is operating.

The dial is simply signed with ‘Omega’ at the very top of the dial.

As this dial is original and unrestored, we have elected to leave this untouched by our restoration team. Usually, we restore the dials of the watches we sell, however we decided in this case to leave it alone, due to its unusually good condition and to retain its originality and charm for those who prefer this. It also helps to contrast with almost all of the other watch dials you see on our website, which have been restored. The hands, likewise, have also been left in their original condition.

Please note, studio lights, professional-grade digital cameras, and macro lenses can be very unkind to an unrestored vintage watch dial. Also the dial here measures less than 1.25 inches across, so the image you’re seeing may be between 5 – 25 times larger than the watch itself. Therefore please keep in mind you are seeing many tiny flaws which cannot be seen, or will be very hard to see with the naked eye, even under close examination. Suffice to say, on the wrist, in natural light, this dial looks much better and carries a great deal more charm than the photographs portray.

The Movement

As mentioned above, this watch contains the legendary Cal.321 movement which was phenomenally successful for Omega. It was fitted to the Omega Speedmaster as worn by early astronauts on Gemini and Appolo missions and later became officially approved by NASA, therefore becoming the first and only watch to be worn on the moon.

The original Omega Calibre 321 movement looks pristine. It is in tip-top condition having been overhauled and serviced by our vintage chronograph 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 and at the time of testing, immediately following its service, the test results were within +9 seconds per day. This is truly outstanding for any watch of this age and has been confirmed on our electronic watch timegrapher.  The movement also has an exceptional power reserve of 44 hours.

The pushers are secure and operate positively. In keeping with modern convention, the top chronograph button is used to start and stop the operation of the chronograph while the bottom button is used to reset it to zero. As with all chronographs, it is not recommended to leave the chronograph function running unnecessarily when this is not in use. This is because it causes unnecessary wear of the chronograph movement, which runs separately to the normal time-keeping section of the movement. This is of particular importance with vintage chronograph movements.

The movement is correctly signed ‘Omega Swiss’ ‘17 Jewels’, and carries the Calibre 321, along with the serial number 10389658 which dates its manufacture to 1948.

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

The Case

This outstanding 18ct yellow gold case measures a large-sized 35mm, excluding the correct Omega signed crown. The case is of obvious high quality and sophistication and 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 style with beautiful straight lugs.

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.

Inside the case-back is signed ‘Omega Watch Co.’, ‘Fab Suisse’ and ‘Swiss Made’, along with Swiss 18ct Hallmarks and the Omega reference number 10716502.

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

The Strap & Buckle

This watch is fitted with a genuine Omega brown leather strap along with a gold-plated Omega buckle. 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.

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 1948.

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 also be provided, 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”.

This watch comes complete with an Omega presentation box, as shown in the images, this watch is also complete with an original Omega service warranty card dated September 2021.

Payment and Delivery

If you would like to pay by bank transfer, we will be pleased to assist you with this and pass on a 3% saving to you. Paying by bank transfer for a 3% saving will not affect your 12 months warranty. 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 first class example of a top quality Omega, in 18ct yellow gold with the superb Omega Cal.351 chronograph 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 on 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 means we will never be the cheapest, but nor will we be the most expensive. Indeed there are some well-known stores in West London which are highly 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.

Please note, we also welcome part exchanges. If you have a watch or a small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss this.

We will also 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.

Please take a look at our other fine vintage gold watches.

Thank you