Omega Genève Cal.601 9ct 1970

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 fully restored 9ct yellow gold Omega Genève with an elegant silver-white starburst dial from 1970. Omega watches of this period are very highly regarded for their high quality, particularly their movements which are outstanding. Here, the Calibre 601, 17 Jewel hand-wound movement is a gem and following an overhaul and service, is in tip-top condition and running perfectly.

The Omega Genève range of gentleman’s dress watches was first introduced in 1953 and the name Genève was used to denote its higher quality watches. Genève movements were only ever produced to the most exacting standards, by Omega, at its Geneva manufacturing facility.

This style of watch is becoming increasingly popular due to the increased interest in all things 1970s, following the arrival of numerous Netflix TV dramas set in this period.

Note: As this watch was produced in 1970 it would make a perfect 50th birthday present!

The Dial

The style here is classic 1970s Omega, very clean and simple, comprising of a silver-white dial with applied onyx inlaid ‘baton’ hour indices, matched with original classic ‘Index’ hands. The dial carries an applied gilt Omega brand and is signed ‘Omega’, with ‘Genève’ in the lower part of the dial and ‘Swiss Made’ at the very bottom below the 6.

A new replacement lens has been fitted as part of the restoration.

This is the original dial which has been restored to the highest standards by our dial restorers who are considered to be the best in the UK.

The Movement

The Omega Cal.601, 17 Jewel hand-wound movement fitted to this watch was one of Omega’s most successful movements, remaining in production for almost 20 years.

Manufactured by Omega between 1962 and 1970, the Omega Cal.601 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 +9 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 48-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 Watch Co Swiss’, and carries the Calibre 601, along with the serial number 31,667,482 which dates this watch to 1970.

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

The Case

The two-piece 9ct yellow gold Swiss made watch case measures 34mm in diameter, excluding the original signed Omega winding crown. This would have been a typical/average gents sized watch case in the late 1960s and early ’70s, however, depending on your wrist size, this may seem a relatively small watch by modern day standards. The case, as we would expect from Omega, is very solid and well made and the press-fit case-back closes with a very solid and satisfying ‘pop’, indicating the case has been impeccably built and maintained.

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.

The case is signed ‘Omega’, ‘Swiss’ and carries UK 9ct hallmarks.

This watch has not been tested for water resistance and this is not guaranteed. Our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Strap & Buckle

A new black alligator leather strap and gold-plated Omega buckle has been fitted, which we feel 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.

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 1970.

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”.

This watch comes complete with a matching, vintage Omega presentation box.

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 Genève, in 9ct yellow gold with the superb Omega Cal.601 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 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