Omega Model Ref.2684 18ct Pink Gold 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 a classic 1950s, gentleman’s hand-wound Omega, with a large sized 36mm, 18ct pink gold case which is completely original, unrestored and untouched. 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 to 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! A completely original, unrestored and untouched ivory cream honeycomb dial with applied gilt ‘arrowhead’ indices and standard Arabic numerals at 12, all beautifully swept by original gilt ‘dauphine’ hands. All of these beautiful aspects contrast with the 18ct pink gold case perfectly. The wonderful honeycomb dial you see here is a very rare feature and gives this watch a very unique look.

The dial carries the Omega brand and is signed ‘Omega’ with ‘Swiss Made’ at the very bottom. The dial also carries the classic 1950s subsidiary seconds dial at ‘6’.

As this dial is in original, unrestored condition, this has been left untouched by our restoration team due to its superb condition. 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 untouched 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

This watch contains its original Omega 17 Jewel, Calibre 266 hand-wound movement which is in sparkling condition. It is signed ‘Omega’, ‘Swiss’ and ’17 Jewels’ with the calibre no. 266 and the serial no. 3623334. The serial number dates the watch to late 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 commented that he found the movement to be particularly clean and also indicated it has been properly maintained. Following the service he carefully calibrated the watch and following our final checks, including testing the watch for accuracy on our electronic test instrument, we found the watch to be keeping time within +9 seconds per day. This is outstanding for any watch of this age.

 With care and with regular servicing, say every 2 to 3 years, we would fully expect this watch to run quite happily for another lifetime. We are therefore We are very happy to offer the watch with our 12 months’ warranty*.

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. At 36mm in diameter, not including the correct unsigned crown, this is a very large sized watch by the standards of its day and the beautiful 18ct solid pink gold case carries swept-back lugs which raise the case slightly on the wrist and emphasises its presence. Importantly, the case is of full-thickness and has never been inscribed.

This is a Swiss made Omega case and it is marked as such. Inside the case-back all is as it should be and signed ‘Omega Watch Co.’, ‘Fab Suisse’ and ‘Swiss Made’ with the case serial number 11196774, the model reference number 2684 and 18ct Geneva Swiss 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, dark brown Crocodile strap has been fitted, along with a pink 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 1953.

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”.

The high quality hardwood presentation box shown in the photographs is included.

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 very impressive vintage Omega hand-wound wristwatch, which is ready to wear and very practical for everyday use. If treated with care, this watch will make an excellent investment or heirloom piece. Omega has always benefitted from a first class reputation for the superb quality of their watch movements and just as in the case of Longines, which have been undervalued in the past, this is beginning to show in the way Omega watches are increasing in value.

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.