Omega Seamaster Calendar Cal.355 Bumper Automatic 18ct Pink Gold 1954 – Original Dial

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 1960s 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 Speedmasters landed on the moon, worn by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

Description

A beautiful, fully restored early 18ct pink gold Omega Seamaster ‘Calendar’ automatic gentleman’s dress watch from 1954. The Omega Seamaster was first released in 1948 and has remained in production ever since. Being pink gold, this is a particularly rare watch, as it is estimated that just 1 in 10 of all gold Omega Seamasters were made in pink gold, the rest being in yellow gold. This is therefore a very rare and collectable watch.

The Dial

The amazing original, unrestored and untouched dial looks superb. The yellow dial has a nice even patina and shows very few signs of ageing, except for some light even freckling spread evenly across the dial. Furnished with pink gilt ‘dagger’ and Arabic numeral hour indices and the original restored ‘dauphine’ hands, the style is classic 1950s Omega and is perfect for both evening wear and regular everyday use. The dial carries the applied pink gold Omega brand and signature, with ‘Automatic’, ‘Seamaster Calendar’ and finally ‘Swiss Made’ below the 6. Almost uniquely, Omega Seamaster ‘Calendar’ watches from the early 1950s used the 6 o’clock position for the date window. We rather like this, as it maintains the symmetry of the dial.

Usually, we restore the dials of the watches we sell, however, we decided in this case, due to its exceptional condition, to retain its originality and charm for the many collectors 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.

If you particularly like this watch and you would prefer to have the dial restored, please contact us to enquire as this can be arranged at cost price.

The Case

It is immediately apparent that this heavy Omega french made 18ct solid pink gold case is designed for strength! The wide bezel, substantial lugs and press-fit case-back, along with the depth of the case, all give the watch a particularly robust appearance. As with all early Seamasters, there is no Seamaster emblem on the case-back.

The inside of the case-back carries all the correct French Omega markings. It is signed with the Omega signature, french gold hallmarks and the case serial number 11226705. On one of the lugs and the outer case body are eagle heads which are the French hallmarks for 18ct gold. The case is very clean and crisp and shows no signs of wear, with no dings or scratches visible to the naked eye. This all indicates the watch has been very lightly and carefully used.

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

The Movement

As can be seen, the fully restored beryllium bronze movement is in amazingly clean condition having been fully 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, adjustment and calibration. The watch winds, sets and runs perfectly accurately and reliably within +6 seconds per day, averaged over 5 positions. This is no exaggeration as we have checked and confirmed these test results on our electronic watch timegrapher. This level of performance is outstanding for any watch, particularly of this age. The movement also has an excellent 42-hour power reserve when fully wound. We are therefore more than confident in offering 12 months’ warranty with this watch movement*.

The Omega Cal.355 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. 355, 17 Jewels, and the Serial No. 14350311 which dates this watch to 1954.

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

The Strap & Buckle

The watch has been fitted with a new Tan Hirsch London Alligator strap and gold-plated Omega buckle 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. 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.

The 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 1954.

Detailed particulars will be included with the receipt, along with our 12 months’ warranty*. A separate insurance valuation for the replacement value of this watch will also 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 totally authentic, or not as described, Vintage Gold Watches of London will offer you a full refund at any time”.

The matching Vintage Omega presentation box as shown in the photographs is included in the sale.

In Conclusion

This is a superb example of the iconic Omega Seamaster Calendar automatic dress watch with the Cal.355 movement which is of a very high grade and on a par with watches far more expensive than this. Indeed, when new this watch would have cost more than the equivalent Rolex of its day. Omega Seamaster watches are highly collectable and the rarity of this watch means the value will always remain strong. This watch will also make an excellent investment and family heirloom piece. Even though vintage Omega prices have risen markedly recently, we feel fine examples such as this still remain undervalued. As each year goes by and the world market for vintage watches expands, availability will become more limited, so 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 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 that happen to visit the UK 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 your watch directly to you there.

Please note, we 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 us on 020 7727 7095 or if calling from overseas on +44 207 727 7095.

We are here, ready, available and awaiting your call! 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!