Omega Seamaster Genève Cal.552 18ct 1967

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 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 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

An original, unrestored and untouched 18ct yellow gold Omega Seamaster Genève with a superb silver dial from 1967. Omega watches of this period are very highly regarded for their quality, particularly their movements which are outstanding. Here, the Calibre 552, 24 Jewel automatic movement is superb and following an overhaul and service, is in tip-top condition and running perfectly.

Omega Seamaster watches have always been highly regarded for their accuracy and dependability and these are considered one of the most practical everyday vintage watches one can buy.

The Dial

The dial is simply outstanding. The style here is classic Omega, very clean and simple and comprising of applied onyx inlaid ‘baton’ hour indices at ‘3 – 6 – 9 – 12’, matched with original onyx inlaid ‘index’ hands on a wonderful silver cross-hair dial. All of these elements really catch the light beautifully and look far better in real life than in the photographs.

The dial carries an applied gilt Omega brand and is signed ‘Omega’ and ‘Automatic’ at the top below 12, with ‘Genève’ in the lower part of the dial and ‘T Swiss Made T’ at the very bottom below the 6.

The dial is original and unrestored and 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 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

The Omega Cal.552, 24 Jewel automatic movement fitted to this watch was one of Omega’s most successful movements, remaining in production for almost 20 years.

The Omega Cal.552 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 which 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 which is excellent for any watch of this age and has been confirmed on our electronic watch timegrapher. The movement also has an excellent 52-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’ ‘Twenty-Four 24 Jewels’, and carries the Calibre 552, along with the serial number 25,589,022 which dates this watch to 1967.

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

The Case

The watch case is a very high quality, Omega Swiss made 18ct yellow gold, advanced two-piece watch case, designed for improved water and dust resistance. This is a large case size for the period at 34mm, excluding the original correct Omega signed crown. It is in immaculate condition with no marks, scratches or dings visible to the naked eye and importantly, the case is of full-thickness and has never been inscribed.

Inside the case-back, all the markings are correct and as expected, signed with the Omega Watch Co. brand, ‘Fab Suisse’ and ‘Swiss Made’, along with Swiss Geneva 18ct hallmarks and the serial number 165001.

The two-piece watch case was designed to be waterproof when new and all the rubber seals have been replaced. However, the watch case has not been pressure tested and its water resistance is not guaranteed. As ever, our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Strap & Buckle

A high quality Hirsch light brown leather strap has been fitted, with a gold-plated Omega buckle. We feel this finishes this watch perfectly, however if a different colour or style of strap is preferred, please do 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 from our partners at ‘Watch Obsession’ within 48hrs. Please take a look at their wonderful range of 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 1967.

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 Omega presentation box shown in the photographs is included in the sale.

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.

This is a truly first class example of a vintage Omega which is ready to wear and completely practical for everyday use. If treated with care, it will make an excellent investment or heirloom piece. Even though vintage gold Omega prices have risen markedly recently, we still feel good examples such as this are still undervalued and as each year goes by and the world market for vintage gold Omega watches continues to expand, prices will continue 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.