Omega 14K Gold 1943 Chocolate Dial – Sorry Now Sold

£1,475

14K Yellow Gold Swiss Fab Gerlache Case for Omega

Original Dial, Hands including Subsidiary Second Hand

Manual Winding Movement Working Perfectly

The Movement is a Corner Cut Rectangular Calibre 17.8

33mm Diameter Dial not including the Original Omega Crown

All in Excellent – next to Mint condition

Matching New High Quality Leather Strap

This watch has just been serviced and is Guaranteed for 3 months.

VGW Reference:
Price £1,475

£1,475

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Highly Recommend
The service from Vintage Gold Watches was as per usual Fantastic, the watch arrived when expected and was extremely well packaged as usual. The watch was even nicer than the photos and went straight onto my wrist. Another fantastic acquisition for my growing collection. VGW is the first and so f
Andrew S via Feefo 29/1/2024
Verified Buyer
I have no hesitation in recommending.
From start to finish the service I have received has been excellent. Kirsty has kept me informed all the way and the level of the finished repair to a very old and worn vintage watch was exemplary.
Bryn H via Google Review 23/2/2024
Verified Buyer
Even better in real life
My watch has just arrived and it looks even better in real life! Just wanted to say a massive thank you to John and everyone there for the help you gave me in securing my dream watch. Cannot recommend your company highly enough. Thank you so much. Mike
Mike G via email 29/11/2023
Verified Buyer
New Vacheron
The watch arrived safely together with all its paperwork and looks lovely both on and off the wrist. It is very beautiful and understated. So a definite “yes” from all of us. Happy Christmas to you all Very best wishes Stephen
Stephen R via Email 6/12/2023
Verified Buyer
ABOUT THIS WATCH

This 1943 14K gold Omega is in superb condition. The watch is original in every way, this includes the dial, the hands, the crown, case and movement. In addition this is a very special watch for the following reasons:-

  1. Firstly it has an exquisitely designed 14K gold case with beautiful 1940’s style lugs. And upon removal of the back, the case reveals itself to be Swiss manufactured by Gerlache for Omega, confirmed by Gerlache, Fab Suisse, Omega and 14K 0.585 markings. Now… as you may know and as all vintage watch enthusiasts know, 14K gold markings usually indicate an American made case for the American market. However this case is Swiss made for the European market. Further, the case was made by Antoine Gerlache of Geneve, which is extremely interesting in this context, Antoine Gerlache is well documented as beeing primarily a case maker to Patek-Philippe during the company’s golden age of the 1940s and ‘50s. Gerlache was the manufacturer of the cases for Patek-Philippe’s famous Calatrava model during this era. This then, is case made of the highest quality. In fact second to none.
  2. Next is the dial. This watch when new, was sold with a black dial and this is the original dial, which has uniformly changed to a now very dark chocolate colour. It is unrestored and yet has almost no imperfections, at least discernable to the naked eye. This is something that keen vintage watch collectors insist on and in the collectors market, this increases the value markedly. The batons, hands, subsidiary second and crown are also original and in superb condition.
  3. Thirdly the movement is a corner cut rectangular 17.8 Calibre in a round case!! This is very rare and the reason is mysterious and completely open to conjecture. Rectangular watches were most popular in the 1920’s and 1930’s. In the 1940’s circular watches became more popular and it seems possible and perhaps likely at some point in 1943, Omega found themselves with a surplus of rectangular movements. One may never know for sure but what is certain is that this is a very high quality 15 jewel movement in pristine and totally original condition. The rhodium plating to the bridges is bright and gleams like a new watch and all the mirror polished screw heads are free from chewing. The bridge is signed “Omega, Swiss, 15 Jewels” together with the individual serial number 9789748. In actual fact this Calibre 17.8 movement was so successful that it was kept in production until the mid 1960’s.

The asking price is far below market value. One could easily spend considerably in excess of this for a more conventional vintage gold Omega watch from the same period with a circular movement. With its beautiful Antoine Gerlache case, chocolate dial and rectangular movement, this model is far more unusual and certainly likely to be a much stronger investment.

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