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.
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:-
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.