1959 Omega Seamaster Calendar 34mm 'Crème Brûlée' 2849
Ref: 2849 13 SC
Specification
Lugs : 18mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : None
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold as “Watch Only” and, therefore, without its Omega box or paperwork. It comes paired with a well-suited 18mm leather strap and pin buckle. The watch is from Circa 1959 and is sold in fair vintage condition. The original dial shows signs of wear and a delicious 'Crème Brûlée' pattern patina, hence the name, as you can see from the photographs. The watch comes with our 12-Months Non-Waterproof Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1EvGo7s3aJm41Jx6mIh4IkX9i_6U1eLl7?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 15:58 - https://youtu.be/pgZb7Yi2t_E
The Watch
Here we have a 1959 Omega Seamaster Calendar 'Crème Brûlée' 2849 with a 34mm stainless steel case that curves over your wrist with thick lugs; its smooth flanks lead to a lug-to-lug length of 41.5mm and a case thickness of 12mm to ensure a comfortable fit on the wrist. On the right side is a signed coin-edged crown. The smooth bezel holds a domed crystal protecting a cream dial with an even patina pattern, resembling the crisp top of a delicious 'Crème Brûlée' dessert, hence the name, and an outer minute track surrounds applied steel facet dagger indexes marking the hours, that magically reflect the light as you rotate your wrist and, at 3 o’clock, a framed date window. Elegant steel Dauphine hands are complemented by a tapered centre seconds hand. Text is kept to a minimum with an applied Omega motif “Omega Automatic” at noon and “Seamaster Calendar” at 6 o’clock. On the reverse, we have a case back with an engraving and an embossed Hippocampus “Seamaster” in the centre, representing Neptune, the God of the sea; Pierre Borie conceived it after seeing a picture of Neptune riding a chariot pulled by seahorses; it is the reason why the seahorses are wearing a bridle, there is also an engraving on the case back. Inside is an automatic Omega Cal. 503, 20 jewels, beating at 19,800 beats per hour. The watch comes paired with a well-suited 18mm leather strap and pin buckle.
Personal Note
Who doesn't like a Crème Brûlée? This wonderful Omega Seamaster Calendar 34mm, reference 2849, from 1959 features a beautiful patina that resembles a Crème Brûlée, hence the nickname it has now adopted. Often a tropical patina like this one comes about due to a mixture of sunlight and humidity, this one just happens to have developed this way and it may continue to develop further as time goes on. I would not hesitate to add this beautiful example to your collection today, but don't blame me if you become hungry after you check the time!
The Brand
They were formerly known as the La Generale Watch Co., founded in 1848 by Louis Brandt in La Chaux-de-Fonds. When he died in 1879, his sons carried on his dream. In 1880, they moved to 96 Rue Jakob-Stampfli, where they remain today. The brothers produced their first mass-produced calibre, the Labrador In 1885. Just a few years later, in 1892, they produced the first minute-repeater. In 1903, they renamed the company Omega until 1982, when they officially changed their name to Omega SA. During WW1, Omega watches were used as official timekeepers for the Royal Flying Corps and the US Army. In 1930, Omega and Tissot merged together to form Société Suisse pour l'Industrie Horlogère (SSIH). In 1931, another group was formed - Allgemeine Schweizerische Uhrenindustrie AG (ASUAG). Where SSIH was primarily French-speaking, ASUAG was founded by the more German-speaking members of the Swiss watch industry. In 1948, they introduced the first edition of one of its most symbolic watches: the Seamaster. Omega first introduced the Constellation in 1952. At the time, it was Omega's flagship timepiece. The first models had a Cal. 354 bumper movement in them. Later, in 1955, Omega introduced the Automatic Cal. 50x, followed in 1959 by the Cal.55x (no date) and 56x (date) versions. Many of the Constellations came with pie-pan dials, diamond indexes, and fancy lug configurations. All the gold Constellations of that time have the Observatory of Geneva's hand engraved on the back. The stainless steel and stainless steel/gold versions had a gold medallion on the back with the Observatory of Geneva. The eight stars above the Observatory stand for the many exploits of Omega in the world Chronometer competition. Celebrating the fact that all Constellations are Chronometer Certified. In 1962, when astronaut Wally Schirra wore a Speedmaster on his Mercury Sigma 7 Mission, making it the first Omega watch to enter space. After rigorous tests, NASA used Omega for all their Apollo missions, including the 1969 Moon landing of Apollo 11. Today, Omega is still the first choice of astronauts. In 1969, President Nixon famously said it was “too valuable” and turned down the first-ever all-gold Speedmaster Professional Deluxe. As a response to the ever-growing threat of electronic watches to the manufacturers of mechanical watches, Omega and many Swiss brands such as Rolex and Patek Philippe formed Centre Electronique Horologer (CEH). Prototypes began to appear in 1967, and their production started in 1968. Then, In 1972, Omega introduced the reference 198.030, which included the Omega calibre 1250, a ‘tuning-fork electronic movement which was made under licence from Bulova. Later we saw a merger of SSIH and ASUAG into SMH, or Société de Microélectronique et d’Horlogerie. This merger took place in 1983. In 1992, the company acquired Blancpain, and in 1998, it officially rebranded itself from SMH to the Swatch Group. Then, in 1999, they purchased and integrated Breguet into the Swatch Group.