2014 Omega Seamaster "Bullhead" Chronograph Limited
Ref: 225.12.43.50.04.001
Specification
Lugs : 22mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : Box & Papers
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold with its original Omega box and original paperwork, the original cushion in the box is missing. The watch comes paired with its original Omega 22mm black leather strap with a signed push-release deployment clasp. The watch is from December 2014 and has had a full service in 2021 and is in great condition, see the photos. The watch comes with our 12-Months Warranty.
The Watch
Here we have a 2014 Omega Seamaster "Bullhead" Chronograph Limited to 669 pieces which ours is number 246, as official timekeepers to the Olympics since 1932 Omega has a long heritage of precise timekeeping and this one is a faithful re-edition of the reference ST 146.011 launched in 1969 for Rally drivers. The 42mm shield-shaped case has a lug-to-lug length of 42.5mm and a case thickness of 14.5mm giving the watch an impressive wrist presence, brushed and polished surfaces transition with crisp edges creating a typical 1970s aesthetic in design and function. The chronograph pushers can be found at 12 o’clock with a signed crown in the centre, this configuration gives it its nickname of “bullhead” and at 6 o’clock you find a crown used to rotate the 24-hour bidirectional inner bezel. The black and blue contrast nicely with the white numerals indicating day and night cycles, a sapphire crystal AR coated on both sides sits above a white dial. A minute track has red markers at the hours and applied baton indexes are infilled with luminance down their centres marking the hours. At 3 o’clock a framed date window, at 12 o’clock a 30-minute register and at 6 o’clock a continuous seconds register. The movement has been rotated 90 degrees to enable this configuration to work, the sword's hands are infilled with luminance complemented by a red tapered chronograph hand. Text is precisely applied to the dial at 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock respectively, on the screw-down case back we have the embossed polished Hippocampus in the centre, a seahorse that represents Neptune the God of the sea, it was conceived by Pierre Borie after seeing a picture of Neptune riding a chariot pulled by seahorses, it is the reason why the seahorses are wearing a bridle, first seen on the Seamaster in 1958. Inside an automatic Omega Cal. 3113 based on a Frédéric Piguet chronograph calibre, this column-wheel chronograph has 25 jewels, 28,800 beats per hour. The watch comes fitted on a 22mm black leather strap with a signed push-release deployment clasp and comes with its Omega presentation box and paperwork.
Personal Note
I have always been a huge fan of Bullhead watches, I have owned many ranging from affordable vintage to some funky modern examples, however, this Omega has really surprised me! Whilst it is far from a small watch, it wears so well and is incredibly comfortable on the wrist. If you have been in the market for a more premium Bullhead watch and something quite rarely seen, this ticks all those boxes!
The Brand
Formerly known as the La Generale Watch Co. it was founded by Louis Brandt in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1848. When he passed away in 1879, his sons quickly stepped in to carry on their father’s vision, in 1880 they moved to 96 Rue Jakob-Stampfli where they remain today. In 1885, the brothers released their first mass-produced calibre, the Labrador, later in 1892, they developed the first minute-repeating timepiece. 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 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, Omega made history when astronaut Wally Schirra wore a Speedmaster on his Mercury Sigma 7 Mission, making it the first Omega watch to enter space. After stringent tests, NASA used Omega for all their Apollo missions including the 1969 Moon landing of Apollo 11. Today Omega is still an astronaut's first choice of timepiece. In 1969, President Nixon famously turned down the opportunity to be gifted the first-ever all-gold Speedmaster Professional Deluxe because he deemed it to be “too valuable.” As a response to the ever-growing threat of electronic watches to the manufacturers of mechanical watches, Omega in collaboration with Swiss brands such as Rolex and Patek Philippe formed Centre Electronique Horloger (CEH). Prototypes began in 1967 with production starting 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 they officially rebranded themselves from SMH to the Swatch Group. Then, in 1999, they purchased and integrated Breguet into the group.