1923 Omega Pink Gold-Plated 31mm Manually Wound 26.5 S.O.B
Ref: 973752 29 A
Specification
Lugs : 16mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : None
Case Material : Rose Gold Plated
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold as "Watch only" and, therefore, comes with no original Omega box or paperwork. It is paired with a 16mm leather strap. The watch is from Circa 1923 and is sold in worn, vintage condition. Wear and age are visible throughout the watch, with an attractive patina dial. Overall, this is an excellent example of this rare reference. The watch comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty, though keep in mind this watch is 100+ years old.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1JTjdi5gDRtrN34mmXyck5KQRzyw65238?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 12:25 - https://youtu.be/DbWRdqDsfnQ
The Watch
Here we have a 102-year-old 1923 Omega Pink Gold-Plated, Manually Wound 26.5 S.O.B. with a rare 31mm Dennison-made in England round case, featuring delicate fixed lugs. A.L. Dennison moved to Birmingham around 1871, where he produced high-quality watch cases. In no time, Omega took notice and commissioned ALD. Some of Omega’s finest cases are made by Dennison. Its curved flanks lead to a lug-to-lug length of 34mm and a case thickness of 10 mm, ensuring a comfortable fit on your wrist. On the right side, there is an onion crown. The smooth bezel holds a domed crystal above a beautiful patina dial, reminiscent of those found on vintage pocket watches. An outer minute rail track with black diamonds and square-shaped indexes surrounds black Breguet numerals marking the hours. Curvaceous Breguet thermally blued hands sit majestically above a running seconds subdial at 6 o’clock. At noon, the Omega motif completes this distinctive, rare timepiece. On the reverse, a Hunter pocket watch-style hinged opening case back, with the case manufacturer and engraved reference number. Beating away is the manually wound Omega Cal. 26.5 S.O.B, 15 jewels, beating at a leisurely 18,000 beats per hour. It comes paired with a 16mm leather strap and pin buckle.
Personal Note
This Omega is officially past 'Antique' at 102 years old, a true testament to how mechanical watches can outlive us all if they are well looked after. Powered by the manually wound Omega Calibre 26.5 S.O.B, which can be admired behind the hinged case back, a workhorse movement that still ticks strong today. Granted, you can't expect COSC from a movement this old, but the fact that you can wear and enjoy a 102-year-old watch and still know the time is pretty insane. At 31mm, this rose gold-plated case packs a punch and surprisingly demands its wrist presence. I would not hesitate to add this gem to your collection today!
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. It remained Omega until 1982, when they officially changed their name to Omega SA. During World War I, 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 an astronaut's first choice. 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, with their 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, it officially rebranded itself from SMH to the Swatch Group. Then, in 1999, they purchased and integrated Breguet into the Swatch Group.