1972 Omega De Ville Automatic 'UFO' Pebble 38mm 166.155

Here we have a rare 1972 Omega De Ville Automatic 'UFO' Pebble 166.155 launched originally as a Japanese special edition for the Japanese market, featuring a 38mm 'UFO' Pebble-shaped stainless steel case that sits comfortably on your wrist with hooded lugs. Its soft, rounded flanks lead to a lug-to-lug length of 42mm and a case thickness of 12mm. On the right side, a signed recessed crown. A domed crystal sits above an attractive, vertically striped, metallic blue bamboo-textured dial. An outer minute track has applied steel baton indexes marking the hours; at 3 o’clock, a framed date window; and slender steel hands are complemented by a tapered, sweeping second hand. At noon,  we have the painted Omega Automatic motif, and at 6 o’clock, ‘De Ville’ completes this distinctive dress watch. On the reverse, a screw-down solid case back with De Ville in relief in the centre. Inside an automatic Omega Cal. 1481, 21 jewels, beating at 21,600 beats per hour. It comes paired with a well-suited 20mm leather strap and pin buckle.

This watch is sold as "Watch Only" and, therefore, comes with no original Omega box or paperwork. It comes paired with a 20mm well-suited leather strap and pin buckle. The watch is from Circa. 1972, and is sold in worn, vintage condition. Overall, it is a well-enjoyed, original example, as you can see from the photographs. The watch comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.

It will come as no surprise that this 1972 Omega De Ville Automatic 'UFO' Pebble 166.155 sold before it had a chance. Originally manufactured for the Japanese market, this 38mm gem is a delight on and off the wrist. The original blue dial has some subtle age, and the polished 'pebble' case is as honest as they come. If you see one of these come up for sale, it is well worth snapping up, as they are grossly undervalued for how cool they are!

Reference : 166.155
Movement : Automatic Omega Cal. 1481
Age : Circa. 1972
Year : 1972
Case Size : 38mm
Case Thickness : 12mm
Lug to Lug : 42mm
Lugs : 20mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box and Papers : None
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
The wrist model's wrist size is 7inch

Formerly known as the La Generale Watch Co. in 1848, it was founded 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 branded itself from SMH to the Swatch Group. Then, in 1999, they purchased and integrated Breguet into the Swatch Group.