1998 Omega Seamaster 300M Quartz 41mm Faded Blue 2541.80.00
Ref: 2541.80.00
Specification
Lugs : 20mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : Box & Booklet
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold with its Omega box and Omega Booklet. The watch comes paired with its original polished and brushed 20mm Omega bracelet with an Omega-signed push button-release clasp and will fit up to a 7.1-inch wrist. The watch is from Circa. 1998 and is in worn condition but is overall in fair condition, with a faded/Ghost blue bezel insert, as seen by the photographs. A full case and bracelet refurb can be provided on request at an additional cost. The watch comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16Q0PiPskjxcvxISUFSyQ5XU6YRsvbjMe?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 21:38 - https://youtu.be/wcMg-5W7HJQ
The Watch
Here we have a 1998 Omega Seamaster 300M Quartz 41mm Faded Blue 2541.80.00 with a 41mm polished and brushed stainless steel case, characteristic twisted lugs with a lug-to-lug length of 47mm and a case thickness of 11mm giving the watch an impressive wrist presence. Famously worn by Pierce Brosnan as James Bond in the 1985 Golden Eye movie. On the right side is a signed screw-down crown protected by crown guards and at 10 o’clock on the left side a helium escape valve. The unidirectional bezel has scalloped sides for extra grip and a faded/ghost blue dive insert with silver numerals and markings. Sapphire crystal sits above a deep blue dial with a dynamic wavy pattern, an outer minute track has disc and baton indexes coated in luminance marking the hours, and at 3 o’clock a framed date window, skeletonized sword hands have lume tips complemented by a red-tipped lollipop sweeping second-hand, at 12 o’clock we have the Omega motif and at 6 o’clock “Seamaster Professional 300m/1000ft'' is printed underneath. On the reverse a screw-down case back with engraved waves and a 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 a Quartz Omega Cal. 1538, 6 jewels, based on the ETA 255.461. The watch comes paired with its polished and brushed 20mm Omega stainless steel bracelet with a signed push button-released folding clasp and will fit up to a 7.1-inch wrist. This watch is sold with its Omega box and Omega Booklet.
Personal Note
I have been fortunate enough to have sold both this reference and the Mid-Size 36mm model many times over, both are wonderful but I do feel this 41mm model is more universal for most and the better fit for a lot of people. This exact reference has a wonderfully faded blue bezel which has almost gone a ghostly grey tone, something that modern watches will never do, unfortunately. If you have been after one of these references, this a great opportunity to pick one up at a wonderful price.
The Brand
They were formerly known as the La Generale Watch Co. in 1848 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 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.