Omega Seamaster Mid-Size Blue Automatic 2551.80.00
Ref: 2551.80.00
Specification
Lugs : 18mm
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 original Omega box and Omega booklet. The watch comes paired with its original 18mm Omega bracelet with Omega signed push button-release clasp, all links included. The watch is from Circa. 2002/03 The watch is in worn condition but is overall in fair condition, 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/1DN8wJRpZ7JDkHDLvH8pa3KY464L5GNJC?usp=share_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 16:36 - https://youtu.be/sXDz7ZreaMo
The Watch
Here we have an Omega Seamaster Mid-Size 2551.80.00 with a 36mm polished and brushed stainless steel case, twisted lugs with a lug-to-lug length of 42.5mm and a case thickness of 11mm giving the watch an impressive wrist presence. 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 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 Chronometer 300m/100ft'' 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 an automatic Omega Cal. 1109, 21 jewels, 28,800 beats per hour, this movement was in production from 1993 until 2004 and has an ETA 2892-2 base. The watch comes fitted on its 18mm Omega stainless steel bracelet with a signed push button-released folding clasp and the watch comes with its Omega presentation box and Omega booklet.
Personal Note
Like a lot of people, I thought this 36mm mid-sized Omega Seamaster would be a bit too small for me, I love 36mm and smaller watches but when they are divers and the dial is reduced due to the bezel, they often look smaller than 36mm would lead you to believe... I was very wrong, this actually wears better than the full-sized in my opinion and looks far from too small! This is one to check out for yourself, you'll likely be just as surprised as I am.
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'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, 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 it officially rebranded itself from SMH to the Swatch Group. Then, in 1999, they purchased and integrated Breguet into the group.