Omega Seamaster Chronograph Cal.321 1966

Omega

Since the company was founded in 1848, Omega has pioneered a huge range of innovations. Britain’s Royal Flying Corps chose Omega watches in 1917 as official timekeepers for its pilots and again in 1940, RAF Pilots watches were supplied by Omega. The 1940s also saw the first tourbillon wristwatch and the first of the famous Seamaster watches, whilst the 1950s and ’60s introduced the legendary Constellation, Speedmaster, Seamaster 300 and Railmaster. Over the years, everyone from John F. Kennedy to Elvis wore Omega watches on official duties. What’s more, in 1962, astronaut Wally Schirra took his Omega Speedmaster to space on NASA’s Mercury Sigma 7 mission, and in 1969 two Speedmasters landed on the moon, worn by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

Description

A wonderful fully original, unrestored and untouched Omega Seamaster Chronograph from 1966. Every aspect of this was is in superb condition, from the stainless steel case, original silver, triple register dial and the freshly serviced calibre 321 chronograph movement which is sparkling. Many consider the Cal.321 to be one of the best chronograph movements ever produced.

The Dial

The beautiful, completely original, unrestored and untouched triple register silver dial carries applied ‘baton’ hour indices, matched by the original unrestored ‘index’ hands, all of which are in wonderful condition. The dial is simple and elegant and is very easy to read and use.

The dial we have here is, of course, the more sought after triple register chronograph. These registers measure constant seconds at the 9 dial position, minute recording at the 3 position and hour recording at the 6 position. The outer scale in black shows a Tachymeter scale, used in conjunction with the chronograph function to measure speed, or distance travelled. The constant seconds dial runs constantly and independently of the chronograph function while the large centre hand and the other two registers operate while the chronograph is operating.

The dial also carries the original Omega brand and is correctly signed ‘Omega Seamaster’ below 12 with ‘T Swiss Made T’ just below 6.

As this dial is in original, unrestored condition, this has been left untouched by our restoration team due to its superb condition. Usually, we restore the dials of the watches we sell, however we decided in this case to leave it alone, due to its unusual tropical condition and to retain its originality and charm for those who prefer this. It also helps to contrast with almost all of the other watch dials you see on our website, which have been restored. The hands, likewise, have also been left in their original untouched condition.

Please note, studio lights, professional-grade digital cameras, and macro lenses can be very unkind to an unrestored vintage watch dial. Also the dial here measures less than 1.25 inches across, so the image you’re seeing may be between 5 – 25 times larger than the watch itself. Therefore please keep in mind you are seeing many tiny flaws which cannot be seen, or will be very hard to see with the naked eye, even under close examination. Suffice to say, on the wrist, in natural light, this dial looks much better and carries a great deal more charm than the photographs portray.

The Movement

As mentioned above, this watch contains the legendary Cal.321 movement which was phenomenally successful for Omega. It was fitted to the Omega Speedmaster as worn by early astronauts on Gemini and Appolo missions and later became officially approved by NASA, therefore becoming the first and only watch to be worn on the moon.

The original Omega Calibre 321 movement looks pristine. It is in tip-top condition having been overhauled and serviced by our vintage chronograph specialist watchmaker. This means it has been completely disassembled to all its component parts, carefully inspected under high magnification, replacement where necessary with only genuine Omega parts before careful reassembly and adjustment and calibration. The watch winds, sets and runs perfectly accurately and reliably and at the time of testing, immediately following its service, the test results were within +5 seconds per day. This is truly outstanding for any watch of this age and has been confirmed on our electronic watch timegrapher.  The movement also has an exceptional power reserve of 44 hours.

The pushers are secure and operate positively. In keeping with modern convention, the top chronograph button is used to start and stop the operation of the chronograph while the bottom button is used to reset it to zero. As with all chronographs, it is not recommended to leave the chronograph function running unnecessarily when this is not in use. This is because it causes unnecessary wear of the chronograph movement, which runs separately to the normal time-keeping section of the movement. This is of particular importance with vintage chronograph movements.

The movement is correctly signed ‘Omega Swiss’ ‘17 Jewels’, and carries the Calibre 321, along with the serial number 24638415 which dates its manufacture to 1966.

*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only applicable if the list price is paid.

The Case

The sturdy three-piece steel watch case measures 35mm in diameter, excluding the Omega signed crown. This watch case also carries a screw-down case-back and sealed crown making this watch water resistant to 20 metres*.

The case has been cleaned, carefully inspected and very lightly hand-polished, as this was all that was required to bring it back to its current tip-top condition, with no scratches, dings or marks of any kind visible to the naked eye. The case-back carries the famous Seamaster motif, which is almost as new.

The case-back, bezel and case body are all in beautiful condition with no scratches, dings or other damage visible to the naked eye. The watch has been only lightly used and very carefully looked after, which has meant that after careful inspection, the case has simply required a professional clean and gentle hand-polish to bring back the almost new look of the watch.

The inside of the case-back is signed ‘Omega Watch Co.’, ‘Fab Suisse’, ‘Swiss Made’ and the case reference number 105 005.

*Although originally specified as water resistant to 20 metres, this has not been tested and is not guaranteed. As always, our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Bracelet

The original Omega stainless steel, beads of rice bracelet is very close to perfect condition. The bracelet has simply been cleaned and lightly polished to bring it back to the condition you see here. Setting the catch to th

Box and Papers

Although there are no original papers with this watch, the reference numbers, markings, signatures and hallmarks are all correct, dating this watch to 1966.

Detailed particulars will be included with our purchase receipt for your interest and security. A separate insurance valuation for the replacement value of this watch will be provided at the time of sale along with our unique ‘Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee’ which states: “If this watch proves to be anything less than 100% genuine, authentic and original, a full refund will be given at any time”.

This watch comes complete with a double leather watch pouch.

Payment and Delivery

If you would like to pay by bank transfer, we will be pleased to assist you with this and pass on a 3% saving to you. Paying by bank transfer for a 3% saving will not affect your 12 months warranty. Similarly, if you wish to pay by International SWIFT or Bank Wire Transfer we will provide you with our BIC / Swift number and our IBAN number.

Please check the import duties and any taxes your government may apply, these are different for each country and, unfortunately, out of our control.

We understand there may be some ‘loopholes’ that may help you avoid these charges; however, attempting to use these could impact our ongoing ability to serve our growing international customer base.

For those who happen to visit London on occasion, we are, of course, more than happy to store your watch until we can meet you in our offices in Kensington, London, and hand your watch directly to you there.

As with all our watches, this watch will be sold under our 14 days no-quibble sale or return policy.

In Conclusion

This is a first class example of a top quality Omega, in stainless steel with the superb Omega Cal.351 chronograph movement. The movement is of a high grade and on a par with watches far more expensive than this. Omega watches are highly collectable and the rarity of this watch means the value will always remain strong.

A word on our prices – We always try our hardest to acquire the very highest quality watches we can find, before restoring them to the highest possible standards. We then offer these at the fairest prices we can, taking into account our pre and post-sales care and service. This approach means we will never be the cheapest, but nor will we be the most expensive. Indeed there are some well-known stores in West London which are highly successful charging between two to three times the price you see here. We, therefore, consider our prices to be fair, given the quality of watches we have to offer.

Please note, we also welcome part exchanges. If you have a watch or a small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss this.

We will also be happy to Service your watch, Repair your watch or Restore your watch, all at ‘sensible’ prices. Please see here.

If you have any questions please call us on 020 7727 7095 or if calling from overseas on +44 207 727 7095.

Please take a look at our other fine vintage steel watches.

Thank you.