Omega Cal.265 Sub Dial 1948 38mm

Omega Watches

Since the company was founded in 1848, Omega has pioneered a huge range of technical innovations in watchmaking. 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 these 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 into space on NASA’s Mercury Sigma 7 mission, and in 1969 two Omega Speedmasters were the first watches to arrive on the moon, worn by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

Description

Here we have a wonderful Omega dress watch with a beautiful, large-sized, 38mm pink gold plated case featuring elegantly curved lugs and an all-original, classically 1940’s dial with sub-seconds and gilt leaf hands. Housed inside is the manual wind Omega Cal.265 in beryllium-bronze.

The Dial

The brushed honey metallic dial is furnished with alternate stud hour indices in pink gold with black outline standard Arabic numerals at ‘2 – 4 – 8 – 10 – 12’. The numerals are swept by original and unrestored ‘leaf’ style hands we have seen on a gent’s watch. As a whole, this dial speaks of another level of quality, and confidence, in keeping with the quality of the case and movement.

The dial simply carries the Omega brand and signature, with a wonderful crosshair subsidiary seconds dial at ‘6’.

This is the original dial from 1948 which is entirely unrestored and untouched.

Please note, studio lights, professional-grade digital cameras, and macro lenses can be very unkind to an unrestored vintage watch dial. 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.  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 than here in the photographs.

The Movement

The Omega Calibre 265, 17 jewels copper-plated beryllium bronze hand-wound movement is part of the famous Omega 30mm series. This series was continually developed over 25 years and during this period, became a cornerstone of Omega’s technical and commercial development. It is very highly regarded, not only for its accuracy and reliability, but also for its dependability in a wide range of adverse conditions. Indeed it is this series of hand-wound movements, along with Omega’s early automatic movement of around the same time, which were largely responsible for Omega’s success in the second half of the last century and through to the current day.

As can be seen, the movement is in pristine, sparkling condition and has obviously been very well cared for. It is, of course, signed Omega, Swiss and marked with the calibre number 265, along with the movement serial number 11,770,312 which dates the watch to 1948.

This watch has been fully overhauled and serviced by our vintage Omega specialist watchmaker and is calibrated to run arrow straight within +9 seconds/day! This is outstanding for any watch of this age and was tested on our electronic time-grapher. The power reserve on this movement is 45 hours when fully wound. The movement winds, runs and sets smoothly, exactly as it should. We therefore have no hesitation in offering a 12 month warranty on the movement of this watch*.

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

The Case

An early Omega in such fine condition as this is a rare thing in the vintage watch market. This very lightly polished, large 20 microns pink gold plated case with beautifully sculpted swept-back lugs measures 38mm in diameter, excluding the correct, making this an exceedingly large watch for the period. The case is in amazing condition showing no signs of wear visible to the naked eye and even under a loupe, it is very hard to fault. Importantly, the case is of full-thickness and has never been inscribed.

Inside case-back all is inscribed ‘Plaque Or G’, ’20 Microns’ and signed ‘Omega Watch Co.’, ‘Fab Suisse’ and ‘Swiss Made’ with the model ref. BX2303-1.

The Strap & Buckle

A new brown Alligator leather strap and matching pink gold plated Omega has been fitted, which we feel matches the watch perfectly. However, if a different colour or style of strap is preferred, please let us know and we will do our best to oblige, free of charge. We carry tan, conker, dark brown and black in stock in plain padded leather, crocodile skin or lizard skin, but we can also obtain most types and colours of strap from our partners at ‘Watch Obsession’ within 48hrs. Please take a look at their huge range of 18mm straps if you wish here.

The Box and Papers

Although there are no original papers with this watch, all the numbers and markings on the watch are correct, dating the watch to 1948.

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”.

A high-quality presentation box is included in this sale.

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 highly collectable and highly practical vintage gold watch from one of horology’s most famous names which will provide an excellent financial investment as well as be something to use, wear, treasure and enjoy! This will make an excellent evening wear dress watch as well as a practical highly accurate and reliable timepiece to use on an everyday basis.

Vintage Omega watches are highly collectable and the rarity of this watch means the value will always remain strong. This watch will make an excellent investment and family heirloom piece and even though vintage Omega prices have risen markedly recently, we feel fine examples such as this still remain undervalued. As each year goes by and the world market for vintage watches expands, availability will become more limited so prices are surely destined to climb ever higher!

We are happy to accept PayPal as this is the quickest method of payment. However, if you choose to pay by UK bank transfer, we will be pleased to pass on a 3% transaction saving to you – Please contact us to reserve the watch and request our bank details. Similarly, if you wish to pay by International SWIFT or International Bank Wire Transfer, we will provide you with our BIC / Swift number and our IBAN number.

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

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

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

We will be happy to answer any questions and offer advice about this or any of our watches listed for sale. If you would like some general advice regarding any aspect of vintage watches, including buying, selling, or collecting, we will also be very happy to hear from you. We await your call!

Finally, please enjoy some time spent viewing our other fine Vintage Watches!

Thank you.