Omega Cal.30 T2 PC 1948

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

An all-original Omega stainless steel wristwatch with a fully original, unrestored and untouched two-tone black and bronze dial. All but the strap are entirely original and the condition of the package is outstanding for a watch that is almost 80 years old watch. The 35mm stainless steel case has incredible straight lugs and a screw-down case-back, overall, giving this stylish watch a confident, yet not overstated wrist presence.

The Dial

This dial is completely original, unrestored and untouched and remains in beautiful condition. A beautifully aged original black and bronze dial is always a wonderful thing to see, but here it is close to perfect.  The outstanding even patina pairs beautifully with the 1 – 12 standard Arabic numerlas and ‘index’ hands.

The dial is simply signed ‘Omega’ just below 12 along with ‘Swiss Made’ at the very bottom of the dial 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 unusually good 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

During the late 19th and early 20th century, manufacturers and their master watchmakers expended significant amounts of time and resources in preparation for Observatory trials held throughout Europe. Unlike the watch fairs of today, these events were not intended to showcase new products. Instead, the Observatory trials focused on the science of Chronometry and the ability to make chronometers measure time precisely.

Geneva observatory trials were exclusive for companies in the Canton of Geneva, whilst Neuenburg (French: Neuchâtel) competitions were open to all manufacturers. This is why Omega and Longines set up branches in Geneva – they wanted to take part in prestigious Geneva competitions. The Omega Cal.30 was first released in 1939 and was so successful it remained in production, regularly certified as Chronometer grade, until 1963. It became famous for winning first prize ‘for Precision’ i.e. accuracy and reliability, at the Kew Observatory trials in 1946 and went on to win back to back 1st prizes at the worlds most competitive trials in Geneva and Neuchâtel throughout 1947-1951. It not only beat all comers, including Patek Philippe, but also relegated Omega’s own Tourbillon movement to second place!

As can be seen, the Omega beryllium-bronze movement looks spectacularly pristine having been well cared for and properly maintained. It is signed ‘Omega’, ‘Swiss’ and ‘15 Jewels’ with the serial number 11428061, dating manufacture to 1948.

The movement has just been fully overhauled and serviced by our vintage Omega specialist watchmaker. The watch therefore winds, runs & sets smoothly and it is keeping excellent time. Following its service, it has been calibrated and is currently running arrow straight at +9 seconds/day! This excellent for any watch of this age. These results have been verified on our electronic timegrapher instrument. The watch also has an excellent power reserve of 44 hours. We are therefore more than happy to offer 12 months warranty on the movement of this watch*.

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

The Case

This good-sized 35mm Omega Swiss-made case features a remarkably thin bezel, making the dial area very large indeed. Short, straight sweeping lugs enable the watch to sit beautifully on the wrist

The very high quality, oversized stainless steel watch case measures 35mm in diameter, excluding the correct unsigned crown. This is an exceedingly large gentleman’s watch for the early 1940s making this a very rare watch.

The inside of the press-fit case-back is inscribed with the Omega Watch Co triangle, as well as the case serial number 2400 2.

This watch has not been tested for water resistance and this is not guaranteed. Our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Strap & Buckle

This watch has a high quality brown leather strap fitted and this watch has also been fitted with a matching steel Omega buckle. 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. We can also obtain most types and colours from our partners at ‘Watch Obsession’ within 48hrs. Please take a look at their huge range of straps if you wish here.

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 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”.

The watch comes complete with a high quality hardwood presentation box.

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.