My Omega Collection- Nov 2014

[Teeritz]

Okay, folks, I figured I might as well beef up this forum, since it's early days, anyway.

So here's a mini pictorial of my Omega collection, as it stands at the moment. In order of acquisition, to be best of my recollection.

1) Seamaster Professional, Cal 1120, purchased Nov 1999



As a life-long Bond fan, this was one watch that I just had to get. Yes, I've wanted a Rolex Submariner for as long as I can remember, but the Omega was A) considerably more affordable, and B) had a really nice dial, with its simple dot hour markers. And it was also the current Bond watch at the time.

2) Seamaster Automatic, circa 1962, Cal 562, purchased 2002



Got this one when they were still relatively easy to find in good condition. Being an old-school fan of the 20th Century, this watch always gives off a nice " '60s gent's watch" vibe to me. Goes very nicely with a white business shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a scotch-on-the-rocks, and an unfiltered Camel.

3) Seamaster AquaTerra Co-Axial, 36.2mm, Cal 2500C, purchased 2005



I was on the hunt for a pre-owned Rolex DateJust when this model was released in 2003. The more I saw it, the easier it was to decide to go for it instead of the Rolex. Rich, black, crude-oil-looking dial on this one. I wish the hands had more lume on them, but aside from that, I can't fault this watch. And for my 6.5 inch wrist, the 36.2mm model was perfect. A modern 'Everyman' watch.

4) Seamaster Planet Ocean Co-Axial, Cal 2500C, 2007



Such a clean and sharp design, which cannot be mistaken for a Rolex Submariner. I opted for the 42mm model for my wrist. Its DNA owes much to the classic Seamaster 300 models of the Sixties. A definite keeper and, in my humble op, a nicer design than the current iteration.

5) Speedmaster Professional, Cal 1861, 2007



Not much I can say about this one that hasn't already been said better elsewhere. Like a vintage watch, the Speedy Professional exudes a strong sense of the time when it was first built. Which is why it too conjures up images of Raquel Welch in the passenger seat of an E-Type Jag, oil rigs in the North Sea, and gas pipelines in the Sahara. What the hell, have another picture;



And it's a versatile watch. Works on steel, leather (both surf & turf based), and NATO straps.

6) Seamaster hand-wound, Cal 420, circa 1955, purchased 2008



I decided at some point that I wanted a hand-wound Omega. I'd got it stuck in my head that I wanted a "movements trilogy". Cosmetically, this watch has seen better days, and it's definitely in need of some internal TLC. I'm tempted to give the dial the 'lemon juice & distilled water' rinse to see if the spotting will come off. Or, I might just send it to Omega Switzerland one day for the full spa treatment. And the no doubt hefty bill that will be attached to the repair.

7) Seamaster bumper, Cal 351, circa 1951, purchased 2010



This watch started off promisingly enough, but soon became a headache. It originally had a gold dial with a large grey blemish across the nine o'clock side. An absolute eyesore whenever I looked at it. So I had it re-dialled. About a year later, I wore it to work (I worked at a wristwatch AD for eleven years) and when I finished for the day, got into my car, and began the drive home, I glanced at the watch and saw that one of the gold cappings had fallen away from a lug.
Needless to say, I never found that piece of gold and all efforts to find a replacement case have been futile. I don't want to send this off to Omega because it may be an expensive endeavour, so I think this watch will end up on eBay one day with all faults and modifications listed. This is one watch that I will take a bath on.

8) Seamaster 300 WatchCo rebuild, Cal 552, purchased 2009



Omega purists hate these things. Call them frankenwatches, fakes, etc. I had wanted one for about six years or so, and I saw a lot Viet Nam War-era fakes sell on eBay for very big money. In the end, I decided to play it safe and get one of these rebuilds. The movement comes from some other '60s Omega and the watch is assembled using spare parts. Folks on forums have said that these watches have no patina, no provenance, no history. That's cool. I'll make my own history with this one. And again, because this one was a grail watch for so long, here's another picture;



9) Seamaster Chronometer, Cal 564, circa 1969, purchased 2009



I hadn't seen a Seamaster Chronometer from this era before. Sure , there were plenty of Constellations out there, but not so many of these. The dial has a few spots on it, but the time-keeping on this thing is phenomenal. About 3 secs slow per day. It needs the correct crystal on it with the date magnifier, but I'll worry about that in due course.

10) Seamaster Railmaster Co-Axial, 36.2mm, Cal 2403, 2009 model, purchased 2012



I sold this watch to a customer back in 2009. It was one of the last ones that arrived in-store. A few years later, he was looking to thin out his small collection and had decided that this would regrettably have to go. He gave me first dibs on the watch and I just could not say 'No'. There was no telling if I'd ever see a 36.2mm Railmaster so easily in future, so I snapped it up. Great watch, I'm wearing it as I write this post.

Whew! And there you have it. I must say that there's not very much in Omega's current line-up that thrills me. Sure, some very nice watches, but nothing that makes me want to shell out some cash. Perhaps the one possible exception would be a blue-dialled AquaTerra like the one Daniel Craig wore in "Skyfall". Big Bond nut that I am.
But first, I gotta get a Rolex Submariner, since that's the watch that started me off on this mad...'hobby' is too soft a phrase, and 'obssession' is too strong. Let's just say that it sits on a sliding scale between the two.

Thanks for reading!

[GaryF]

Excellent post, T. This could be the beginning of a great thread if others chip in with their stories.
Out first sticky?

[CamB]

Unbelievable collection- I can only dream

[Aquavit]

Well, to keep the ball rolling following on from Teeritz's excellent post I'll give it a go with my very modest Omega collection.

I never intended to collect Omega, (in fact I never intended to collect watches) it just sort of happened by the simple expedient of buying what I liked the look of. All of these pieces were bought pre-owned and all are keepers.

My first Omega was the Seamaster Professional 300 2221.80, so called "full size" with the quartz movement. I love that it's a quartz, super accurate, always ready to go and serves as a reference piece for setting my other watches to. It alternates between various NATO's a blue Hirsch Leonardo leather strap and of course the famous much debated but oh so comfortable bracelet:




My next Omega is the Speedmaster Broad Arrow 3551.20. The moment I saw this in a jewellers window I was smitten, gorgeous creamy white dial with blued indices and hands this watch is a real looker. It dates from 2002 and has recently been back to Omega for a service, she now looks as good as the day she was born:




My third piece is the ubiquitous Speedmaster 3570.50 "Moonwatch" dating from 2000 on an old school 1479 bracelet. This piece has three of my favourite watch attributes; hand wound, hesalite crystal and no date:




With the price of new Omegas I can't see me adding anything more to the stable, unless it's vintage, but never say never - I do like the look of the new Seamaster 300!

[GaryF]

Building on the trend, I also started with an SMP in '98. It served me for years as my only watch until I finally had a little money to expand.



I bought a couple of Tag Heuers (a Monaco and a Carrera) before coming across my then grail at 40% off in the Harrods sale.


This is when the bug really bit. There followed one of these:


And one of these:


Before the inevitable one of these:


Well, two of those, really:


My most recent was also my one and only watch flip when this:


was traded for this:



I don't know when or if I'll add another. The thickness and/or shinyness of recent Omega offerings have led me elsewhere but hope springs eternal.

[jraul7]

Nice thread! I never thought I was going to collect only Omegas, but the truth is I like a lot of models from the brand, so I know I'll always have more than one. I've owned these three, but right now I only have the PO and the f300:



Then plan is to add a Speedmaster Pro sometime next year. Others I like are the Seamaster 300 (I would be really happy with a WatchCo) and a blue AquaTerra.

[DM71]

Very impressive collections, Teeritz. I'm not an Omega collector, but just like you, the Seamaster 300 was a favorite among favorites. I could never find one in good condition so when I found the Watchco ones, I had to have one. I would never trade it for a REAL beat up one even if they have more value. I simply love mine and was even tempted to get the no date as well. Getting a new old model was a dream came true for me. Purists can hate it, I don't care, it's MY watch and I love it : )

[Teeritz]

Very impressive collections, Teeritz. I'm not an Omega collector, but just like you, the Seamaster 300 was a favorite among favorites. I could never find one in good condition so when I found the Watchco ones, I had to have one. I would never trade it for a REAL beat up one even if they have more value. I simply love mine and was even tempted to get the no date as well. Getting a new old model was a dream came true for me. Purists can hate it, I don't care, it's MY watch and I love it : )

Exactly, sir. I've often said that if Omega had kept this watch in production, with minor changes over the years, it would have become their equivalent of the Submariner. And the beauty of this watch is that it cannot be mistaken for a Sub, such is it's vastly different design.

[DM71]

Exactly, sir. I've often said that if Omega had kept this watch in production, with minor changes over the years, it would have become their equivalent of the Submariner. And the beauty of this watch is that it cannot be mistaken for a Sub, such is it's vastly different design.

I agree 100% with you. This piece is a classic and will always be. Just too bad Omega didn't see that future in the SM300.

[Aquavit]

Well you guys have now got me all revved up on the Watchco Seamasters, love the no date version and it looks fantastic on the mesh!

And I thought I'd done with buying for a while .................