Omega - The Geneva Watch Auction: THREE Geneva Saturday, May 14, 2016 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Omega
    Year: 1953
    Reference No: OT 14.306
    Movement No: 12'201'622
    Case No: 10'942'352
    Model Name: Synchrobeat
    Material: 18k yellow gold
    Calibre: Manual winding, cal. 372 SCS, 17 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Crocodile
    Clasp/Buckle: 18k yellow gold Omega pin buckle
    Dimensions: 34mm. Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and buckle signed
    Accessories: Accompanied by Omega presentation box and Extract from the Archives confirming production of the watch in 1953

  • Catalogue Essay

    In the realm of collectible vintage Omega watches, there are few that are as mythical as the Synchrobeat. According to scholarship, in 1954, Omega had originally manufactured around 1,000 Synchrobeat watches for the US market featuring a dead-beat, or stop-seconds, mechanism. Fitted with the caliber 372, a rather complicated sub-system precisely controlled the Synchrobeat’s seconds hand to tick only once per second. Unfortunately, technical challenges arose with the mechanism, and Omega was forced to stop production and recall all unsold watches. Omega ordered all watches to either be destroyed or used as spare parts, with only 17 believed to have escaped destruction.

    The present lot is without a doubt one of the survivors, and consequently, amongst the rarest of all Omega wristwatches ever produced. Furthermore, it has stood the test of time remaining in exceptional condition with a sharp case still retaining the original factory finish on all of its surfaces. The dial is pristine, with a delightful, outer minute track connecting all second markers in accordance with the once-per-second beat of the second's hand. Featuring a precision-oriented cross-hair dial, the caliber 372 was an officially certified chronometer, as indicated at 12 o’clock on the dial. A treasure for any collector of rare vintage watches.

  • Artist Biography

    Omega

    Swiss • 1848

    Omega's rich history begins with its founder, Louis Brandt, who established the firm in 1848 in La Chaux de Fonds. In 1903, the company changed its name to Omega, becoming the only watch brand in history to have been named after one its own movements. A full-fledged manufacturer of highly accurate, affordable and reliable watches, its sterling reputation enabled them to be chosen as the first watch company to time the Olympic Games beginning in 1932. Its continued focus on precision and reliability ultimately led their Speedmaster chronograph wristwatch to be chosen by NASA in 1965 — the first watch worn on the moon.

    Key models sought-after by collectors include their first, oversized water-resistant chronograph — the reference 2077, early Speedmaster models such as the CK 2915 and 2998, military-issued versions of the Seamaster and oversized chronometer models such as those fitted with their prestigious caliber 30T2Rg.

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Σ115

Ref. OT 14.306
A very rare and attractive yellow gold jumping center seconds wristwatch with box

1953
34mm. Diameter
Case, dial, movement and buckle signed

Estimate
CHF15,000 - 25,000 
€13,800-23,000
$15,500-25,800

Sold for CHF27,500

Contact Specialist
Nathalie Monbaron
+41 22 317 81 83

The Geneva Watch Auction: THREE

Geneva Auction 15 May 2016