Omega - The Geneva Watch Auction: FIVE Geneva Friday, May 12, 2017 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Omega
    Year: 1958
    Reference No: 2850S.C.
    Movement No: 15'525'173 and 15'525'174
    Case No: 194'473 and 194'474
    Model Name: The "Olympic Twins"
    Material: 18k pink gold
    Calibre: Automatic, cal. 471, 19 jewels.
    Bracelet/Strap: Leather, signed Omega
    Clasp/Buckle: Gold plated Omega pin buckle
    Dimensions: 34mm. Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and buckle signed
    Accessories: Each accompanied by original Omega fitted box and Guarantee. Further accompanied by Omega Extract of the Archives confirming production on January 24, 1958.

  • Catalogue Essay

    Omega has been involved with the Olympic Games since 1932 (and was even awarded the Olympic Cross of Merit twenty years later in 1952). At the occasion of the XVIth Olympiad held in Melbourne, Australia in 1956, Omega launched a special commemorative Seamaster in pink gold with applied Roman numerals XVI on the lower part of the dial.

    The present lot, featuring two examples of reference 2850S.C., is interesting not only due to its historical importance, but also because the two watches were born together in Bienne Switzerland and sold 2 years later on the same day on March 24th in 1958 in Rangoon, Burma. The mystery surrounding these pieces thickens when we learn that these two timepieces were not only sold to the same person, but have immediately succeeding case and movement numbers making these two lots “Olympic Twins”.

    In superb untouched condition, the “Olympic Twins” are also each accompanied by an Omega fitted box bearing the Olympic Cross of Merit. It is believed that these boxes were made in only 100 examples and were originally meant for a model bearing the said Olympic Cross of Merit on the dial that was never sold and most probably given as gifts.

    The “Olympic Twins” were not only born together but have spent close to 60 years unseparated and we believe that they should remain together.

  • 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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Ref. 2850S.C.
An extremely rare and attractive pair of pink gold wristwatches with center seconds made in commemoration of the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne

1958
34mm. Diameter
Case, dial, movement and buckle signed

Estimate
CHF8,000 - 12,000 
€7,400-11,100
$7,900-11,900

Sold for CHF20,000

Contact Specialist
Alexandre Ghotbi
+41 22 317 81 89

The Geneva Watch Auction: FIVE

Geneva Auctions 13 – 14 May 2017