Manufacturer: Omega Year: 2000 Case No: 13 Model Name: De Ville Central Tourbillon Material: 18K white gold and diamonds Calibre: Automatic, cal. 1170, 48 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Leather Clasp/Buckle: 18K white gold Omega deployant clasp Dimensions: 39mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and buckle signed
Catalogue Essay
Omega's history and that of the tourbillon complication are highly intertwined. In 1947, Omega created the very first tourbillon wristwatch in the world. The manufacture made twelve Calibre 30 tourbillon movements, each measuring 30mm in diameter to be tested in the Geneva, Neuchatel and Kew-Teddington Observatory trials. In these movements, the tourbillons had a rotation rate of 7.5 minutes as opposed to the more standard 60 seconds. All passed with flying colours.
Fast forward to 1994, the brand launched the first central tourbillon ever, to mark its 100th anniversary. With the flying tourbillon with its cage right in the middle of the dial, it was nothing like the manufacture had ever launched before. The crown itself was only used to wind the movement. A second crown is located on the case back to set the hands.
The present timepiece is an exceedingly luxurious version of the famed De Ville Central Tourbillon - cased in white gold, it most notably has baguette diamonds set on the bezel, weighing an estimated 3.54 carats, giving the watch an incredibly luxurious appearance. Numbered 13, it was most probably made in a highly small series, reserved exclusively for Omega's very best clients.
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.