Absolutely Superb Highly Collectible Vintage (1940s) 14K Gold “Omega” Deville Trésor Manual Wind Mechanical Wristwatch With Buffalo Calf Leather Strap In Investment Condition.
Marvellous watch. In lovely presentation box. Weighs just over 30g. In fantastic condition. Has been well looked after from original purchase in the late 1940s. Please browse all 24 sets of photographs attached for size, weight and condition as they are self explanatory. In impeccable condition. Both the face, case, glass and back are scratch free. Really nice watch.
This watch is about 80 years. You’d be very hard pressed to find a watch this age in such superb order. Absolutely pristine.
Lovely gold watch. Breathtaking quality as you’d expect from Omega, such a long established, prestigious, watchmaker! Work of master watchmakers of the highest order. The casing, minute, hour & second hands, the Omega emblem on the face and all hour batons are gold too. Lovely watch.
I’m in my late 60s and inherited this watch from my late father after he passed away in the mid 1980s. It has been regularly serviced and looked after over the years. It has rarely been worn, except on very special occasions and has been locked away in my safe for many moons now. I hope to find it a good home and someone who’ll use it more than I do. Keeps perfect time.
The watch was purchased new by my late father from a reputable London jeweller just after the war. The name unfortunately escapes me in my old age. I believe around 1947.
I have never opened the back myself and I believe the exact serial number, model details and date details are inside the watch. It’s a genuine watch without being tampered with too much since new. The only thing I’ve had to change has been the strap as the original one, which I still have somewhere, showed it age and needed replacing. I’m not sure where I’ve put it after our house move but do have it. If I locate it, I’ll send you that too. For the time being the listing is strictly for the watch as you see in the photos with the current strap. The original strap still has the gold Omega buckle on it! Unfortunately I could not find it at the time of listing so please remind me upon purchase. If I locate it, you can have that too.
The Omega serial number is usually located on the case back for most models. On vintage Omega timepieces, the serial number is engraved on the inside of the case back whereas on modern models, it is typically engraved on the bottom of one of the lugs.
A few years ago one of the Omega service specialists advised the case is made for Omega by a firm called “Queens”. The old chap did take some photos of the markings inside for me before assembling it back after servicing. Unfortunately they’re not good photos so I have not included them here but do have them if you need to see them. I did some research on “Queens” as follows:
The "Queens" designation typically refers to vintage Omega models that used cases manufactured by the Queens Watch Case Co., an American manufacturer often used by Omega for the US market. Apparently vintage "Queens" models are commonly found with the following attributes:
Case Material: Solid 14ct (14K) yellow gold, often featuring distinctive shaped lugs or art-deco designs.
Movement: Most frequently equipped with the Calibre 410 manual winding movement.
Dial: Typical period features include silvered or champagne dials with applied gold hour markers (pyramid or arrow style).
Origin: The cases were made in the USA to house Swiss-made Omega movements, a common practice to avoid high import tariffs on complete gold watches at the time.
For a brand that has for so long been the closest rival to Rolex in terms of innovation and name cachet, vintage Omega timepieces are hugely undervalued. If you’re looking for a vintage gold timepiece, you’d be hard pressed to find many watches better than a vintage Omega.
PLEASE NOTE: The watch I believe was made to be water resistant but I’m unsure to what extent. It has never been under water in my ownership so I could not confirm to what extent it is waterproof. I’m told it’s shower proof. I suggest if you are going to use it under water then you have it checked before doing so.
The watch is a vintage Omega dress watch from the mid-20th century. A Trésor model, known for its oversized case for the era and distinctive "honeycomb" or "waffle" textured dial. These watches were part of the famous Omega 30mm calibre series.
The case is yellow gold. Features a highly desirable textured (guilloché-style or honeycomb) dial in a light color (cream or silver) with applied gold baton hour markers and a crosshair subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o'clock.
These models typically housed manual-winding movements from Omega's respected 30mm family, such as the Calibre 265, 266, 267, or 269, which were known for their precision.
It has elegant gold dauphine or alpha-style hands. These type if watches were made in the late 1940s through to early 1960s.
The 1940s Omega Trésor was an iconic, "jumbo" dress watch for its era, known for housing Omega's renowned, durable movement. The original Trésor line was launched in 1947, and the most common, definitive movement for the 1940s/late 1940s version was the Calibre 30T2.
Key Specifications (1940s Trésor Models):
Movement: Calibre 30T2 (manual winding).
Production Era: Late 1940s (1947–1950s).
Jewels: 15 Jewels.
Frequency: 18,000 vibrations per hour (bph).
Power Reserve: Approximately 43 hours.
Case Size: "Jumbo" for the time, typically around 35mm.
Case Materials: 14K gold
Features: Small seconds sub-dial at 6 o'clock (often featured in 30T2 or 30T2SC models).
Dial: Simple 3-hand dial with batons.
The Calibre 30 series in these watches, including the 30T2, is considered one of the most accurate and reliable manual-wound movements produced by Omega during that period.
More detailed history of Omega for those interested:
Omega SA / Omega Watches is a Swiss watch manufacturer, currently part of the Swatch Group's Prestige and Luxury division.
OMEGA is the last letter of the Greek alphabet and symbolises accomplishment and perfection, qualities that have been inherent in every OMEGA watch since the company's founding by Louis Brandt in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, in 1848.
The origins of the brand Omega go back to the Comptoir d´établissage Louis Brandt, which he opens in 1848 at the young age of only 23 years in La Chaux-de-Fonds. With the watches he travels through Europe in order to bring them personally to the appropriate customers. With the entry of his sons Louis-Paul and César Brandt the company name changes to Louis Brandt & Fils.
Omega watches began in a small workshop established by Louis Brandt in La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland in 1848. During first thirty years after it was founded, Brandt maintained a modest business, selling his watches to customers around the world. When he passed away in 1879, his sons quickly stepped in to carry on their father’s vision.
The brand started out as Louis Brandt & Fil. This was the original name of the company when it first founded at the end of the nineteenth century. It wasn’t until the release of the Omega Caliber that the brand really started to take off. In order to take advantage of the popularity of this movement, the company decided to rebrand itself as Omega Watch Co. 1894 the banker Henri Riekel suggests the brothers to call it “Omega”, after the last letter of the Greek alphabet, to represent the final stage of perfection (“Alpha to Omega”).
In 1885, the brothers released their first mass-produced caliber, the Labrador, and in 1892, they developed the first minute-repeating timepiece. Only two years later, they launched the 19-line Omega Caliber, which sent ripples throughout the watchmaking industry and would soon give the company its name. In 1896 Omega receives the gold medal on the Geneva exhibition. The magazine published by the eminent Fédération Horlogère describes Omega watches as “remarkable watches. certainly worth twice their price”!
The brand's reputation for innovation and quality has led to numerous awards over the company's 150-year history, starting as early as 1900 with the Grand Prix at the Paris World Fair and continuing with the world precision record of 97.8 points at the Kew-Teddington observatory in England in 1936.
The Omega watch company amassed a large fan base during WWII. Thanks to their accuracy, durability and extreme water-resistant properties, the watch became a popular choice among global military units.
in 1948, Omega watches introduced the first edition of one of its most symbolic watches: the Seamaster. The first Seamaster was rolled out to celebrate the company’s 100th Anniversary. To this day, the model is still one of the most respected watches in the Omega family.
In 1905, Omega took on a role as the official timekeeper at sporting events throughout Switzerland, and in 1932, it acquired one of its most vital timekeeping partnerships—the company earned its title as the official timekeeper for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California.
OMEGA has been the official timekeeper at no less than 21 Olympic Games, a record among all watch manufacturers, bringing numerous innovations to Olympic sports over the years, such as the first electronic timekeeping at the Helsinki games in 1952, the same year in which the company was awarded the Olympic Cross of Merit for its outstanding contribution to sport.
Each watch can require up to 500 hours to make. The true value of an Omega timepiececan be found in the dedicated manhours that it takes to produce one from start to finish. The model Constellation was first made in 1952 as automatic chronometer and since has played a major role in the model range of the brand. The Omega model range today consists of mainly four collections, Constellation, De Ville, Seamaster and Speedmaster.
Omega was the only watch to survive NASA testing. After a group of NASA astronauts purchased an extensive collection of wrist watches in 1962 in a Houston, Texas watch shop, the Omega Speedmaster was the only model that passed the rigorous and brutal pressure of the temperature and speed tests that the experts put it through.
On account of its precision and reliability, OMEGA's Speedmaster watch was chosen by NASA as its official chronometer in 1965 and 4 years later was the first watch to be worn on the moon, when, on 21 July 1969, Neil Armstrong made his giant leap for mankind.
In 1969, the Omega Speedmaster was a part of the first trip to the moon, worn on the wrist of Buzz Aldrin. And in 1970, the Speedmaster was crucial in helping the astronauts of the Apollo 13 mission return home safely. Even today, Omega and space programs worldwide continue to work in tandem to create some of the most effective tools for the trade.
In more recent years, OMEGA has continued to build on its reputation for precision and innovation, presenting the world's first self-winding wristwatch with central tourbillon (launched in 1994) and the revolutionary coaxial escapement sur developed in conjunction with renowned English master watchmaker George Daniels first offered in limited series in 1999.
OMEGA owes a large part of its watchmaking excellence to the quality of its movements. Omega highly collectible. There’s an aura about Omega watches that captivate their collectors worldwide.
The company has a legion of famous customers who buy Omega watches. Aside from politicians and astronauts, the love for this brand also runs deep throughout celebrity circles across the world. Some of Omegas biggest fans include Tom Hanks, Rory Mcllroy, Elvis Presley, Prince William and Michael Phelps.
In 1969, President Nixon famously turned down the opportunity to be gifted the first ever all gold Speedmaster Professional Deluxe because he deemed it to be “too valuable.”
Al Pacino’s lead character in the hit film Scarface, Tony Montana, sported an Omega La Magique on his wrist during several scenes.
Former Soviet President, Mikhail Gorbachev, wore an Omega Constellation. It was a gold and steel model from 1982 called the Manhattan—the first Constellation watch with claws holding the sapphire crystal in place.
Cindy Crawford, one of the most successful and iconic supermodels of all time, is Omega’s longest standing ambassador. A self-professed watch nerd, she’s been an ambassador for the brand for more than 20 years.
Ringo Starr was a famous fan of Omega. He sported a digital Omega watch: the Time Computer LED, which was made in 1973—Omega’s first ever LED watch.
In the 1990s Omega was the official watch of James Bond An Omega Seamaster appeared on the wrist of Pierce Brosnan. Whether it’s space, sports or pop culture, Omega has easily preserved its reputation as one of the greatest watch brands in the world.
The most expensive Omega watch is the Constellation Baguette worth close to $1 million. It has 30 carats, 146 trapeze and Baguette diamonds on the dial, 459 Wessleton diamond and a case made from the finest 18-carat white gold.