Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Omega 2505 Jumbo Steel Dress Watch Two-Tone Dial, 1939
- Maker / attribution
- Omega (maker)
- Date
- 1939
- Historical period
- Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- steel
- Dimensions
- Case 32 mm
- Stock no.
- W-1810-2
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Bulang & Sons (W-1810-2)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Omega 2505 Jumbo Steel Dress Watch Two-Tone Dial (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Bulang & Sons (dealer), Copenhagen (stock number W-1810-2), this is a wristwatch by Omega, made in Switzerland, dated 1939. The Atlas places it in the Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking period (1900 – 1945) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: steel. Recorded dimensions: Case 32 mm. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Dealer description — Bulang & Sons
The Omega 2505 is affectionately known as the “Jumbo” for good reason—it was considered massive in its time. While most gentlemen’s watches in the late 1930s and 1940s measured around 32mm, this one comes in at a striking 38mm. These watches were produced with a variety of dial designs, but few are as captivating as this two-tone example. The no-lume dial features radial Arabic numerals set within a matte chapter ring, with a small seconds sub-dial positioned in the lower half. A painted Omega logo and text complete the classic aesthetic, while elegant blued hands provide a subtle pop of vintage charm. The stainless steel case, with its snap-back design, remains in strong, well-preserved condition. This handsome vintage Omega is paired with the leather strap shown in the photos. Powering the watch is the iconic manual-wind Calibre 265, which has been fully serviced by our watchmaker and is running beautifully.If you’re after timeless design, wearable proportions, and true vintage character, this Jumbo delivers on all fronts. Two-tone dials like this don’t come around often—get in touch to make it yours before it’s gone. Specifications: Omega reference 2505 “Jumbo” dress watch Movent no 939xxxx Dates to 1939 38mm steel case with snap- on case back Two-tone no-lume dial with Arabic hours Small Running seconds Blued hands Calibre 265 manual wind movement Comes on the pictured Bulang and sons leather strap Fully serviced by our watchmaker
Historical context
Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
The wristwatch displaces the pocket watch; waterproof cases, self-winding and grand complications.
The wristwatch overtook the pocket watch. Military use in the First World War, aviation, water-resistant cases (1926), automatic winding (1923–31), rectangular Art Deco designs and early chronographs and calendars defined the period.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Industrial Revolution
Atlas type guide
Wristwatches
Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.
After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.
What to look for
- The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
- The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
- Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
- Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.
Dating clues
- Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
- Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
- Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
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