Omega. 9k Gold Case. 1939

Dealer description — WatchMuseum.org shop

Omega, a name synonymous with precision and timeless elegance, traces its origins back to 1848 when Louis Brandt established the company in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Initially, Brandt crafted watches using parts made by independent artisans, a common practice among European watchmakers of the era. The business saw significant advancements under the stewardship of Brandt’s sons, Louis-Paul and Cesar, who relocated it to Bienne in 1879. By 1894, they had revolutionized the industry with machinery that allowed for the production of watches with interchangeable parts, leading to the creation of the renowned Labrador line and the iconic Caliber 19. This innovation laid the groundwork for the official establishment of Omega SA in 1903. Following the untimely deaths of Louis-Paul and Cesar, the company was left in the capable hands of four young leaders, including the 23-year-old Paul-Emile Brandt. Under their guidance, Omega continued to thrive, eventually merging with Tissot and becoming one of Switzerland’s premier watch manufacturers. The 1939 Omega 9k Gold Case watch stands as a testament to this rich heritage, embodying the brand’s commitment to quality and craftsmanship. The company that was to become Omega was founded in 1848 By Louis Brandt in La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland. He was a businessman and produced a range of watches, the parts of which were made by “outworkers” as with almost all European watch makers at that time. Louis’ two sons, Louis-Paul and Cesar moved the business to Bien (Bienne) in 1879 and developed machinery that enabled the production of watches with interchangeable parts by 1894. They produced several brands of cylinder watch, making all the parts in house and one of the first lines of high quality lever watches produced were called Labrador. This relatively new technology sparked the roll out of the Omega company, and the famous Caliber 19, but it was not until 1903 that Omega SA became the official name for the company. From around 1897 all Omega watches were made with interchangeable parts as most Swiss Watch making companies modernised and introduced the mass production methods that were the idea of Aaron Lufkin Dennison in the US and first implemented by him and Edward Howard in 1853 in what was to become the American Waltham Watch Co.. Both the sons died in 1903 leaving one of Switzerland’s biggest watch companies (with an annual production of nearly a quarter of a million watches), in the hands of four young people, the oldest of whom was Paul-Emile Brandt at 23. They worked hard to firstly amalgamate Tissot into the company to form the holding company SSHI and then to promote the brands by both product placing and ensuring that prominent organisations and famous people wore Omega watches. The British Royal Flying Corps used Omegas for timekeeping from 1917 as did the US Army from 1918. NASA chose Omega and it was the first watch to be worn on the Moon in 1969. Buzz Aldrin, George Clooney, John F Kennedy, Mao Zedong, Elvis Presley and Prince William were all wearers of Omega watches. A major bit of product placing was achieved when the Omega company persuaded James Bond to replace his Rolex Submariner with the Omega Seamaster in Goldeneye in 1995 and 007 has used an Omega ever since. OMEGA. 9k GOLD CASE. 1939. OVERALL CONDITION: The watch is working well and in near perfect condition. SIZE OVERALL: 46.6mm (excluding bow and crown) SIZE MOVEMENT: 39.8mm. US size 12. MANUFACTURED IN: Switzerland YEAR OF MANUFACTURE: 1939 JEWELS: 15 MOVEMENT TYPE: Three quarter plate. MOVEMENT CONDITION: Good. Stripped and ultra sound cleaned within the last 12 months. MOVEMENT ACCURACY: +/- 5 minutes in 24 hours RUN TIME: 24 hours approx. on one full wind. ESCAPEMENT: Lever DIAL: Roman numerals. Good condition, but with some very small marks near the centre. CRYSTAL: Replacement Mineral glass Crystal WIND: Crown wind SET: Crown set CASE: Dennison 9k solid Gold case. 0.375. Hallmarked for Birmingham 1939 CONDITION: Very good. KNOWN DEFECTS: No obvious faults. STOCK No: 483 There may be other faults of which I am not aware. Old mechanical watches may have wear to component parts and may stop working for no obvious reason.