Omega Automatic 18ct Pink Gold Dennison-Cased Dress Watch, ref. 12308, circa 1951

Dealer description — Vintage Watch Specialist

This Omega comes from an interesting period in the development of the automatic wristwatch. By the early 1950s, self-winding movements were becoming increasingly established, but Omega was still using its distinctive bumper automatic system – a wonderfully tactile arrangement in which the oscillating weight travels through a limited arc rather than rotating continuously through 360 degrees. The Omega Calibre 342 belongs to this generation. A 17-jewel automatic movement, it forms part of the family of bumper calibres that Omega used during the late 1940s and early 1950s, before the company moved towards full-rotor automatic movements later in the decade. There is another piece of watchmaking history here too. Rather than being housed in a Swiss-made Omega case, this example has an 18ct pink-gold case made by Dennison in Britain. Dennison was an important British case manufacturer and supplied cases for a number of leading Swiss watch companies, including Omega. That combination of a Swiss Omega movement and dial with a British-made precious-metal case is characteristic of watches made for the UK market during this period, and today gives these Dennison-cased Omegas a character all of their own. What’s on Offer Here we have a particularly elegant Omega automatic dress watch dating from approximately 1951, powered by the 17-jewel Omega Calibre 342. The 32mm 18ct pink-gold Dennison case is beautifully proportioned, with a slim rounded profile and long, gently curved lugs. Its warm gold tone works particularly well with the restrained dial and gives the watch considerably more presence than its dimensions might suggest. The dial has a lovely period layout. A pale silver-white ground is punctuated by a mixture of applied gold-tone markers and Arabic numerals at 12, 2, 4, 8 and 10. The applied Omega symbol sits prominently beneath 12 o'clock, with the Omega and Automatic signatures below. A pair of Dauphine hands display the hours and minutes, while the subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o'clock gives the watch the balanced appearance associated with early post-war dress watches. There is no date window or other complication to interrupt the design. Inside is the Omega Calibre 342, a 17-jewel bumper automatic movement with an approximate 42-hour power reserve. The watch is fitted to a simple black leather strap, which suits the formality of the 18ct gold case particularly well. At approximately 32mm wide and 41mm lug-to-lug, this is very much a traditionally proportioned vintage dress watch. The case shows the light surface marks expected of a gold watch approaching 75 years old, but presents very attractively overall. This watch is being offered on behalf of the family of a watch collector, who have asked us to assist with the sale of an entire collection. If you would prefer the watch to be serviced before receiving it, this can be arranged through our watchmaker at additional cost. Simply leave a note when placing your order and we will contact you to discuss this.