Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Omega Rectangular Art Deco Watch, c. 1940s–1950s
- Maker / attribution
- Omega (maker)
- Date
- c. 1940s–1950s
- Historical period
- Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Dimensions
- Case 20 mm
- Stock no.
- 40960245
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Analog/Shift (40960245)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Omega Rectangular Art Deco Watch (English)
View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by Analog/Shift (dealer), New York (stock number 40960245), this is a wristwatch by Omega, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1940s–1950s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 20 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 — Analog/Shift
Simple doesn’t have to mean boring—and this Omega proves it. Sports watches came later to Omega, as pressure from the new ‘luxury sports watch’ category introduced in the early 1970s forced the storied brand to evolve — but historically, classically styled dress pieces was where Omega cut their teeth. This particular piece, a dress watch dating to circa the 1940s-1950s, features a gorgeous 20mm rectangular case with gorgeous art deco lugs and an acrylic crystal, and a satin sector dial, a matching blued-steel ‘sword’ handset, an outer ‘railroad’ minute track, and a sub-seconds display above 6 o’clock. The dial specifically has previously been refinished over the course of its lifetime, but that doesn't make this incredible piece any less handsome or coveted considering the premium untouched examples fetch nowadays. Powered by a hand-cranking movement, this fabulously cool timepiece comes with mid-century charm to the moon. You'd be forgiven for mistaking this piece for a Jaeger-Lecoultre Reverso at first glance, which is no insult, but this fantastically cool watch hails from one of the most storied houses in watchmaking and offers its own take on the rectangular watch shape, particularly popular at this point in time. With timelessly appealing looks, pedigree to rival the very best, and a versatile size — wear it today with everything from a suit or other formalwear to a t-shirt and jeans; it's all fair game, and there is no saying when another in this condition will surface again.
Historical context
Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.
The classic era of the mechanical wristwatch: dive watches, chronographs for motor racing and space flight, GMT watches for jet travel, slim dress watches, automatic calendars, and the rise of Japanese manufacturers alongside Swiss, American, German and Soviet industries.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking
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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