Omega Seamaster 120 ref. 166.073, 'IDF' Issued

Dealer description — Oliver & Clarke

The Omega Speedmaster is one of the most historically important, if not the most important wrist watch ever produced, full stop. Its story can be summed up with one simple acronym: NASA. Surely, this is not a watch that needs an introduction with our audience... However, the sibling to the Speedmaster, the Seamaster, is worth shedding some light on. The model family was conceived in 1948 as what was effectively a time-only watch, not the dive watch that is most commonly associated with the named today. It wasn't until nearly a decade later where the Seamaster 300 would show up with its rotating timing bezel and larger case size. As with so many other icons and popular vintage models, the Seamaster has seen countless iterations and variants over its nearly 70-years of continuous production, but it is the 300 that is probably what comes to mind when you hear the name. The piece that we have here today is a Seamaster 120, but not just any Seamster 120... This Reference 166.073 is not only an attractive piece of 1970's dive watch design, but is also a military-issued example. Dating to circa 1973, this piece is offered in strong condition given its past history, with a strong 'cushion' case that shows normal wear with no signs of previous polishing. The bi-directional rotating bezel assembly houses a black acrylic insert, featuring full graduations throughout with a triangle at the 12 o'clock position. The screw-down caseback bears the traditional Hippocampus with an Omega logo — as does the signed crown. Inside, the matte black dial is exceptionally well-preserved, with very attractive and evenly patinated Tritium plots, applied 'faceted' indices, and a framed date aperture. The handset matches the dial nicey and is of the 'sword' style, which is a design characteristic borrowed from the Seamaster 300 issued to the British Military that predates this piece. Powering this piece is Omegas Cal. 565 automatic-winding movement. This piece, on its own, would be a treasure, a real piece of horological history. But it gets better! Accompanying this piece is an extract from Omega's archives confirming production on 6/29/1973 and delivery to the Israeli Defense Forces. Not only is this a piece of history, but when compared to other military-issued pieces from other brands, this actually is fantastic value, and they sure don't grow on trees.