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Omega Steel Dress Watch 'Breguet', 1960s

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Omega (maker)
Date
1960s
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Materials / technique
steel
Dimensions
Case 33 mm
Stock no.
40960312
Credit line
Dealer listing, Analog/Shift (40960312)
Catalogue title (original)
Omega Steel Dress Watch 'Breguet' (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Analog/Shift (dealer), New York (stock number 40960312), this is a wristwatch by Omega, made in Switzerland, dated 1960s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: steel. Recorded dimensions: Case 33 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

When you think of Omega, you undoubtedly picture the Speedmaster, Seamaster, or — if you’re a bit more adventurous — the Railmaster. While these pieces played significant roles in forming the watch industry of today, many of Omega’s older, classic offerings provide an exceptional look into their era, speaking to the stories and history from years past. Take this vintage dress piece, for example. Dating to the 1960s, it features a 33mm stainless steel case with a smooth bezel, a signed crown, and an acrylic crystal. Its patinated silver dial stands out for its applied, diamond-shaped indices, 'Breguet'-style 12 o'clock marker, and 'dauphine' handset. When combined with a simple open minute track, the picture of a highly considered dress watch design emerges. Powered by a beautiful Omega Calibre 420 manually-wound movement and paired to a navy strap, this is the type of refined timepiece that you can't wear without smiling. A memento from an excellent era in mechanical watchmaking, it looks as handsome today as the day it left the Omega manufacture in Biel/Bienne.

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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