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Omega wristwatch, ref. ST, Made for the Pakistan Army Seamaster, circa 1961 — view 1 of 4
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Omega wristwatch, ref. ST, Made for the Pakistan Army Seamaster, circa 1961

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.
Maker / attribution
Omega (brand / maker)
Date
c. 1961
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Materials / technique
stainless steel
Lot
Lot 345-35
Credit line
Auction lot record: LOT 35, Hong Kong, December 5th, 2021
Catalogue title (original)
OMEGA REF. ST 135.004 - 63, MADE FOR THE PAKISTAN ARMY, SEAMASTER, STAYBRITE STEEL (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva (lot Lot 345-35), this is a wristwatch by Omega, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1961. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: stainless steel. The record is illustrated with 4 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

Antiquorum catalogue description

Staybrite stainless steel, manual-winding, “tonneau”-shaped, military pilot’s wristwatch with screwed case-back, black dial with suspended luminous Arabic numerals, radial indexes and centre-seconds; the movement protected inside a soft iron calotte (protective container) against magnetic fields, made for the “P.A.F.”, Pakistan Air Force.

Lot specifications (Antiquorum)

Model: Seamaster; Reference: ST 135.004 - 63 / S.C.; Movement No.: 18 128 912; Case No.: Unnumbered (by Huguenin Frères, Le Locle); Bracelet: Brown leather strap; stainless steel Omega buckle; Caliber: 285; Dimensions: 47.7 x 38.1 mm; Signature: Case, Dial and Movement; Accessories: Red service “patrimony” box with outer box, Certificate of Authenticity

Inscriptions & marks

Case, Dial and Movement

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

Dive and water-resistant watches

Keeping water and dust out of a wristwatch was a long-standing challenge. Rolex's screw-down Oyster case (1926) and Omega's Marine (1932) were landmarks; in the early 1950s Blancpain's Fifty Fathoms and Rolex's Submariner defined the professional dive watch with rotating bezels for timing dives, luminous dials and high water resistance. The ISO 6425 standard (1982) later codified what a 'diver's watch' must do.

Dive watches became icons of post-war design and exploration, and their evolution — helium escape valves, ceramic bezels, saturation-diving depth ratings — records the history of underwater work.

What to look for

  • Unidirectional or bidirectional rotating bezel with minute markings.
  • Screw-down crown and case back; depth rating printed on the dial.
  • Luminous hands and markers (radium before c. 1960, tritium c. 1960–1998, then Super-LumiNova).
  • Reference numbers on the case between the lugs or inside the back.

Dating clues

  • Screw-down Oyster cases: from 1926.
  • Professional dive watches: from 1953.
  • Tritium 'T' marks on dials: c. 1960–1998.

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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