Omega Seamaster 600 Cal.601 1964

Omega Watches

Since the company was founded in 1848, Omega has pioneered a huge range of technical innovations in watchmaking. Britain’s Royal Flying Corps chose Omega watches in 1917 as official timekeepers for its pilots and again in 1940, RAF Pilots watches were supplied by Omega. The 1940s also saw the first tourbillon wristwatch and the first of the famous Seamaster watches, whilst the 1950s and ’60s introduced the legendary Constellation, Speedmaster, Seamaster 300 and Railmaster. Over the years, everyone from John F. Kennedy to Elvis wore Omega watches on official duties. What’s more, in 1962 astronaut Wally Schirra took his Omega Speedmaster into space on NASA’s Mercury Sigma 7 mission and in 1969, two Omega Speedmasters landed on the moon, worn by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

Description

A stunning Omega Seamaster 600 with a superb gilt furnished black dial. Omega watches of this period are very highly regarded for their quality, particularly their movements which are outstanding. Here, the Calibre 601, 17 Jewel hand-wound movement is superb and following an overhaul and service, is in tip-top condition and running perfectly.

Omega Seamaster watches have always been highly regarded for their accuracy and dependability so these are considered one of the most practical everyday vintage watches one can buy.

The Dial

The style here is classic Omega, very clean and simple, comprising of a previously restored black dial with applied onyx inlaid ‘baton’ hour indices, matched with original classic ‘index’ hands. The dial carries an applied gilt Omega brand and is signed ‘Omega’, with ‘Seamaster’, ‘600’ in the lower part of the dial and ‘Swiss Made – T’ at the very bottom below the 6.

A new replacement lens has been fitted as part of the restoration.

This is the original dial which has been previously restored to an excellent standard.

The Movement

The Omega Cal.601, 17 Jewel hand-wound movement fitted to this watch was one of Omega’s most successful movements, remaining in production for almost 20 years.

Manufactured by Omega between 1962 and 1970, the Omega Cal.601 movement is very highly regarded for its accuracy and reliability, making this watch perfectly suited for everyday use as well as evening wear. The movement is in tip-top condition having been overhauled and serviced by our vintage Omega specialist watchmaker. This means it has been completely disassembled to all its component parts, carefully inspected under high magnification, replacement where necessary with only genuine Omega parts before careful reassembly and adjustment and calibration. The watch winds, sets and runs perfectly accurately and reliably within +5 seconds per day, averaged over 5 positions. This is excellent for any watch of this age and has been confirmed on our electronic watch timegrapher. The movement also has an excellent 48-hour power reserve when fully wound. We are therefore more than confident in offering 12 months’ warranty with this watch movement*.

The movement is correctly signed ‘Omega Watch Co Swiss’, carries the Calibre number 601, as well as the movements serial number 21,526,735, which dates this watch to 1964.

*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only applicable if the list price is paid.

The Case

The two-piece yellow gold plated Omega Swiss-made watch case measures 34mm in diameter, excluding the original Omega signed winding crown. This would have been a typical/average gents sized watch case in the late 1960s and early ’70s, however, depending on your wrist size, this may seem a relatively small watch by modern day standards. The case, as we would expect from Omega, is very solid and well made and the screw-back case-back closes with very little friction’, indicating the case has been impeccably built and maintained.

Having been cleaned, carefully examined and lightly hand-polished by our case maker, the case is totally immaculate, being very crisp with no scratches, dings or other blemishes visible to the naked eye. This, along with the superb general condition of the rest of the watch, indicates this watch has received an excellent level of care and only light use.

The inside of the case-back carries the ‘Omega Watch Co’ as well as ‘Swiss Made’, ‘Plaque Or G’, ’40 Microns’, Stainless Steel’ along with the case reference number, 153-011.

Although initially specified as water-resistant, this has not been tested and therefore is not guaranteed. Our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Strap & Buckle

A new black Alligator strap and gold-plated Omega buckle has been fitted, which we feel matches the watch perfectly. However, if a different colour or style of strap is preferred, please let us know and we will do our best to oblige, free of charge. We carry tan, conker, dark brown and black in stock in plain padded leather, crocodile skin or lizard skin, but we can also obtain most types and colours of strap from our partners at ‘Watch Obsession’ within 48hrs. Please take a look at their huge range of 18mm straps if you wish here.

The Box and Papers

Although there are no original papers with this watch, all the numbers and markings on the watch are correct, dating the watch to 1964.

Detailed particulars will be included with our purchase receipt for your interest and security. A separate insurance valuation for the replacement value of this watch will be provided at the time of sale along with our unique ‘Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee’ which states: “If this watch proves to be anything less than 100% genuine, authentic and original, a full refund will be given at any time”.

A high-quality presentation box is included in this sale.

As with all our watches, this watch will be sold under our 14 days no quibble sale or return policy and 12 months’ warranty.*

Payment and Delivery

If you would like to pay by bank transfer, we will be pleased to assist you with this and pass on a 3% saving to you. Paying by bank transfer for a 3% saving will not affect your 12 months warranty. Similarly, if you wish to pay by International SWIFT or Bank Wire Transfer we will provide you with our BIC / Swift number and our IBAN number.

Please check the import duties and any taxes your government may apply, these are different for each country and, unfortunately, out of our control.

We understand there may be some ‘loopholes’ that may help you avoid these charges; however, attempting to use these could impact our ongoing ability to serve our growing international customer base.

For those who happen to visit London on occasion, we are, of course, more than happy to store your watch until we can meet you in our offices in Kensington, London, and hand your watch directly to you there.

As with all our watches, this watch will be sold under our 14 days no-quibble sale or return policy.

In Conclusion

This is a first class example of a top quality Omega Genève with the superb Omega Cal.601 hand-wound movement. The movement is of a high grade and on a par with watches far more expensive than this. Omega watches are highly collectable and the rarity of this watch means the value will always remain strong.

If treated with care this watch will remain a simply wonderful timepiece to use, wear, treasure and enjoy, providing excellent reliability as well as a sound financial investment – as long-lasting as the watch itself. As each year goes by and the world market for vintage gold watches expands, availability will become more limited, so prices are surely destined to climb ever higher!

We are happy to accept PayPal as this is the quickest method of payment. However, if you choose to pay by UK bank transfer, we will be pleased to pass on a 3% transaction saving to you – Please contact us to reserve the watch and request our bank details. Similarly, if you wish to pay by International SWIFT or International Bank Wire Transfer, we will provide you with our BIC / Swift number and our IBAN number.

Please note, we also welcome part exchanges and if you have a watch or small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss this.

We will be happy to Service, Repair, or Restore your watch, all at ‘sensible’ prices. Please see here.

If you have any questions, please call our landline on 020 7727 7095 or if calling from overseas on +44 207 727 7095.

We will be happy to answer any questions and offer advice about this or any of our watches listed for sale. If you would like some general advice regarding any aspect of vintage watches, including buying, selling, or collecting, we will also be very happy to hear from you. We await your call!

Finally, please enjoy some time spent viewing our other fine Vintage Watches!

Thank you.