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Tom Dick
·Evening all
Appreciate this post won’t be for everyone but I wanted to share a couple of recent catches. As those of you who know me know my tastes for omegas are wide and varied. There isn’t much I haven’t owned but until recently these two remained on the ‘want’ list
Now for the forum purist and those amongst who think quartz is the antichrist then these probably won’t be for you. They are watches from an era when omega had (in the minds of many) lost their way and where teetering on the abyss.
Introduced in the early 1980's and running until the mid 1990’s and in a range of quartz and automatic calibres, including complex multi function analogue and digital quartz chronographs, the Polaris series were close to the top of the range for omega at the time.
Their striking case design was hewn out solid titanium along with the bracelet inlaid with 18K gold and finished flat. The design optimised an era of watch making in my mind propbably the last truly experimental design of omegas real period of innovation, which began1969 with their first quartz and ended in circa 1989. I love their watches throughout this period and admire them for being daring, bold and innovative, not like much of the range they churn out now.
Amongst the Polaris range was also an automatic chronographs chronometer, a true monster of a watch and very rare even today and then these two seldom seen beauties
What makes them different is that the cases are 41mm excluding the crown, they really are beast compared to the rest of the range which went between circa 34mm and 37mm
These two used one of two movement, calibre 1111 automatic chronometer or calibre 1655 anologue quartz chronograph, operates through a single multi function crown.
The 1665 being the precursor to the 1666 which was fitted to what would become choice for nasa the X-33. This example having been fully overhauled at our good friend STS, who even managed to get the alarm working for me again.....
Both watches represented to me a last hurrah to the era of experimentation and innovation that omega had shown with the beta 21 electroquartz and concluded with the 1665 equipped jumbo Polaris. They are such wearable and robust watches, almost impossible to 'whack' due the the titanium case and bracelet, easy too refinish yourself. They wear low to the wrist due to the case design and although flawed with its 'pin' system the bracelet, if you get a good one, is super comfy and really nice to wear.
Overall a real pair of beauties and although I appreciate not for everyone is something different and bold in a world of people cooing over a blue dial speedy that looks like its been through a washing machine of rocks and they baked on 200 degrees overnight.
Omega produced so many innovative and fantastic watches, especially over that period of circa 20 years and whilst much of their work almost led to their own demise it should also be appreciate and revered in the same way their earlier work was.
Cheers Tom
Appreciate this post won’t be for everyone but I wanted to share a couple of recent catches. As those of you who know me know my tastes for omegas are wide and varied. There isn’t much I haven’t owned but until recently these two remained on the ‘want’ list
Now for the forum purist and those amongst who think quartz is the antichrist then these probably won’t be for you. They are watches from an era when omega had (in the minds of many) lost their way and where teetering on the abyss.
Introduced in the early 1980's and running until the mid 1990’s and in a range of quartz and automatic calibres, including complex multi function analogue and digital quartz chronographs, the Polaris series were close to the top of the range for omega at the time.
Their striking case design was hewn out solid titanium along with the bracelet inlaid with 18K gold and finished flat. The design optimised an era of watch making in my mind propbably the last truly experimental design of omegas real period of innovation, which began1969 with their first quartz and ended in circa 1989. I love their watches throughout this period and admire them for being daring, bold and innovative, not like much of the range they churn out now.
Amongst the Polaris range was also an automatic chronographs chronometer, a true monster of a watch and very rare even today and then these two seldom seen beauties
What makes them different is that the cases are 41mm excluding the crown, they really are beast compared to the rest of the range which went between circa 34mm and 37mm
These two used one of two movement, calibre 1111 automatic chronometer or calibre 1655 anologue quartz chronograph, operates through a single multi function crown.
The 1665 being the precursor to the 1666 which was fitted to what would become choice for nasa the X-33. This example having been fully overhauled at our good friend STS, who even managed to get the alarm working for me again.....
Both watches represented to me a last hurrah to the era of experimentation and innovation that omega had shown with the beta 21 electroquartz and concluded with the 1665 equipped jumbo Polaris. They are such wearable and robust watches, almost impossible to 'whack' due the the titanium case and bracelet, easy too refinish yourself. They wear low to the wrist due to the case design and although flawed with its 'pin' system the bracelet, if you get a good one, is super comfy and really nice to wear.
Overall a real pair of beauties and although I appreciate not for everyone is something different and bold in a world of people cooing over a blue dial speedy that looks like its been through a washing machine of rocks and they baked on 200 degrees overnight.
Omega produced so many innovative and fantastic watches, especially over that period of circa 20 years and whilst much of their work almost led to their own demise it should also be appreciate and revered in the same way their earlier work was.
Cheers Tom
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