Hi all.

According to Omega, the first Seamasters were produced in 1948 and I've been trying to search for the first Seamasters for a long time.
As far as I know, the early Seamasters did not have Seamaster printed on their dials and what I have so far is a 2491 and a 2519.
If you have an early seamaster, info or pictures, please share. I am very appreciated.
Thank you.



The first pic is a page from a catalog of Gator that he posted long time ago.


View attachment 379717

 

Seamaster?

 

Hi Tamura.

Reference # please.

 

2576 - 4

 

Hi @hoipolloi ,
Here is my oldest Seamaster, actually it has become my wife's.
Crown, and bracelet are of course not original to the watch. The rest is as found and I don't have an extract of archive. Hope you like it, I use to call it the missing link.
If I remember correct, which I usually do, there an interesting thread about early Seamasters written some years ago.
Mounir

 

I have a 2577-4 from 1949 which has no Seamaster script. 11.79 serial. Wrong crown but the rest is straight. Terrible pic

 

https://omegaforums.net/threads/any-ck2577-cal-350-owners.35660/#post-403583

 

Hi Mounir.
Thanks for posting.
Your watch is a 2491, not a 2576, I think. And the movement is earlier than mine. The interesting thing about your watch is it has the dial of a 2576 and the movement and the case of 2491.
Here are two 2576 from my collection.

 

The dial has a bigger second "counter", look at @kyle L's watch in the thread I posted, I think it is the same dial but with different hands.

 

CK2800-1 with a cal 266

 

Lovely but not a Seamaster AFAIK, 2800 is listed as International Collection on the Vintage Website and has no water resistance.

 

That's what i thought too but more than one person has said otherwise.
Indeed it falls under "other" in the omega vintage database.
Do we know what collection it belongs to?

 

What is the serial # Kyle?

 

Anybody has something earlier than 2491? Serial # 11or 10 mil?

 

His case back say both 2491-1 and 2576 so it's a dual reference case. The lugs also look exactly like one of the two variances of the 2576 that I've seen. His movement is a 28.10RA with serial 10mil so it's likely to be among the first.

OVDB lists 10 Seamaster models introduced in the same year 1949 with the 2491. Those below and the 2635. It doesn't list all the metals but I believe the 2520 is exclusively solid gold only.

 

I have been thinking a lot about your question. How do you define an early Seamaster ? By ref. is there another reference ? Early bumper mvt with waterproof case ? A case with beefy lugs ?
It seems like you are looking for something in particular or know something we don't. Please give us some elements.
Most interesting thread, since a long time.
Kind regards
Mounir

 

What about those crowns in your fisrt picture ? Do they exist in real or only in the catalogue ?