Very Rare Omega Calibre 30DP Observatory Chronometer on the bay

[dsio]

Going to include all the pictures since this one is an interesting and rarely seen reference, incidentally this reference is also the watch @mac_omega wears on a nato strap as his daily.

$6500 BIN is a strong price but its hard to know where to even peg these given they’re extremely cool, very rare, yet mostly useless.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/203515079370?hash=item2f6271aaca:g:fDgAAOSwea1g4wYD

 

[TexOmega]

Yes, perfect with a NATO

 

[peterbar77]

Looks similar to the 30T2 movement. If I not mistaken, it is from 1939...
I really like this case. It is custom made?

 

[Franco]

These are the classic blocks used for the movements to send to the Observatory Competitions. Sometime in wood rather than aluminum or other metal.

 

[peterbar77]

Thanks for the reply, I never seen this bock before, I thought it is a custom made case to hold the watch

 

[dsio]

P peterbar77

Thanks for the reply, I never seen this bock before, I thought it is a custom made case to hold the watch

Nope, I think these blocks are due to the need for the movement to be tested in a variety of positions easily during the trials. These watches were not intended for casing and were sort of the best of the best, hand picked and find tuned to the absolute maximum in order to do as well as possible. It’d actually be cool to get one of these to @Archer and compare it to a regular 30T2RG to see what the difference is finishing wise and how well it does all of these years later. Omega, Zenith and Patek were three of the main competitors in this era trading wins, and this movement even eventually ended up forming the basis of the first ever wristwatch Tourbillon.

 

[peterbar77]

dsio

Nope, I think these blocks are due to the need for the movement to be tested in a variety of positions easily during the trials. These watches were not intended for casing and were sort of the best of the best, hand picked and find tuned to the absolute maximum in order to do as well as possible. It’d actually be cool to get one of these to @Archer and compare it to a regular 30T2RG to see what the difference is finishing wise and how well it does all of these years later. Omega, Zenith and Patek were three of the main competitors in this era trading wins, and this movement even eventually ended up forming the basis of the first ever wristwatch Tourbillon.

 

[peterbar77]

If I’m not mistaken, it was Omega who made the first tourbillon wristwatch, right?

 

[dsio]

P peterbar77

If I’m not mistaken, it was Omega who made the first tourbillon wristwatch, right?

From memory it went sort of like this:

Omega makes the 30mm tourbillon for observatory competitions, its somewhat successful but not useful or practical to put in a wristwatch so they don’t produce it as a serial production cased watch but keep the movements (12 or so) from the 1940s…

Then in the 1980s Audemars Piguet decide to create the first wristwatch tourbillon and pour a pile of money, time and effort into achieving this. Omega realized they still had the 12 Calibre 30 I tourbillons sitting around so took 7 of them, cased them and sold a few of them in order to beat AP to the title of first wristwatch tourbillon and hurt AP’s feelings.

There was apparently also a prototype cased in 1947 that turned up recently in addition to the other 12. Interestingly Lemania (same parent company as Omega back then) also made a prototype automatic chronograph in 1947 based on the Lemania CH27 hand-wound movement with a bumper auto-winding system added, 22 years before the El Primero, Eternamatic and Seiko arrived on the scene. It was a pretty innovative company in its day.

 

[peterbar77]

Well, it is an amazing history, it is a shame is faded away after all these years. I guess not too many people know these achievements. I guess Omega should have advertise itself better, and show what they were (they are) capable of…
Not only making another Speedmaster anniversary model…

 

[Foo2rama]

What’s the deal at 6 o clock?

 

[Tony C.]

Foo2rama

What’s the deal at 6 o clock?

It's typical, but missing a second one. The markings allowed for more precise measurements of the second hand. As the hand moves across the sub-dial, it completely blacks out the section of tape, and then again on the second piece ten seconds later.

Another of many examples:

Edited: Jul 6, 2021

 

[Franco]

In other cases there are proper windows in the dial allow to regulate the movement with the movement still in the block. Obviously in in different positions.

 

[JimInOz]

I think that @mac_omega must either be asleep, or on holiday to have missed this.

Or maybe he just wanted to keep it under the radar?

Whoops, sorry Erich.

 

[mac_omega]

Foo2rama

What’s the deal at 6 o clock?

The precision time measuring was not taken "by eye" - it was performed electronically using a so-called time recorder, which was also used in athletic competitions.


When the second hand passed above the white line of the attached cardboard at six the timing machine was triggered by a photocell. The measure values were printed out on a paper strip and thus meticulously documented, accurate to one thousandth of a second.



above: the time recorder in the climate chamber

The last 2 photos courtesy by Omega - taken from my chronometer book

 

[mac_omega]

JimInOz

I think that @mac_omega must either be asleep, or on holiday to have missed this.

Or maybe he just wanted to keep it under the radar?

Whoops, sorry Erich.

Not asleep - just hungry... had to take lunch first 😉

And had to search for the photos on my computer HD

 

[Archer]

Franco

In other cases there are proper windows in the dial allow to regulate the movement with the movement still in the block. Obviously in in different positions.

Are you referring to the spot at the red arrow?



If so, that has nothing to do with regulating the movement. That shows (for some reason) the cap jewel on one of the wheels in the movement. These are typically done on the balance, but could also be an escape wheel.

 

[tyrantlizardrex]

Dr. C. Mueller over on instagram has a fine collection of these observatory chronometers, from a variety of makers: https://www.instagram.com/chronometer.database/

He was selling a few last year, and I enquired about an Omega one, which he was asking a little over €11,000 for.

Beautiful and interesting, but way beyond my means!

 

[dsio]

tyrantlizardrex

Dr. C. Mueller over on instagram has a fine collection of these observatory chronometers, from a variety of makers: https://www.instagram.com/chronometer.database/

He was selling a few last year, and I enquired about an Omega one, which he was asking a little over €11,000 for.

Beautiful and interesting, but way beyond my means!

It’s cool but 11k euro cool I don’t know about that, not sure what you’d really do with it other than try to make a glass case on a shelf for it or try to keep it on one of those mechanical winders as a weird desk clock maybe

 

[tyrantlizardrex]

I'm with you @dsio!

A cool thing to have, but then... 😒