What are the ultimate Ωmega collectors watches?

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Hi,
I was wondering which models are regarded as the ultimate Omega watches to have in a collection?
I know its a subjective question but thought I'd ask anyway 😀
 
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I guess it depends on what model line(s) you like. I couldn't tell you much about vintage Speedmasters but I know I'd like a late 50's Broad Arrow or a 60's chocolate. I think Chuck Maddox had one 70's automatic model he called the grail because of limited production. If you ask about vintage Constellations I'd bet the Grand Luxe & De Luxe would be near the top of everyone's list, and then a waffle dial caliber 505 with white gold arrowhead indices next. Vintage Seamasters need to be qualified by ss diver watches or gold dress watches. If it's the former, the SM300 or original PloProf is the ticket. If the latter, it's gotta be the very uncommon pie pan in any caliber, a Melbourne XVI Olympic Commemorative, or maybe a 321 chrono. There was also a really rare "Darth Vader" caliber 861 in a ss case bombarded with tungsten and then black PVD coated - a reference 145.0023. The Soccer Timer caliber 861 and the Big Blue caliber 104x are pretty sought after also but not as rare. There's even a De Ville 146.0017 caliber 930 chronograph with a date window at 9 that's awful tough to find and could be considered a great addition to any collection.
 
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Speedmaster Broadarrow
Speedmaster CK2998
Speedmaster Pro 145.022
Speedmaster Pro Cal 861 18K burgundy bezel
NOT the Speedmaster Cal 1045 that Chuck Maddox loves because in spite of the rarity, it just doesn't fit as an automatic into the Speedmaster line in my biased opinion. That watch just doesn't speak to me at all, though I love the Lemania 5100 and its derivatives, it just isn't a Speedmaster Pro to me.
Pie-Pan Grand Luxe on brick bracelet
SM300 (NOT a WatchCo)
PloProf 600 (not a 1000 or later shape varient)
18k Flightmaster on bracelet ~20 examples iirc?

That'd be my personal hit list, completely opinion only, not set in stone 😀
 
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These two would be my two grail pieces, both need no introduction really, and I'd gladly sell up all my others if I had the chance at a nice example of either of them. Sadly the FM in particular is rarely ever seen...


 
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Beautiful watches - I would be chuffed to nuts to walk around with either of them on my wrist!
 
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I would add:

Early case 2648 RG Constellations with guilloche dials,
Early Seamaster chronometers from 1948 - 50
Stepped pie pan dialled Seamaster Deluxe models as well as normal pie pans
Omega Railmasters
Ranchero models from the late 50s(quite uncommon)
Golden Seamasters 168.023
Omega D-Shape Constellation for those who like the early electro-mechanical calibres
The original Omega Marine
Cosmic Moonphase from late 40s to 50s, particularly model 3944
Omega Centenary models 2499 and 2500
166.0106 18k gold Seamaster Memomatic (rare)
Bull-Head Seamaster 146.0011
...for starters 😀
 
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Since the thread topic wasn't specifically vintage only, what do you guys think about the Seamaster Omegamatic? What kind of numbers and availability is there for them?
 
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Love that Flightmaster, even though it probably weighs a few pounds 😀
 
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Since the thread topic wasn't specifically vintage only, what do you guys think about the Seamaster Omegamatic?

Got a pic? Us fogies might not know what those new-fangled watches look like. 🙄
 
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Got a pic? Us fogies might not know what those new-fangled watches look like. 🙄
The Omegamatic even has its own wikipedia page which is odd:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_Seamaster_Omegamatic

Pretty much an ETA movement with a rotor charging a capacitor which in turn powers a quartz oscillator. The significant part is that it was only made briefly (three years), the movements had a very high failure rate and many (possibly most) are now dead, as they need the original capacitor replaced and many watchmakers don't do that.

Other oddities, the bezel is unusual, the cyclops is very unusual, and the combination of sword hands with Planet Ocean style arabic numerals adds even more to the strangeness. As far as I know... it was a single ref that had no close relatives or cousins.

 
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This watch needs no introduction and with credit to the late Chuck Maddox has become a "Grail" amongst collectors. Only 1000 were possibly made for one year only in 1987.
1450 bracelet , Lemania 5100 movement.
 
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This watch needs no introduction and with credit to the late Chuck Maddox has become a "Grail" amongst collectors. Only 1000 were possibly made for one year only in 1987.
1450 bracelet , Lemania 5100 movement.

I know Chuck loved these mainly because he was a devout fan of the Lemania 5100 movement, and owned many while being a Speedmaster fan as well, and this was the perfect overlap of the two, but there are other Speedmasters with similar numbers. Although it was never confirmed, the Speedmaster Pro Earth To Moon to Mars Limited Edition was odd in that it was a limited edition of an unknown number, and nobody really knows how many they made, but its been suggested between 800 and 1300. I've been told by some dealers that it was the worst selling Speedmaster of all time, and was offered a price that would have to have been below cost by an AD on the Gold Coast a couple of years ago for one. I didn't buy it as although very cool looking, the Earth Moon Mars is very difficult to read the subdials on.

There are also several piggy-back movement automatic Speedmasters that were special order or custom in several different countries that may have been well under 1000 made.

I guess I've just never really got the reasoning behind the value of these given the movement is not really a historical Speedmaster movement and the fact that its not really a "Pro" either.
 
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I do agree. But I am a fan of 'limited editions' having bought the 40th anniversary Moonwatch, Admittedly not the most limited of watches with 7969 pieces !!. I did have the Earth Moon Mars or the Snoopy on my short list, but as you mentioned the Mars edition is very difficult to read and the Snoopy was just far to expensive !.
Talking of expensive the grail watch is currently on Ebay for £5500 !.
 
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I do agree. But I am a fan of 'limited editions' having bought the 40th anniversary Moonwatch, Admittedly not the most limited of watches with 7969 pieces !!. I did have the Earth Moon Mars or the Snoopy on my short list, but as you mentioned the Mars edition is very difficult to read and the Snoopy was just far to expensive !.
Talking of expensive the grail watch is currently on Ebay for £5500 !.

Yea I know, that's just dealers cashing in on Chuck's work in raising awareness of the piece. Some of the ebay prices on vintage speedmasters and other Omegas is just insane.

BTW the other LE I like, Gemini IV, imo one of the prettiest watches Omega ever made. I agreed to buy one from Wallace Bishop at a steep discount a couple of years back then when I returned they told me their AD status had been pulled and they had sold it back to Swatch Group... Sad that one got away.
 
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Is that a BLUE dialed manual wind Speedy? Wow, what's the reference number and what years were they offered?
 
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Steel Speedmaster Gemini 4. Ltd edition of 2005 pieces. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first space walk in 1965, this is written in red at the twelve 1965-2005. Mechanical 1861 hand wound movement with 45 hour power reserve. Blue dial with silver sub-dials, blue tachymeter bezel. Steel bracelet. Special case back. Ltd edition Omega reference 3565.80.00.

A beautiful watch !.
 
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Is that a BLUE dialed manual wind Speedy? Wow, what's the reference number and what years were they offered?

The dial is a metallic blue starburst with concentric silver-white subdials, but the thing that really makes it pop is that the Omega logo, and the hour markers are applied white gold rather than lume or paint. The hands are also white gold. 2005 units actually makes it pretty rare for an LE Speedmaster too.
 
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Well, I missed another Omega at auction yesterday 👎

I found out about this one last minute and didn't have much of a chance to research it, thus I was a little in the dark. I did manage to speak to the auctioneer who told me it was well maintained, working and only had some light scratches on the rear. Including buyer premium it went for approximately £2500 or US$4100. I could've bought it for maybe £100 more - but due to the lack of knowledge on this one bottled it!

Maybe someone will tell me glad you didn't buy it in the end or - "You idiot you should have bought it!"
I'm still mentally beating myself up over this one as I don't know one way or the other 😵‍💫

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A gentlemans 18ct gold Omega Constellation Automatic Chronometer on mesh link bracelet, stated movement no. 23858295, with box and some papers.