Omega Seamaster Ref. 2635 “Hammer” Automatic, Swiss 1952

Rare, Beautiful and Iconic ** Early Vintage Omega Seamaster Ref. 2635 “Hammer” Automatic, Swiss 1952 **

Launched in 1948 to concur with Omega’s Centennial celebrations, the Seamaster line was issued as a civilian version inspired by the waterproof wristwatches Omega had produced for the British military in the latter part of WWII. The new design concept was: “A robust yet elegant watch for active individuals who want a watch for “town, sea and country”.

All the early Seamaster watches were equipped with self-winding movements, and rapidly found favor in the marketplace for their robustness, accuracy and reliability.

Moreover, in those days water-resistant watches generally had lead or shellac gaskets to hermetically seal the watch case… and these were susceptible to leakage resulting from temperature changes… the Seamaster watchcase was sealed with a rubber O-ring gasket of the type that had proven its abilities in submarines during the Second World War. Thus, in 1955 the Seamaster achieved its first diving-record, when Australian Gordon McLean wore one to the depth of 62.5 meters.

Additionally, the Seamaster was independently tested by the Swiss Laboratory for Watch Research which subjected 50 cases to tests at a simulated depth of 60 meters. After temperature changes of -40°C to 50°C in quick succession, the cases showed no sign of water infiltration. In fact, the engineers at OMEGA were so confident of the Seamaster that one flew the Polar Route over the North Atlantic in 1956… attached to the outside of a Douglas DC6 aircraft!

The Omega Seamaster also is Iconic for its role as the trusted watch of 007 agent James Bond… Of which the Semaster Ref. 2635, presently offered here for your consideration, is the venerable grandfather!

• Material: Stainless Steel
• Dial: Silvered with Applied Numerals and Shark -Tooth Batons, Fully Original
• Bracelet: Black Crocodile
• Buckle: Omega, Stainless steel
• Movement: Omega Calibre 354, “Hammer” Automatic Self-Winding
• Case: 32.5 mm diameter (excluding the winder crown) x 40 mm Length (lug-to-lug)
• Condition: Excellent. Fully Serviced by Master Swiss Watchmaker.

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OMEGA history

The Omega Watch Company was founded by Louis Brandt in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, in 1848. Initially the firm assembled key-wound precision pocket watches using parts supplied by local craftsmen.

After Louis Brandt’s death in 1879, his two sons Louis-Paul and Cesar took over control of the business. Louis-Paul and Cesar Brandt both died in 1903, leaving one of Switzerland’s largest watch companies – with an annual production of 240’000 watches and 800 employees – in the hands of four young Brandt family members, the oldest of whom was Paul-Emile Brandt.

The difficult economic times that followed World War I caused Paul-Emil Brandt, as of 1925, to actively seek a union between OMEGA and Tissot… which subsequently led to their merger in 1930 within the group SSIH.

By the 1970s, SSIH had become Switzerland’s no 1 producer of finished watches. However, due to the severe monetary crisis and recession from 1975 to 1980, SSIH had to be bailed out by the banks. In 1985 the holding company was taken over by a group of private investors and renamed SMH  Societe suisse de microelectronique et d’horlogerie.

The new group achieved rapid growth and success to become today’s top watch producer in the world. Named Swatch Group in 1998, it now notably includes Blancpain and Breguet.

Dynamic and flourishing, OMEGA remains one of the company’s most prestigious flagship brands.