A classic vintage Omega watch that never goes out of style
Omega is synonymous with luxury and timeless design. Especially in the sixties, the brand excelled by developing a number of dress watches, which today have become vintage watch classics. The Omega Seamaster De Ville has become known as one of the most versatile and beautiful watches from that time, and for good reason.
With its low profile, it fits snugly on the wrist and slips effortlessly under the shirt sleeve. It is not too noisy, but just enough for you to notice it. In short: it's understated luxury at its very best.
Like so many other of Omega's model lines in the sixties, the Seamaster De Ville has undergone quite the development - in this case from Pre-Deville to Seamaster De Ville to just De Ville. Through three highlights, you can in this post learn much more about whether the watch is for you.
Pre De Ville-Era
The first watches that are usually attributed to the Seamaster De Ville models were actually not called De Ville at all. In the early sixties, Omega released a watch with more or less the same profile, which would later become the Seamaster De Ville, but which at the time only had the writing "Seamaster" on the dial. These watches can be recognised by the fact that they fit close to the wrist and have more or less the same case profile as the later models.
A key element of the design is that the movement is not accessed from the back of the watch through a screw-down case. To ensure a thin profile, Omega invented a design where the glass and dial must be removed to access the movement.
These vintage Pre-De Ville models also feature the so-called coat hanger-S in the Seamaster, named after the font on the S which resembles a coat hanger.
Seamaster De Ville era
After a few years, around 1963, Omega switched to calling these types of watches the Seamaster De Ville. The story goes that Omega's American importer, Norman Morris, liked the watches at the time, but wanted a name that differentiated them from other Seamaster models and at provided a touch of exclusivity.
Why De Ville was chosen is difficult to say, but perhaps it has to do with the use of the coupe de ville, which indicated exclusive car models that were intended for use in the cities. This gave the name a certain cosmopolitan exclusivity.
There are a myriad of dial variants from this period, some of which were only produced for certain markets. In the sixties, the Omega Seamaster De Ville was a very popular watch, and it was customary in many companies to honor employees with this particular watch at their anniversaries at a particular workplace. Therefore, it is still possible to find specimens in good condition today.
The De Ville era
In 1967, Omega decided to launch a new line of watches, which was named De Ville alone. For a short periode, Seamaster De Ville watches were still produced, but gradually production shifted to only include watches with De Ville inscribed on the dial. The watches still had the characteristic low profile but can be recognised by their considerably shorter horns.
The De-Ville models that belong to the collection described here stopped being produced around the beginning of the 1970s. After that, the De Ville collection went other design paths and is even available today as an independent collection under Omega.
One of the charming things about owning a vintage watch is that there is a story behind it, which tells something about both the development of watchmaking and the culture of the period in question. But because the collections were often not as tightly controlled as we are used to from the big brands today, you must be wary as a new buyer. Cph Vintage Watches takes pride in having in-depth knowledge that helps acquire the best original watches, so that you as a buyer can be confident in your purchase.