Overview of the Omega cal. 30 I Tourbillon wristwatches
In 1947 , Omega created twelve Calibre 30 I tourbillon movements of only 30 mm in diameter to run in the “wristwatch” category of the Geneva , Neûchatel and Kew-Teddington Observatory trials . In these movements, the tourbillons had a rotation rate of 7.5...
Thank you so much. Yes, the last one is wonderful.
I also like the dials with even numerals (12, 2, 4, 8, 10) and their cases with very nice lugs. Best, Emmanuel
Great post and very interesting information plus some great watches.
For me number 5 would be my choice even if it does look like a Breguet I think it's stunning. Marc
Thank you, Marc.
No. 5 is really unique: it's the only one with a "sophisticated" dial and case, which contrasts in an interesting way with the aesthetically "rougher" dial. Best, Emmanuel
I don’t know if it’s only me, but back then even a “plain finished” moment was so visually esthetic.
Great post and great watches.
Excellent post, Emmanuel.
If you could ship me #3 and/or #7 I would be eternally grateful.
Thank you! I would love to please you, but I'm afraid I won't be able to make it happen, unfortunately!
Gems to dream about. Best, Emmanuel
Wow - especially that steel one from ages past 👌🏻👍🏻🙌🏻
Thanks a lot for unearthing these for the rest of us 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
My pleasure! This steel one is wonderful indeed.
The ones with even numerals (2, 4, 8, 10, 12) and beautiful lugs are quite nice too, imo. Best, Emmanuel
I knew some of these...
but never seen that before and it's absolutely stunning thanks for showing it to us ...
Same here. Familiar with the others . . .
. . . but never laid eyes on #5. Astounded, Art
The notes of the Antiquorum page from 2021 state:
"Recently discovered information by the Omega archives has come to light that in the 1980’s, this movement was owned by Mr Franck Muller himself and that he was the one that finished and assembled the movement. Mr Muller had the dial made by Tille and the...
My pleasure, Bruno. This series is fascinating.
Understated greatness. Best, Emmanuel
Here are a few lines from the notes of the Antiquorum page from 2021:
"Recently discovered information by the Omega archives has come to light that in the 1980’s, this movement was owned by Mr Franck Muller himself and that he was the one that finished and assembled the movement. Mr Muller had the dial made by Tille and the...
Really cool post and sorry if I missed it,
but have any of these appeared at auction? If so what do you think they would go for? Thanks👍
Yes, they have. I saw one in the metal . . .
. . . (but behind glass) at OmegaMania in '07. Needless to say, I couldn't afford to bid on it. I was going to bid on one of two 910 Flightmasters but wasn't able to make the telephone connection in time. Art
Osvaldo Patrizzi allowed me to wear the 910 prior to OmegaMania opening . . .
. . . on the first day. I had photos but lost them in a computer update a long time ago. The other jaw-dropper at OM was the platinum ref 2852(?) Constellation. There were a few produced, as well as white gold versions. A white gold 2852 with an engraved ...
This sounds amazing indeed. The 910, the pt 2852, the wg one with engraved black dial...
Grails... I hope someone is really enjoying and wearing them somewhere. Best, Emmanuel
The white gold 2852 with a black engraved dial . . .
. . . belongs to MSN, a noted Omega collector who used to post here in the first years of this forum. Art
As expected, I couldn't find any photos of such a white gold 2852.
Nor did I find any posts from "MSN", by the way. But I saw your steel black dial Connie and... it's truly fantastic! And it's great that you managed to buy it from Bill Sohne after Phil Cooper stepped back from the trade idea. A watch to cherish endlessly...
That would be a scarce five-digit reference fitted . . .
. . . with a cal 344 movement, Nicolas. I don't recall seeing it at OmegaMania but then there were so many my head was spinning. 😵💫
Thanks, Nico. There were several low-production five-digit references . . .
. . . in the early '50s. None in my collection, but I had a chance to own a ref 14311 that belonged to a local collector. Sad to say he let it go when he sold off his entire collection in one fell swoop to a dealer. Art ...
Yes, they have: in the photos credit, I have inserted a link to the page
from Antiquorum, Phillips, Christie's. You can check them. The steel prototype sold for CHF 1,428,500... No. 7 sold for HK$ 635,000. Best, Emmanuel
Bill Sohne relayed a story of a 30I found . . .
. . . in a lot of a deceased watchmaker's estate. I'll get in touch with him this weekend to refresh my memory of details. I believe a handful were sold in the late '40s and will try to find the source. The 30I is the ultimate Omega, in my humble opinion....
Thank you so much, Art.
I agree with you that the 30I is a pinnacle. And this series of watches is truly fascinating. Any additional information you could find would be very interesting, of course. I will search for Magnus' post. Thanks again and have a great weekend. Emmanuel