Comments:
Pic credit Danielslondon.com
The quest for Dr Daniels was to produce an escapement which negated the need for lubrication and improve accuracy. Having owned two co-axial watches- the 50th Anniv Speedster and the Seamster 300 with cal 8500- I can certainly testify that co-axial movement are unbelievably accurate- the Speedmaster lost 2 seconds over 30 days.
Pic Credit Omega
The first series of Co-Axial watches used a modified ETA cal- the cal.2500. This was not unusual, Dr Daniels had already modified existing calibre's from Omega,Rolex and even Patek.
These are very rare and unknown Probably because Omega was suffering from its poor performance in the prev decades If it were launched today Completely different story Best Imran
Omega DeVille CoAxial 1999: limited series- as close as you can get to a Daniels watch in the real world
I remember well when Omega launched the limited series of Co-Axial chronometers in 1999. At the time as a collector I felt these were a formidable leap of faith from Omega- but undeniably a justified one. This first series of watches made in yellow gold 999 pieces, rose gold 999 pieces and platinum in a super limited 99 pieces only- were made under the direct aegis of Dr. George Daniels himself. He would have been justifiably proud to finally see his new escapement make it into serial production.
Pic credit Danielslondon.com
The quest for Dr Daniels was to produce an escapement which negated the need for lubrication and improve accuracy. Having owned two co-axial watches- the 50th Anniv Speedster and the Seamster 300 with cal 8500- I can certainly testify that co-axial movement are unbelievably accurate- the Speedmaster lost 2 seconds over 30 days.
Now I am not going to go technical- I neither have the knowledge or understanding to explain the entire process, but suffice to say its the first new escapement since the lever escapement invented by Mudge.
Pic Credit Omega
The first series of Co-Axial watches used a modified ETA cal- the cal.2500. This was not unusual, Dr Daniels had already modified existing calibre's from Omega,Rolex and even Patek.
Now before you get complacent about the cal.2500- just remember this was the same cal re-worked and used in the Daniels Millennium series of watches:
The production prototype was given to Dr Daniels as a gift:
Now of course I do not dare compare this first series to a watch made by the master himself. But this I feel is as close as it can get, supervised, overseen by the greatest watchmaker of the 20th century.
I had this week end the chance to handle one of the rare platinum versions- and this has now become a must have for me.
This is a watch, which has historical significance and possibly will in time be seen in its true value. For now it is a sleeping giant.
Thank you Dr. Daniels- for your devotion to horology- we will always be indebted to your genius.
Best
Imran
You're not the only person to hold this opinion - there's at least . . .
. . . two other Purists who agree.
Btw, there was also a white gold variant, if memory serves correct, produced in an edition of 999. Well worth hunting, imho.
Art
Btw, there was also a white gold variant, if memory serves correct, produced in an edition of 999. Well worth hunting, imho.
Art
Indeed there was...in 2000 I believe
These are very rare and unknown Probably because Omega was suffering from its poor performance in the prev decades If it were launched today Completely different story Best Imran
Wonderful post ...
Sir,
I saw one in white gold.
It's collectible? Or is just a "limited edition"?
Cheers,
Nilo
Certainly a breakthrough in watch making
The watch looks great, just too much writing on the dial for my liking. If it had just "Omega" on it, it would have been even better.
Excellent post, Miranda!
A timely reminder of this fine series and a real leap of faith by Omega to adopt the CoAxial.
I have the original press pack and invitation to the London launch for this release at home (will post here once I unearth it).
Incidentally, thank you for including a pic of my thumb holding George Daniels' own 000/999 (seen an an event sponsored by the Australian watch blog Time&Tide, Omega and the Omega Museum
For any fans of my thumb, here's another shot.
HAGWE
I have the original press pack and invitation to the London launch for this release at home (will post here once I unearth it).
Incidentally, thank you for including a pic of my thumb holding George Daniels' own 000/999 (seen an an event sponsored by the Australian watch blog Time&Tide, Omega and the Omega Museum
For any fans of my thumb, here's another shot.
HAGWE
Very underrated watch/movement
I couldn't agree more with your post. This connection to George Daniels is the main reason I ended up with a 1st gen Seamaster Planet Ocean; I liked the watch, but loved the movement. I think the 2500, as the first series-produced non-lever movement in decades, is very underrated and under-appreciated. It's utilization in your 1st gen DeVille co-axial is even more special.
Also, FWIW, 1999 was a BIG year for horology. Launch of the Omega Co-Axial. Launch of the Datograph. Launch of FP Journe.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and pictures of this special piece.
Bravo,
Brandon
Very nice watch. I would have liked to see less wording on the dial and... No date! Overall, a superb specimen. [nt]
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Great post, Miranda.
I never saw the platinum before . Did all of them have a salmon dial? That is so special.
Congratulations Imran - I know you've been looking for a long time
Perhaps time to re-post this.
Think I last posted it 15 years ago!
The co-axial was my first serious watch - and I still love them.
Love the trio!...
Below is another trio shot. As I mentioned in the December 2016 thread about these original Coaxial watches, I was captivated by these back in 1999. They contained the disastrously unreliable cal. 2500A movements when Omega released them. If I remember correctly, the watches often wouldn't start running due to lubrication problems. When the watches were sent to Omega for servicing, Omega would remove the 2500A movement and replace it with a later version (the B or C version I think). I still have the 3 below. I never sent them to Omega, so all still have the 2500A movements. The white metal watch is actually a platinum case. It originally came with the "salmon" dial, which I thought looked unattractive in person (I usually like salmon dials but not this particular color), so I had it replaced with the silver dial that normally came on the white gold version. That way I could actually wear it I still have the salmon dial, though, so the watch can always be restored to its original "non-frankenwatch" state. I think the YG is my favorite (especially on the light brown strap).
I still have the salmon dial, though, so the watch can always be restored to its original "non-frankenwatch" state. I think the YG is my favorite (especially on the light brown strap).
ah, the damn regrets, here's mine plus a unusual skeleton and unique one!
I was fortunate enough to have a rg/blue dialed version once upon a time (stoopid, stoopid, stoopid, I know).
#785/999 which I dug out these pics.
I believe one of our esteemed owners had this skeletonized version which he showed me once.
Beautiful, Larry! You mentioned unique ... Is that skeleton in the photo a unique piece? [nt]
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