1950s Omega 30T2 Red Outer Minute Track

Make - Omega

 

Model - Tresor 

 

Case: 35 mm

 

Reference - 2318-5

 

Movement: Cal. 30 T2

 

Bracelet - Calf grain

 

Accessories - Company watch pouch

Dating to 1944, during the closing years of the Second World War, this Omega reference 2318-5 MI comes to us retaining its correct bowler crown and wonderfully honest character. The 35mm stainless steel case is considered a true jumbo size for the era and gives the watch a surprisingly modern presence on the wrist, particularly for a wartime Omega. Reference 2318 examples from this period commonly housed the highly respected Omega 30T2 family of movements, regarded by many collectors as one of the finest manually wound calibres of the era.  

 

The beautifully preserved off-white dial is undoubtedly the star of the show, featuring attractive silver foil Arabic numerals that capture and reflect light with wonderful depth and warmth. The simplicity of the design is exactly what made these wartime Omegas so compelling: clear legibility, balanced proportions and understated elegance, all wrapped within a rugged everyday case design.

 

Eighty years on, pieces such as this are becoming increasingly difficult to source in untouched condition. Watches from this wartime period often suffered hard use, dial restoration or heavy polishing over the decades, making original examples with this level of preservation ever more desirable amongst collectors. It is a wonderfully honest Omega and a superb snapshot of the era when some of the brand’s most enduring designs were being produced.