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Before the Seamaster was a deep-sea diver’s tool, it was the quintessential gentleman’s watch for a life of action. Launched in 1948 and drawing heavily on Omega’s experience building robust watches for the British military during WWII, the Seamaster was the perfect synthesis of durability and elegance. The Seamaster Calendar, introduced a few years later, was a significant evolution, adding the modern convenience of a date complication to this legendary “go anywhere, do anything” design.
This watch hails from that golden era of the early 1950s, a time of incredible optimism and mechanical innovation. Beating at its heart is the Calibre 353, a magnificent example of Omega’s early “bumper” automatic movements. Unlike a modern automatic watch with a full 360-degree rotor, the oscillating weight in a bumper calibre bumps back and forth between two springs. It’s a design you can feel on the wrist, a gentle, tangible reminder of the intricate machine at work. To us, this tactile connection is one of the great joys of early automatic watchmaking.
This particular Reference 2627-4 is a stunning example of the model. The case is a handsome two-tone affair, with a thick gold cap over a robust stainless steel body, offering the warm look of solid gold with the durability of steel. Its silver dial is beautifully balanced, featuring a mix of applied gilt dart indices and Arabic numerals. What truly sets this model apart is the elegant placement of the date window at 6 o’clock, a feature that creates a wonderful vertical symmetry that was sadly lost in later designs. The sharp dauphine hands, a hallmark of the era, complete the timeless look.
