Omega Seamaster Calendar 2849

The Omega Seamaster Calendar 2849 Ref. was produced in the mid-1950s through the early 1960s. Omega’s own records list “1956–1962” for the international collection of CK 2849 (stainless steel) and 1956 for KO 2849 (gold-capped). In practice, examples of 2849 have been documented from roughly 1956 into the early 1960s. This model marked Omega’s introduction of an automatic “date” (calendar) function into the Seamaster line of mid-century dress-divers. It used the automatic caliber 503 with a date window, making it one of Omega’s early self-winding Seamasters with a date complication. The 2849 series bridged the gap between Omega’s 1948 Seamaster dress watch and the later Constellation, offering an everyday luxury watch with technological sophistication for its era. Its classic 34–35 mm size and refined styling (broad lugs with crisp chamfers, smooth bezel, acrylic crystal) exemplify 1950s luxury sports watch design.

Case Materials and Design

The ref. 2849 was offered in multiple case materials: primarily stainless steel, but also gold-capped (plated) steel and solid gold (yellow gold). Omega’s database shows CK 2849 in all-steel and KO 2849 as “Gold-cap on stainless steel”. Market records indicate versions labeled “Gold/Steel, Gold-plated, Steel, Yellow gold” for case materials. In practice this includes:

• Stainless steel cases (e.g. CK 2849, solid steel).
• Gold-capped steel cases (KO 2849, typically 20-micron gold plate over steel).
• Two-tone gold/steel cases (yellow-gold sections combined with steel).
• Solid yellow gold cases (likely 14K or 18K gold).

All cases are the same 34.5 mm diameter (Omega lists Ø34.5 mm), with 1950s-style broad straight lugs. The case construction is press-fit (snap-on) back. Early 2849 casebacks were typically plain, later ones often carry Omega’s Seahorse (Hippocampus) medallion symbol (introduced in the late ’50s) signifying water resistance. The bezel is smooth and polished, and the crystal is acrylic (plexiglass). Water resistance was rated to ~3 bar/30m, in line with mid-century Seamasters. The overall profile is about 12 mm thick. The case design features polished chamfered lugs (as noted on a well-preserved example).

Key Case Features:

• Diameter ~34.5 mm (ref. 2849).
• Materials: Stainless steel, gold-plated steel (gold-cap), two-tone, or solid gold.
• Press-fit screwless caseback (plain or Seahorse medallion on later pieces).
• Smooth polished bezel and stepped lugs with crisp angled edges.
• Acrylic crystal (plexiglass).
• Water-resistant ~30 m (3 bar).

Dial Variations (Colors, Textures, Markers)

The 2849’s dial comes in several colors and styles. Chrono24 listings report known dial colors including silver, white, champagne (gold-toned), black, and bronze/gilt. A variety of textures have been observed: flat matte, sunburst (radial), or even crosshair‑pattern dials. For example, a black-dial variant (ref. 2849-5 SC) shows a lightly faded black sunburst surface, while some silver dials appear bright and metallic.

Hour markers on 2849 dials are typically applied gold indices. The official Omega database describes “hand‑riveted gold hour markers”, and modern listings note “applied and sharply faceted hour markers”. Most often these are slender faceted batons or wedge shapes; some examples have slightly broader “arrowhead” (lance) indices. Each hour marker sits over a luminous radium dot (radium lume is present on many original dials). The overall effect is classic mid-century elegance.

Other dial details:

• Logo/Text: The Omega emblem and “Seamaster” script appear near 12 o’clock, with “Calendar” below or in smaller text (especially on earlier pieces). By the late ’50s, many dials simply read “Seamaster” and show a date window. A “Swiss Made” mark (or “Swiss”) is typically at 6 o’clock.
• Date Window: A framed date aperture is always at 3 o’clock (some later 2849 variants placed it at 6, but 2849 itself is at 3). The silver or white date wheel matches the dial color.
• Lume: Vintage radium still shows as creamy pips at the hour markers and on the hands (today often missing).
• Minute Track: A fine railroad or minute track usually runs around the edge of the dial.

Dial Style Summary:

• Available in black, silver, champagne, bronze, white, etc.
• Matte or sunburst finishes, some with subtle cross-hair lines.
• Applied gold indices (faceted baton/lance style).
• Radium luminous dots at each hour.
• “Seamaster” and Omega logo in gold print.
• Date window at 3:00 (framed).

Movements (Calibers)

All original ref. 2849 Seamasters were automatic (self-winding) mechanical watches equipped with Omega’s caliber 503. The Cal.503 is a mid‑1950s 30 mm series movement with central rotor and a quick-set date mechanism. It runs at 19,800 vph and includes the date function (Omega’s no. 503 is specifically the automatic movement with date). The Omega vintage pages explicitly list Caliber 503 for both CK 2849 and KO 2849.

Cal.503 serial numbers on these examples typically fall in the mid‑15 million range (ca. 1955–60 production). For instance, a 2849-6 SC sample is noted with movement serial ~15,2xx,xxx. The stated “Movement No.” on some sale listings (e.g. Hodinkee for 2849-5 SC) is in the 16 million range, consistent with late ’50s vintage.

No other movement variants (manual-wind or quartz) belong to the original ref. 2849. (Later revival models used new calibers, but in the 1950s/60s only the 503 was used for this reference.)

Movement Features: Omega Caliber 503 (12.5’’’ series)

• Automatic winding with central rotor.
• Date complication (quickset or semi-quickset by cycling through midnight).
• 19,800 vph, 23 jewels (typical for 503).
• Running seconds subdial (no – 2849 has central seconds).
• Servicing: well-regarded workhorse of the era.

Hands

The hands on ref. 2849 are primarily the classic dauphine style. Omega’s vintage description explicitly mentions “Dauphine” hands. These are broad, faceted triangular hands, usually in gold-tone to match the markers. The minute and hour hands often have luminous filling down the center. The seconds hand is a slender needle, typically plain gold.

Some variation is noted in vintage listings: a 1958 “cross-line” dial piece is described as having narrow “dolphin”-style hands (a slim tapering shape) instead of broad dauphines, but that appears to be a less-common variant. In most known examples (including the Hodinkee black-dial 2849-5 SC and the Craft+Tailored steel 2849-6 SC), the hands are broad dauphine with lume. All hands are of gold color on steel models, and match gold cases on plated/gold models.

Hand Styles:

• Hour/Minute: Dauphine (faceted broad triangles, lumed).
• Seconds: Thin gold stick (no lume).
• Many examples show fully lumed dauphines (radium).

International and Market Variations

The 2849 was sold worldwide, and some minor variations can reflect market differences. Omega’s records and sales listings indicate export to Europe, the Americas, and Asia (Chrono24 finds for 2849-2 show examples from the USA, Brazil, France, Greece, Sweden; for 2846/48 from Italy, Japan, etc). There are no widely documented retailer-signed dials (e.g. Tiffany, Bucherer) specifically for ref. 2849, but period retailer signatures on Seamaster dials did occur, so one cannot rule out rare signed examples.

The reference code prefixes (CK vs. KO) may also correspond to regional uses: for example, some export records show KO 2849 (gold-cap) marketed in Europe around 1956. Movement serials do not bear country codes, but Omega movements sometimes had service codes for certain markets (no specific “export code” is noted for 2849).

One notable sub-variation is the suffix on the reference, e.g. “-SC”. Many 2849 watches are cataloged with endings like 2849-5 SC, 2849-6 SC, 2849-9, 2849-10 SC, 2849-12 SC, etc. The meaning of these suffixes isn’t officially documented, but collectors use them to distinguish different dial/case variants or production batches. For instance, an auction listing describes a KO 2849 gold-capped Seamaster (case no. 2849-12 SC) from 1959. The Hodinkee retail listing was a 2849-5 SC (steel, black dial). In general, all these suffixes refer to essentially the same model family with minor aesthetic differences (dial text, code for factory or supply batch, etc).

Distributor Marks: There is no record of any special distributor or assembly marks unique to ref. 2849. On the casebacks or dial, one might find only the standard Omega logo, “Seamaster Calendar” or “Seamaster,” and “Swiss Made.” Any presence of extra marks (e.g. importers’ stamps, city names) would be a rare anomaly.