Omega Seamaster Dennison, 1958

Omega Seamaster Dennison circa 1958. Manually wound cal. 420 movement.  

These British made, ‘Dennisteel’ cased watches are a little bit of an anomaly. Back in the 50's, there was duty to pay on fully assembled watches, moving into the UK. So Omega shipped movements into the country, duty free, and used locally produced cases, often produced by the Dennison Watch Company, to complete their assembly. This was especially prevalent with solid gold watches due to the high value of the materials. Additionally, the British were instrumental in developing stainless steel and other alloys for watch cases, and the Swiss adopted proprietary British patents such as Dennisteel. One didn't see locally cased watches much beyond 1960 however, so either the British patents lapsed, or more likely, the Swiss just developed their own alloys that didn't require payment of licence fees.

The Swiss model that corresponds with this watch is normally double-stamped with 2759/2761, and this the UK made version of the central seconds version. Like this watch, the Swiss version is a cal.420 manual wind, central seconds, fat lug design with a plain snap on back. Swiss watches had the clover crown, and these had a more normal crown. These Dennisteel cases display no model number. The number in the case back is purely a case serial. Hence the last 2 digits were stamped on the underneath of the mid case to ease marrying them up on the work bench. 

Condition:-

This particular piece is in all original, used condition. The case is in nice shape, with the lugs remaining thick and displaying their original, wide bevels and I suspect this example has never been re-finished. The almost 2-tone original radium dial and yellow gold gold handset have a lovely warmth to them and remain in good condition, albeit with a little patina and speckling. The plexiglass is original, with its etched Omega logo.

This piece will be supplied on a quality, aftermarket strap & buckle, tbc.

Movement:-

There is no service history with this watch, although there is evidence of work done in the past, in the form of service markings inside the caseback. The movement however, is keeping good, vintage time and the crown is functioning correctly.

I guarantee the authenticity and the working order of this piece at the time of sale, but due to its age, offer no extended warranty. And although this is a Seamaster, please don’t expect this watch to be waterproof.