Original Award-Medallion Cuvette, WWI Era, c.1915
Omega needs little introduction. Founded in 1848 and a Grand Prix winner at the 1900 Paris Exposition, the maker was already one of Switzerland's leading names by the time this watch was built. The movement serial, 5554568, places its production at around 1915, making this a genuine survivor of the First World War era.
The watch is a classic open-face design in .800 silver, the standard fineness for Swiss watch cases of the period. The caseback interior carries the Swiss squirrel standard mark, the 0.800 stamp and the Omega roundel, with case number 6249792. The exterior back is finished in an engine-turned barleycorn pattern, and the hinged dust cover is engraved with the Omega name framed by the exhibition award medallions the company had won by this date: a small but attractive detail rarely found intact.
Inside is a 15-jewel Swiss lever movement, gilt-finished and signed Omega across the bridge. It winds smoothly, sets cleanly through the crown and runs well. The white fired-enamel dial carries Breguet-style Arabic numerals and a subsidiary seconds register at six, with blued spade hands. Fired enamel of this kind is no longer made in the same way, and its depth and gloss are part of what sets an early Omega dial apart from later printed examples.
This is an honest, wearable example rather than a museum piece. The dial shows a hairline in the enamel near the 11 and 12 position, and the case carries light wear with a few small dents to the back, consistent with a watch carried and kept for over a century. The crystal is clear and the movement is in good running order. For a collector wanting a genuine Omega pocket watch from the WWI period, in solid silver and in working condition, this is a straightforward and appealing piece.
