This listing is for a vintage Omega Automatic Seamaster 17-jewel "bumper" watch with a 14k gold Wadsworth case. The watch is in good condition overall with some scuffs and scratches, mostly on the crystal which also has a small crack on the left side and half of the band/strap is gone. However, the watch appears to run well. Please see the photos below to see everything that is included, and contact us with any questions before bidding. We have a low opening bid and no reserve price so don't miss your chance to win!
Approximate measurements:
- Case width: 1-1/4"
- Case length: 1-1/2"
- Lug width: 5/8"
- Watch length with half band: 5-1/2"
From allvintagewatches.com:
"One of the rarest examples of a collectible Omega is the Seamaster “Bumper” model from 1950. The first Seamaster was produced in 1948 and is still going strong today, achieving increasing fame having been chosen by James Bond in the current Bond movies. The “bumper” Seamaster is something of an extra special breed, however, as, in true Omega fashion, it had an innovative automatic winding system that was quite unlike that of other manufacturers’ products.
"The bumper nickname derives from the way in which the rotor, the part of the watch that winds the mainspring in automatic watches, works. In most automatics the rotor can rotate 360°. Omega’s technicians decided that a rotor which only travelled through 300° would be more efficient. As the rotor in the bumper travels backwards and forwards it bumps against small buffer springs at each end of its movement. This impact can actually be felt by the wearer and this gave rise to the bumper accolade.
"Although the Omega engineers had produced a mechanism that gave unparalleled accuracy the bumper rotor was incredibly complex and expensive to produce. Only the most experienced of Omega’s watch builders were allowed to work on the movement’s assembly and it must have been well nigh impossible to find a watchmaker who could repair one if a fault developed.
"Because of this the bumper Seamaster had a very short production run and the model is very rare today. The calibre to look out for is calibre 351. It has the usual 17 jewels and a 36 hour power reserve, and it has a rate of 19800 beats an hour. The phrase “beats an hour” is the rate at which a watch’s balance wheel rotates in a minute."