#1431 Vintage Omega Automatic Date – Gold-Filled Swiss Mechanical Watch – 1960s

#1431 Vintage Omega Automatic Date – Gold-Filled Swiss Mechanical Watch – 1960s

SALE PRICE: $2,195

Hightech Labs LLC
Contact: 415-200-5635

A beautiful survivor from the golden age of Swiss mechanical watchmaking, this vintage Omega Automatic Date combines classic 1960s styling, an automatic mechanical movement, a warm champagne dial, gold-filled construction, and decades of natural character.

Inventory #1431 is offered as a working and tested vintage Omega and would make a distinctive addition to an Omega, Swiss mechanical, mid-century, or vintage-watch collection.

WATCH SPECIFICATIONS

Brand: Omega
Inventory Number: #1431
Country of Manufacture: Switzerland
Approximate Era: 1960s
Movement: Automatic mechanical
Likely Movement Family: Omega 500-series automatic
Possible Caliber: Omega 562 / 565 family – exact caliber should be confirmed from the movement before being represented as definitive
Display: Hours, minutes, central sweep seconds and date
Date Window: 3 o’clock
Case: Gold-filled
Case Size: Approximately 33–35 mm excluding crown
Dial: Champagne / cream
Hour Markers: Applied baton indexes
Hands: Gold-tone hours, minutes and center seconds
Crystal: Likely acrylic / Plexiglas
Bracelet: Gold-tone expansion-style bracelet
Winding: Automatic; Omega movements of this family also provide manual winding
Condition: Vintage, working and tested

THE MOVEMENT

This Omega comes from an era renowned for some of the company’s most durable automatic movements.

Based on its design and approximate production period, the watch is likely powered by an Omega movement from the celebrated 500-series automatic family, with Caliber 562 or Caliber 565 among the strongest possibilities.

These movements helped establish Omega’s reputation for dependable everyday automatic watches during the 1960s.

Typical Omega Cal. 565 Family Specifications

• Swiss automatic mechanical movement
• Full-rotor automatic winding system
• Approximately 24 jewels
• Frequency of approximately 19,800 vibrations per hour
• Approximately 50-hour power reserve
• Central sweep seconds
• Date complication
• Manual winding capability
• Quick-set date on Caliber 565
• Designed for long-term serviceability and precision

The movement in this individual watch has not been visually identified from an open-case photograph, so the exact caliber should be confirmed before stating it as absolute fact.

If the watch is professionally opened in the future, photographs of the movement, movement serial number and inside case back can usually establish the exact caliber, reference and production period much more precisely.

A SHORT HISTORY OF OMEGA

Omega’s history began in 1848, when Louis Brandt established a small watchmaking operation in Switzerland.

Over the following decades, the company became known for precision watchmaking and increasingly sophisticated industrial production. The name Omega became associated with a highly successful movement introduced toward the end of the 19th century and ultimately became the name of the company itself.

During the 20th century, Omega developed into one of Switzerland’s most internationally recognized watch manufacturers.

Its watches became associated with precision timing, exploration, aviation, sporting competition and spaceflight.

By the 1950s and 1960s, Omega was producing an extensive family of automatic wristwatches ranging from elegant dress watches to the Seamaster, Genève and prestigious Constellation lines.

This period is especially admired by vintage-watch collectors because Omega was producing robust in-house mechanical movements at enormous scale while maintaining very high standards of Swiss construction.

THE OMEGA 500-SERIES ERA

Omega’s 500-series automatic movements are among the movements most closely associated with the company’s classic mid-century watches.

Their full-rotor automatic winding systems replaced earlier bumper-style mechanisms and provided efficient winding during normal wrist movement.

Movements such as the Cal. 552, 562 and later 565 became respected for:

• Robust construction
• Reliable automatic winding
• Good accuracy when properly serviced
• Strong availability of specialist knowledge
• Classic Swiss engineering
• Long service lives

Many examples remain operational more than half a century after manufacture.

That longevity is one of the reasons vintage mechanical Omegas from this period continue to attract collectors.

CLASSIC 1960s DESIGN

The styling of Inventory #1431 is unmistakably mid-century.

Its warm champagne-colored dial is complemented by slender applied baton hour markers and elegant gold-tone hands.

The date aperture at 3 o’clock gives the watch everyday practicality without disturbing the simple, balanced dial.

The compact approximately 33–35 mm case reflects the traditional proportions of men’s watches during the 1960s.

Although smaller than many modern watches, this size has become increasingly popular among collectors seeking authentic vintage proportions.

GOLD-FILLED CASE

One particularly attractive feature of this watch is its gold-filled case.

Gold-filled construction differs from simple flash plating because a substantial layer of gold is mechanically bonded to a base-metal structure.

Gold-filled watches were created to offer the appearance and warmth of gold while retaining strength and providing a more attainable alternative to a solid-gold watch.

The gold finish gives this Omega a classic dress-watch appearance and pairs beautifully with its champagne dial.

Because this is a vintage watch, normal wear to the gold-filled surfaces should be expected and is visible in the photographs.

DIAL & VINTAGE PATINA

The dial has developed considerable natural vintage patina over its many decades of life.

This includes visible age marks and surface character.

For many enthusiasts, such patina is part of the appeal of an authentic vintage watch because it tells the story of its age rather than attempting to make an old watch look artificially new.

We recommend preserving the dial in its present condition rather than refinishing or repainting it.

A professionally refinished dial may look cleaner, but collectors frequently place greater value on an original dial showing honest age.

CRYSTAL

The watch appears to use a traditional acrylic/Plexiglas crystal, as was common on watches of this era.

Acrylic crystals often develop scratches with decades of wear.

One advantage of acrylic is that many surface scratches can often be polished without replacing the crystal.

Deeper damage may require replacement with an appropriately sized vintage-style crystal.

BRACELET

The watch is currently fitted with a gold-tone expansion-style bracelet.

The bracelet complements the watch’s vintage appearance.

Unless specifically documented otherwise, the bracelet should not be assumed to be the factory-original Omega bracelet.

Please use the photographs as part of your evaluation of its condition and style.

WORKING & TESTED

This watch is offered as a:

WORKING & TESTED VINTAGE OMEGA

As with any mechanical watch that is several decades old, future servicing should be expected as part of responsible vintage-watch ownership.

Mechanical performance can change depending upon temperature, position, wearing habits, lubrication and time since the last complete service.

No vintage watch should be assumed waterproof simply because it may originally have been designed with water resistance.

Do not expose this vintage watch to water unless it has first been professionally pressure-tested.

CONDITION

This is an authentic vintage watch and not a new or restored-to-new example.

Visible characteristics include:

• Natural dial patina
• Scratches and age marks on the crystal
• Wear to the gold-filled case
• Wear to the bracelet
• Surface marks consistent with decades of use
• Original vintage character

These characteristics are clearly visible in the photographs and should be considered part of the watch’s history.

Collectors looking for a completely polished or modern-looking watch may prefer a restored example.

Collectors who appreciate watches that visibly reflect their history may find this example much more interesting.

COLLECTOR APPEAL

This watch offers many characteristics vintage-watch enthusiasts seek:

OMEGA SWISS HERITAGE
One of the world’s most historically significant Swiss watch manufacturers.

MECHANICAL AUTOMATIC MOVEMENT
No battery is required. The mechanical movement is powered by the motion of the wearer.

CLASSIC OMEGA 500-SERIES ERA
Likely associated with one of Omega’s highly regarded automatic movement families.

GOLD-FILLED CASE
Classic warm-gold appearance with traditional mid-century construction.

DATE COMPLICATION
Practical framed calendar display at 3 o’clock.

ORIGINAL VINTAGE CHARACTER
Natural aging gives this watch a personality that cannot be reproduced in a modern watch.

WORKING & TESTED
Offered as a functioning vintage mechanical timepiece.

SALE PRICE

$2,195

Inventory #1431

Hightech Labs LLC
415-200-5635

IMPORTANT VINTAGE WATCH DISCLOSURE

We have made every reasonable effort to research and accurately describe this watch.

Vintage watches may have been serviced, repaired or had individual components replaced at some point during their decades of ownership. Unless supported by documentation, we cannot guarantee that every component is exactly as it left the Omega factory.

The exact movement caliber and case reference have not yet been confirmed by photographs of the opened watch. The Omega 562/565 information above describes the likely movement family based on the watch’s style and period and should be considered preliminary until the movement itself is inspected.

All photographs are part of the description.

Please carefully inspect the photographs for dial condition, crystal scratches, case wear, bracelet wear, patina and other signs of age.

If any information in this description is found to be incorrect, please contact us. We will gladly review additional evidence and correct any genuine error.

A MESSAGE TO OUR VISITORS & FELLOW WATCH COLLECTORS

Thank you for visiting Hightech Labs LLC.

This Omega is only one watch from our growing selection of vintage, mechanical, Swiss and collectible timepieces.

If you enjoy watches with history, distinctive movements, unusual references and genuine vintage character, please take a few minutes to browse the other watches available on our website.

We are continually adding additional watches, and many pieces are from older collections that may be difficult to replace once sold.

Please visit our other watch listings before you leave.

You may discover another Omega, Swiss automatic, chronograph, vintage mechanical watch or unusual collector piece that belongs in your collection.

Thank you for visiting Hightech Labs LLC and for helping preserve the history of mechanical watchmaking—one watch at a time.