1950 Rose Gold Omega Automatic Ref. 2577-11

The History

Although this example doesn’t say Seamaster on the dial it is certainly part of that line and many other examples can be seen with the Seamaster logo printed on the dial. The Seamaster is perhaps the most diverse range of watches ever put under the same brand in the history of watchmaking. The line has included everything from solid gold dress watches to stainless steel divers and even the much-discussed soccer timers. Yet, while they make a great watch, nobody has ever said that Omega was the best at branding.

The Seamaster range was created to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Omega. This anniversary also happened to coincide with the 1948 London Olympics of which Omega was the official timekeeper. The original Seamasters were dressier watches that could go anywhere and do anything with some water resistance; one could call it a gentleman’s sport watch. It wasn’t until a few years after the introduction of the Seamaster 300 that the line would become strongly associated with diving watches.

The Reference

These earlier Seamasters were modeled after the waterproof watches that were made for the British military at the end of World War II. In 1950, when this watch was produced, this style was very much in fashion with diving watches still a few years away from hitting the scene. This watch, reference 2577-11 is fairly common but this example has a few key differences that set it apart from its contemporaries. Most obvious is its rose gold capped stainless steel case. You see yellow gold versions come up often but the rose gold are seen less. The second defining factor about this watch is the lack of the Speedmaster text on the dial which adds to the overall elegant look of the watch.

The Case

The 34mm rose gold capped stainless steel case in very good condition. The case is classic seamaster and was used across multiple references. There are scratches throughout and should be noted as well as a replacement crown. The watch features the correct and thought to be original caseback.

The Dial and Hands

The white dial has aged beautifully and is noticeably lacking the almost standard Seamaster text. The rose gold hands and indices that match the case and the lum has aged evenly to a dark amber. There is some dirt build up on the hands that should be noted but the hands are correct.

The Movement

This watch is powered by an Omega 351 bumper movement. The bumper movement is named after the specific way the “rotor” moves back and forth at about 120 degrees (not like the modern day automatic movements, where the rotor spins freely in full 360) and bumps off a pair of springs on opposite sides of the watch. The watch is running and the service history is unknown.

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