12/07/2018

Video: Introducing “The Origin Of The Omega Seamaster” Watchonista Series

Through a series of videos, we will make you discover why the first 1948 Omega Seamaster was so ahead of its time. But before launching this saga, today, we take a more personal look at the Seamaster with the cooperation of my partner and longtime friend, Alexander Friedman. Collecting is also sharing, happy watching!

By Marco Gabella

Chairman & Executive Publisher

Some say the first Omega Speedmaster made in 1957 shines clearly in the firmament of the ultimate pieces on the current vintage Omega market. However, this success is mostly thanks to the 1948 Seamaster. With this first generation, Omega defined the prevailing standards of the professional watch for the years to come.

Starting Monday, December 10th, 2018, we will dedicate an entire week on Watchonista to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Seamaster. We recently had the opportunity to have access to the archives and collection of the Omega Museum in Bienne along with other private collections. But it’s mostly the captivating Petros Protopapas, Omega’s International Brand Heritage Manager that will help tell the story of the Seamaster.

But for those that know me, you understand my interest in the Seamaster is no stranger. So, to start this series, we offer you a more singular approach, toward the pieces of my own collection. To guide me in this dangerous exercise is Alexander Friedman, with whom I’ve shared for 25 years my interest in Horology. Today, we share with you a special video overview introducing our Seamaster video series and a closer look at my collection of Seamasters!

Introducing “The Origins Of The Omega Seamaster” Watchonista Video Series

A Collection that started with an Omega Seamaster

In the mid-90, I already had been bitten by the collecting bug, but my interest was mainly focused on twentieth-century furniture and objects of industrial design of the same period.

During a visit to a famous flea market in Switzerland, I fell in the fascination of… a watch. Yes, a watch whose subtlety and readability spoke for my taste for functionalism. It was an Omega Seamaster dating from the sixties that I still own and wear with the same affection for its dial and modernist hands. I could understand this object for its intrinsic qualities but let's be clear, I did not have any particular knowledge in horology.

Marco’s Omega 60’s Seamaster

In 1996, at the Swiss Watch Exchange in La Chaux-de-Fonds, I was face-to-face with a display with thirty Seamasters without bracelets, aligned in tight order against each other. In the middle of this antique medley, a case captivated my attention for its robust looks, its shape was thicker, while affirming elegance and style. It was a piece from 1948. But I did not learn until a few years later when I began to be interested in these watches that I had apparently started ... a collection.

Marco’s Omega Seamaster 1948

The origins of the Omega Seamaster

By becoming interested in the Omega Seamaster, I realized how much I appreciated in the design which was also reflected in the technicality of this watch. It was the definition of sport chic for a wristwatch, both in gold and steel.

Marco’s Omega Gold Seamaster early 1950

From these military origins to the allied forces, through its design and late logo, the origins of the Seamaster will be revealed in a series of five videos and two articles. And more to come... Happy Birthday, Seamaster!

Finally, a big thank you to Omega and especially to the Omega museum for opening their doors and archives and allow us to offer you this exclusive content.

So join us! Starting Monday, December 10, 2018, on Watchonista, we will present, The Origins Of The Seamaster!