Vintage
Aroma presents a captivating Omega 30T2 PC dress watch from 1948, housed in an English-made gold case. The author delves into the historical context of post-war England, pondering the identity of the affluent original owner who could afford such a luxury during times of austerity. This post beautifully illustrates the rich stories embedded within vintage timepieces.
I thought you may be interested in a recent acquisition – it’s an Omega 30T2 PC dress watch housed in an English-made gold case hallmarked Birmingham ‘Y’ (1948). The movement is numbered 11.27million which dates it to between 1947 and 1949 (Omega changed the calibre numbers to a three figure series in 1949). So it's fair to assume that the case and movement have been together for at least 62 years I just love these simple Omega watches – no fuss, no frills – just an honest, quality timepiece.
One of the things that intrigues me is ‘who was this watch made for’? I’m sure most of you won’t be able to cast your minds back to 1948 but think about it for a moment. In 1948, post-war England was virtually bankrupt (so what changes I hear you say) and precious metal items were almost unobtainable – rationing, austerity packages and import controls were the order of the day. England needed all the gold it could get to support the currency and so who but a fairly affluent individual would go out and buy a gold watch? I wonder who it was. It’s something that fascinates me and it’s what I love about history in general and vintage watches in particular.
The case, which is a simple three piece snap-back pattern, was made by A L Dennison of Handsworth, Birmingham and has the design number 13322. It was a pattern that continued right up to the 1960s in either gold or stainless steel. The movement is in lovely condition and when you look into these old 30T2s, they are such a masterpiece of engineering. This watch has survived with its original dial, gold hands and crown so someone was immensely proud of it at the time. So here it is 63 years later - I wonder what tales it could tell.
..and timeless looking watch, with a magnificent dial. Somebody has taken good care of it. Enjoy it! Ben.
Hi, it is a small gem with an impeccable dial and movement - worth while collecting! kind regards erich
Thats a lovely case for a 30T2. Very, very nice infact. Thanks for sharing and yes, it does seem like someone affluent would have bought this at the time. All the best with finding out who? Rishad
simple but high quality pieces that make vintage Omegas so attractive. And it looks to be in very nice condition. thanks for sharing. grumio
that case is virtually the same as my 1964 Dennison cased 269 calibre so it stands the test of time excellently. i think there were probably more wealthy people than we imagine in the post war period. the hereditory wealthy and of course the opportunists who made money out of other peoples need. there are certainly a lot of gold watches from that period to be found. yours is a lovely example best graham
Aroma except for the face it is so similar to the watch you were helping me with! Its beautiful for her age. i hope mine scrubs up as well as yours!
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