Miranda[PuristSPro Moderator]
5904
Omega DeVille CoAxial 1999: limited series- as close as you can get to a Daniels watch in the real world
Feb 18, 2017,12:41 PM
I remember well when Omega launched the limited series of Co-Axial chronometers in 1999. At the time as a collector I felt these were a formidable leap of faith from Omega- but undeniably a justified one. This first series of watches made in yellow gold 999 pieces, rose gold 999 pieces and platinum in a super limited 99 pieces only- were made under the direct aegis of Dr. George Daniels himself. He would have been justifiably proud to finally see his new escapement make it into serial production.
Pic credit
Danielslondon.com
The quest for Dr Daniels was to produce an escapement which negated the need for lubrication and improve accuracy. Having owned two co-axial watches- the 50th Anniv Speedster and the Seamster 300 with cal 8500- I can certainly testify that co-axial movement are unbelievably accurate- the Speedmaster lost 2 seconds over 30 days.
Now I am not going to go technical- I neither have the knowledge or understanding to explain the entire process, but suffice to say its the first new escapement since the lever escapement invented by Mudge.
Pic Credit Omega
The first series of Co-Axial watches used a modified ETA cal- the cal.2500. This was not unusual, Dr Daniels had already modified existing calibre's from Omega,Rolex and even Patek.
Now before you get complacent about the cal.2500- just remember this was the same cal re-worked and used in the Daniels Millennium series of watches:
The production prototype was given to Dr Daniels as a gift:
Now of course I do not dare compare this first series to a watch made by the master himself. But this I feel is as close as it can get, supervised, overseen by the greatest watchmaker of the 20th century.
I had this week end the chance to handle one of the rare platinum versions- and this has now become a must have for me.
This is a watch, which has historical significance and possibly will in time be seen in its true value. For now it is a sleeping giant.
Thank you Dr. Daniels- for your devotion to horology- we will always be indebted to your genius.
Best
Imran