In the aftermath of World War II, Omega, the prolific Swiss manufacture that had poured most of its production efforts into military-grade wristwatches for pilots and officers, dusted itself off and dived headlong into producing consumer pieces once again. But unlike the pre-war years, Omega sought to build watches that could be worn in more everyday conditions, watches that could look good on the wrist while also standing up to the onslaught of travel, weather and daily use.
Many of the watches produced in the years immediately following the war were infused with the lessons that Omega had learned while producing reliable wristwatches for servicemen; they used stainless steel cases with simple, stalwart movements, kept dials uncluttered and legible and dotted them with radium for added visibility in low-light environs.
Even with these style notes coming right out the war-time guidebook, Omega took care to make their new consumer pieces beautiful, using yellow and pink gold as it once again became available, and introduced a variety of dressier executions. While the noteworthy Seamaster line was being driven largely by Omega's automatic movements, other pieces, like this one, were filled with simpler, durable manual-wind movements, making the the overall product more economically approachable to the average consumer.
Coming at a time when gentlemen's pieces were generally smaller - about 32mm - The Omega Ref. 2895-1 was on the larger size, at a hair over 34mm. By today's standards, however, it wears perfectly, it's elegantly beveled teardrop lugs tapering suggestively and its silver toned bezel with applied Arabic markers and gold sword hands completing its sophisticate appearances.
With a stalwart Omega manual-wind Calibre 284 movement and a sharp 14K solid yellow gold case, this watch is perfectly appointed for the contemporary wrist and ready for decades more reliable service. Paired up with a genuine Omega crocodile strap with matching buckle and original box, it makes one hell of a collector's piece as well - but it would be a shame to leave it in the vault!
