Omega Lady Jewelry in Yellow Gold and Diamonds, 1940s

Identity Omega ladies' jewellery watch, 18-carat yellow gold and diamonds, 1940s. Mechanical movement. Round 18 mm case in 18-carat yellow gold, ribbon lugs set with two four-diamond clovers, white gold claws. Patinated cream dial, applied gold Arabic numerals and indices, gold hands. Faceted mineral crystal. Leather strap, gold pin buckle monogrammed with the Omega logo. Horological context Omega was founded in 1848 in La Chaux-de-Fonds by Louis Brandt's trading company. His sons industrialised production and established the manufacture in Bienne. In 1894, the Omega calibre — a precision movement wound and set by the crown — was so successful that the house adopted it as its name. Omega then built its reputation on chronometry and meticulous mass production. In the 1940s and 1950s, it also housed its small calibres in ladies' jewellery watches: round or shaped gold cases, ornate lugs, set stones. Sold without a model name, they are distinguished by the design of their case and their feminine jewellery creation, combined with a mechanism whose reputation needs no introduction. Personality The setting is moved outside the case, onto the lugs alone: the bezel and dial remain free. Below the logo, the dial bears the inscription FAB. SUISSE, which Omega reserved for watches intended for the French market. Gold diamonds alternate with four Arabic numerals: the dial holds twelve markers, to the size of an eighteen-millimetre watch. Serviced watch. Normal patina and wear from age. Supplied with the box and 12-month Contre-Temps warranty certificate.