The OMEGA Seamaster was first introduced in 1948 to mark the centenary of the OMEGA brand and is their longest running line. Origianlly made to be a hardy, dress watch, it was the first OMEGA to use a rubber O-ring to give it water resistance. The designs were based loosely on watches made during the 1940s for the British Royal Navy, using the vaunted OMEGA 30mm calibres. This example from 1958 is unusual in that the case is solid 18ct gold but still retains a utilitarian feel like the steel equivalents. The Patina: The dials on these watches were a silver paint that had a coat of cellulose lacquer applied over the top. Over the years, temperature variations and humidity can cause expansion and contraction of the underlying metal in the dial which can cause micro-fissures in the lacquer and allow moisture to penetrate. Where these cracks form, the paint degrades and blemishes causing this spotting effects. The markers also oxidise, and the luminescence can ‘burn’ giving a dark brown appearance.
