While the remains perhaps Omega's most notable model, the brand produced beautiful time-only watches throughout the late 1940s and 1950s. Many of these watches repurposed movements developed during World War II, such as the famous Calibre 30T2. Though the cases are thin, at 38mm they please the tastes of modern collectors, and are an enduring testament to the timelessness of these post-War wristwatches.
In the aftermath of the Second World War, Omega dove headlong into producing consumer pieces after having devoted their attention to manufacturing timepieces for men and machines. Inspired by those durable service watches, 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 these watches 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.
This Omega Reference 2505-15 is a perfect example of the post-war design language we so admire. With a lovely stainless "jumbo" 38mm case, it immediately conjures visions of the spartan watches that Omega produced throughout the War. But instead of the stark black dial with luminescent numerals that typified Omega's wartime models, this watch bears a silver dial (now patinated to a gorgeous champagne color) adorned with rose gold applied Arabic numerals at 3, 9 and 12, and elegant darts for the remaining hours. At 6:00 rests a simple subsidiary seconds register, again reminiscent of their military predecessor. Indeed, the movement that powers this watch, the Caliber 265, is based upon the redoubtable Caliber 30T2 and is one of Omega's most desirable movements of the post-war period.
The Omega Reference 2505-15 is an elegant piece of horological history that resonates with a perfect understated style that suits the thoughtful, fashionable gentleman of today just as well as it did in the late 1940s.
