Omega. An unusual British military RAF issued stainless steel mechanical wristwatch
Omega '53TA' (thin arrow) Ref.2777-1, issue number 3897, made circa 1953
Estimate: £1,500 - £2,500
Auction: 22 May 2025 from 14:00 BST
Description
Cal.283 hand-wound 17 jewel movement, matt black dial with luminescent numerals, outer minute track, broad arrow insignia, skeleton hands with partial luminescent, centre seconds, stainless steel case with screw-down reverse engraved with broad arrow, 6645 101000, 6B/542, 3897/53, sold strap bars. Case, dial and movement signed.
Dimensions
Diameter 37mm.
Provenance
With a hand-written letter stating this watch belonged to their grandfather, Henry Fairhead, who was a career RAF and the watch discovered among his possessions.
Footnote
This model was only issued in 1953 and known by collectors as the ‘53TA’, referring to the use of a thin broad arrow on the dial, or ‘53FA’ for the use of a fat arrow. The original radium dials were printed with thin board arrows, but at the request of the British Government, batches of these were returned to Omega to be reprinted with tritium luminescent, the new dials featuring a significantly more prominent ‘fat arrow’.