# A New Arrival - Omega Protoype Quartz



## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

I know not many appreciate the early quartz watches and cant understand why we would pay good money for them, but this is something a bit different and a bit special imho...







Foz, Hawkey, Jase and a few others will get this one... the rest of you take a few mins out to think about your sins 









I dont know too much about this one but it came from a reputable source who says he got it from a guy who used to work for Omega back in the day.... Its certainly like no other Omega 2.4mhz watch ive ever seen....

Watch is Cal 1510 - thats the original movement that the Marine Chronometer is based on and was used in the other Constellations that looks similar to the MC but are not MC certified. The MC has the 1511 and 1516 movts. the 1511 is the MC version of the 1510, and the 1516 is the MC version of the 1515. The difference between the early and late versions of the movt (ie. 1510 vs 1515) are some componants were swapped out (as not needed) and some got moved within the unit. Or so Im told.

This one is a low number movt and the case appears to have been professionally handcrafted from a solid chunk of stainless, and made to fit this movt with lots of milling and the caseback has space for a larger battery. Its also got the sharpest cool case angles and coarsest casegrain ive ever seen. It also has the number 12 scratched inside the case, the back has no Omega reference numbers, just engraving to say its belongs to Omega... The back is also scalloped out for the wrist...

This is a large watch and has great wrist prescence. Its very obviously handcrafted and would be mint but for the fact its been dinged at some point round the top edge near the crystal, which is a shame. The watch keeps superb time as you would expect as well. Im very pleased with it and need to do better pics...

In case anyone didnt know, these watches use a pusher to set the secs, and you change the hour on the first pull out of the crown - you do it roughly and the motor sorts out where it needs to be in relation to the mins - its bizarre to watch it and its much more pronounced than my cal 1516 MC. The second posistion sets the mins. In theory you never need to set the mins or secs on one of these as like the MC it should not be stopped, you just measure the drift which will be very low per month - and should easily be between 0 and 1 sec a month.

Ive yet to contact Omega about it and ask for more info but will do that shortly


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)




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## strange_too (Feb 19, 2007)

Love it. The case is a fantastic shape, a great find.


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

Thanks Howard, its quite something in the metal really as its so dark looking... almost brooding... LOL I should measure it and give dimensions, but its a little larger than an MC, if that helps... hmmm, maybe not... i'll measure it soon, promise...


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## hippo (Jun 27, 2006)

Wow you lucky git!!!!!

Need a wrist shot!!!


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

LOL, I need to do a side by side with the MC really, and maybe something else like a sub so you can see the size, Its a clever design actually and Id like to meet the bloke who made it...


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## Rinaldo1711 (Apr 11, 2007)

That's one interesting watch! I guess it is also very valauble on grounds of rarity - there cannot be many Omega 'demo' watches out there.


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## Bladerunner (Jun 4, 2006)

Interesting & informative post as usual Jon 

Looks good, putting it on a bracelet?


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

That is amazing, I love it!

I dont suppose this ones going back to Bienne is it, they might not give it back!!!

Do you know who DLP-SSIH is yet?


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## Who. Me? (Jan 12, 2007)

Very nice. Jammy bugger.

I can't even stretch to a beaten-up, normal, electroquartz, let alone something as cool as that









(Anyone else noticed the 'Fast Reply' button. Is that new, or have I just not noticed it before?)


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## Stanford (Feb 10, 2007)

Great find Jon - can you hear the tick through that case, like the MC?


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

Rinaldo - Indeed, although value is in the eye of the beholder I guess... hmmm...

Alan - LOL Its got 20mm lugs and is pretty wide so I dont think it would look right on a brace, tho I may try it on mesh just for a laugh.... cos its you 

Jase - I had considered that, tho its not in need of any work (except a case seal which will need to be made by whoever does it as its not a standard one) and I will just converse with Omega about it first. If they want it back I expect we can come to some arrangement.









Not sure who DLP is but SSIH sounds familiar... I need to do some digging I guess... does anyone already know?

Who - I also just picked up another 1310, I will do a seperate post for it in the week. Those are still reasonable money imho, if you can buy right - make sure it works tho...









Ron - Well they can ask... I cant see em sending the boys round... 

Stanford - Yes its the same as the MC, tho slightly less loud as the case is thicker I guess. I was amazed with the more obvious motorlike hour hand on the 1510. Im hoping Colin will chime in soon as let us know what his is like - I think he has that cal in a moondust model.


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

This may make you laugh... I know I was only half awake when I did this post but I didnt put 2+2 together to make 4....









The engraving on the caseback top left says 3811. Thats the last few digits of the seriel number of the movt. In fact thats the only digits of it as the rest are just zeros. so one mystery solved...


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

OK so I know what SSIH is... (see below) but I assume that DLP is the department dealing with either marketing or design... I expect in French or German the TLA might make sense?

SSIH was the company that was the owner of the Omega brand... SSIH was founded in 1930 through the amalgamation of Omega and Tissot. SSIHâ€™s principal objective was to market quality Swiss watches. By taking over companies that produced high-quality movements and a number of lower-end watch brands, SSIH gradually managed to establish a strong position as a Swiss watch manufacturer.

In 1998, SMH Swiss Corporation for Microelectronics and Watchmaking Industries Ltd, founded in 1983 through the merger Swiss watchmakers ASUAG and SSIH, was renamed The Swatch Group.


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

Ok, email to Omega sent.... now im keeping an eye out for the Balifs to come knocking...


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## strange_too (Feb 19, 2007)




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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

Well not yet heard from Omega... and no scary blokes lurking in a car across the road... yet...

Some more info...

Dimensions:

- 36mm wide (39mm incl crown) - huge for a rectangular watch!

- 47mm top to bottom

- 15 mm height (at widest dimensions but in reality its 13mm due to scallop)

- It uses a 20mm strap, and is actually a bit bigger than the MC, so its quite a good size.

Pics with MC:



















better pic of scalloped back:


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## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

Great find Jon; perhaps they will offer you tens of thousands of Swiss Francs for it !!







Or kidnap and torture you









It will be interesting to see their response.


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

Yeah who knows... I dont mind being offered a good trade from Omega







but the torture doesnt sound too much fun... tho arent the Swiss neutral still? and hence dont stoop to such things... Quoting the Geneve Convention when theyre breaking out the comfy chair might not help me...


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## strange_too (Feb 19, 2007)

I'm sure they would interested in getting it back. However I'm sure they would like you to donate it............

I have to say I love the size of the case, it will certainly have presence on your wrist.


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

Ahh bad luck then, Ive already done my tax deductions for this year


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## strange_too (Feb 19, 2007)

LOL


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

Interesting watch, Jon.


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

Thanks Paul. Im still waiting for Omega to respond to me, but hopefully they can fill me in about its history...


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

Ok... Omega have responded....







and so far no knock at the door from burly men in suits... 









It seems that Omega made only circa 1000 of the cal. 1510 movements before they moved to the redesigned version (called cal. 1511). The low number is something I didnt know, and they were made in 1972. Im not sure of the numbering but 00003811 is one of the 1000, so maybe they started at some arbitary start point... interesting.

Sadly Omega have no written history about my watch as such pieces were not supposed to leave Omega and hence there is no record of their production. It seems this watch was supposed to be returned to the Omega Research & Development Division (Which is as I suspected what the DLP part of the back script pertained to) after having been submitted for testing. I suspect that testing was most likley of the full size design options for the case shape for the then new 15xx series movements but I doubt anyone can confirm that.


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