Sleepers: The Omega De Ville Prestige Power Reserve
Omega’s high-horology on a budget.
Omega isn’t actually known for being a high-horology brand. Sure, they’ve won multiple chronometry awards, and the Speedmaster Chrono Chime is pretty damn cool. But whenever you think of Omega, you either begin to think about either one of two things – a fictional British spy who many say should have worn a Rolex instead, or the moon landing. If either of those two things don’t ring a bell, you probably were one of those self-made Chinese investment bankers who bought two-tone Constellations. Then again, it was the eighties, and while the concept of Rolex waitlists didn’t exist then, you desperately wanted a Datejust in two-tone – but couldn’t get one. It turns out that someone in your family casted an evil spell on you because you didn’t send money on New Year. On the other hand, your overly competitive and slightly overachieving elder brother is laughing at you from across the room because he’s wearing a solid gold Rolex Day-Date while marrying the very girl who rejected you back in high school.
Here’s the thing though. I cannot establish the fact that the Omega Seamaster is better than the Rolex Submariner, or the fact that the Rolex Datejust is better than the Omega Aqua Terra. I can tell you one thing with absolute conviction though – Omega makes better dress watches than Rolex.
Because apart from Barack Obama and Roger Federer, I’ve never seen anyone wake up on a bright sunny morning and say:
“Honey, let’s go buy a Cellini today!”
If you’ve ever wondered why that’s the case, let me answer that for you. The Omega De Ville ate the Rolex Cellini, alive.
Which Is Fine, But What Makes this Watch Special?
When Omega decided that the Seamaster should be nothing but a professional-grade sports watch, it was spun off into two main model lines – the Seamaster and the De Ville. Of course, while the Seamaster is the watch of choice of MI6 agents the world over, the De Ville has been a bit of a consolation prize for those who couldn’t really afford a 1016 Datejust. If not, it was your first (and probably only) “nice” watch that a lot of people owned at the time. Of course, like the Seamaster, the De Ville did go through a major identity crisis during the 1970s and 1980s, but it was during the 1990s that it cemented its reputation as a watch that exemplified fine watchmaking at an affordable price.
Like every Omega fanboy, I will unfortunately have to devote this segment to kissing the ass of George Daniels. If you don’t know who he is, I don’t know what rock you’re living under. But just the way Omega has the right to tell people that they went to the moon, they also have the right to talk about how wonderful the co-axial escapement each and every single damn time they release a new watch – which they do pretty much every 2-3 months. You see, the co-axial (image below) is technically superior to the lever and pin escapement, and while I’m not going to pretend to understand how it works, just know two things:
1) It’s harder to manufacture relative to a lever and pin escapement.
2) It reduces friction and decreases service intervals, which means that you don’t have to service the watch as often.
This particular series of De Ville also offers you a power reserve indicator, which tells you exactly how long you have left before you need to wind the watch up again. This is a very nice feature, especially for collectors who have multiple watches on rotation, as you now know how often you need to wear your watch for it not to die as well.
Oh, and by the way, the De Ville also has gone to space. It was worn by Indian astronaut Rakesh Sharma, who was the first Indian in space. While this isn’t that exact watch, just know that there are people who buy bicompax Speedmaster ’57s and say it’s been to the moon as well, because potay-to, potah-to.
The Movement
So, here’s the thing. This watch comes in three different generations. For the first and second generation of this watch, this watch utilizes the Omega cal. 2827 (as seen on the right). While it is technically an in-house movement, pre-METAS Omega watches (such as this one) use ETA derived movements as well. However, do note that the co-axial escapement can only be found in the second and current generations of this watch. Anyway, it goes without saying that the finishing on this cal. 2827 is absolutely exquisite given this watch’s price point, as it features decorations such as perlage, anglage, and Geneva striping on the rotorweight. It’s a shame, because since this watch has a closed caseback, none of this can be seen openly to admire. However, if you do want to open this watch up (which I highly DO NOT RECOMMEND), go for it.
While there is a three-quarter plate covering most of the movement (including the escapement mechanism), this watch does not have a silicon balance wheel (as seen on the left). Of course, there are two schools of thought regarding this – firstly, there are purists who think that “plastic” shouldn’t belong on a mechanical watch. If you’re a little more traditional in that sense, then this watch is obviously going to appeal to you. With that said, silicon is shown to have huge antimagnetic properties. Clearly, there’s a reason why it’s all the rage right now as everyone from Swatch to Richard Mille are obsessed with it. If you think I’m joking, just ask Patek Philippe’s advanced research department.
But, if ever the 2827-powered De Ville doesn’t float your boat (despite looking way nicer in my opinion), the third (and current) generation De Ville Prestige Power Reserve does actually come with a METAS-certified movement (as seen on the left) with a silicon escapement and an open caseback.
Speaking Of Generations, The First-Gen De Ville Power Reserve Is The One You Want
….and I say that because of two primary reasons. Firstly, that “brick-road” bracelet is a work of art. I’m not even going to get started about how beautiful that bracelet looks – it’s as if a leather strap and a metal watch bracelet had a baby. The tolerances on this thing are crazy. I mean, there are literally zero gaps between each individual link. In fact, this bracelet alone is a huge factor that makes this generation of De Ville incredibly collectable. Another feature of this particular generation (1990-2008) that increases this watch’s sex appeal up a notch are those “cornes-de-vache” (lit. cow-horn) lugs. To get this style of lugs along with this level of complication today at an incredibly compelling price is rather difficult. Not to mention, they’re usually more difficult to manufacture, as there’s a lot more effort involved when it comes to machining and polishing them. Lastly, out of the three generations, this one’s the thinnest, and will wear a lot more comfortably on wrist compared two the next two generations of this watch.
On a more personal note, I really love the font that Omega used at this time, and that combination set on the backdrop of this beautiful grey sunburst dial along with the applied markers and Omega logo elevate this watch to the next level for me. Visually, while this way may not necessarily be everyone’s cup of tea, I think that it is a design that looks better than most new Omega watches today. And sure, you’re not getting that co-axial escapement, but who cares, really? It’s not like you can tell the difference between a lever and a co-axial. So yeah, unless you’re a trained watchmaker, don’t bullshit yourself by saying that this is a terrible watch due to a co-axial escapement not being there.
To cut a long story short, this the one you (or at least, I) want as far as collectability is concerned.
….but the second-gen is the bargain to get!
It should be no surprise that I am a complete evangelist when it comes to buying the first-generation Omega De Ville Prestige Power Reserve. By all means, go ahead and buy one – provided you can find one, that is. Now I’m not changing my perspective on the watch at all. I still love the first-generation model more than the second and the third, but the truth is that they’re discontinued watches that are hard to find in desirable condition. Scratch that.
They’re hard to find, period.
Of course, if you can find one, then they are definitely the better buy in my opinion. But with its arguably superior case finishing, dial design, and a co-axial escapement to boot, it is the second-generation iteration of this watch that I would recommend to any first-time buyer. Honestly, I think that this watch does make a solid case as one’s “first luxury timepiece”, as they can be found easily and pack a good amount of complication for the money. Plus, there’s really not that much of an incremental increase from this to the third generation, except for the fact that the third generation (see cover photo) has a nicer dial and a movement that is resistant to 15,000 gauss.
The Final Verdict
At less than $5,000, this watch makes a very strong case for itself as the “one” dress watch that you can own to rule everything out. It’s got the history, it’s got the complication, and people who know what this watch is can probably tell a pre-ceramic Seamaster from a ceramic Seamaster just from standing across the room. But that’s not really the point I’m trying to make here. Aside from serving as a memento or a reminder of a loved one, watches are pretty much well-engineered aesthetic objects that make you happy. Nothing more, nothing less. Granted, a power reserve indicator also can be seen as a reminder of our own mortality, and a small seconds hand reminds you about the passage of time in a rather quiet and discreet fashion.
Obviously, money can’t buy you more time in life. But it can buy you one of these. More importantly, it also buys you something that puts smile on your face each and every time you wear it, because you’re reminded of how beautifully engineered and finished this watch is, especially when you realize how much you need to pay to get this level of complication in watches that are from more high-end brands. Because you aren’t just wearing a watch, you’re wearing decades and decades of prestige.
And that’s what makes this watch a bonafide sleeper.
Recommend0 recommendationsPublished in Opinion
