World's First OMEGA Vintage Store Opens in London at Somlo Antiques
The world's first OMEGA Vintage Store has opened in London. Devoted entirely to vintage timepieces, it is located within the new Somlo Antiques shop in the prestigious Burlington Arcade, and is run by noted vintage watch specialist George Somlo.
Vintage OMEGA watches have enjoyed an enhanced profile as reliable investment pieces, particularly since last April's Antiquorum “Omegamania” auction which confirmed the worldwide interest in vintage Omegas, with prices far exceeding their pre-auction estimates.
“To follow the success of the Omegamania auction we felt the time was right to take an innovative approach in what is probably the world's leading vintage watch market,” says Omega President Stephen Urquhart. “Given Omega's rich and interesting history and George Somlo's expertise I'm sure it will be a great success.”
OMEGA was founded in 1848 and in the past 160 years the company has distinguished itself in such diverse fields as precision technology, sports timekeeping and exploration, notably of space (the OMEGA Speedmaster is the only watch which has ever been on the moon) and of the oceans' depths.
OMEGA watches have appeared on some prominent wrists: John F. Kennedy famously sported an “Ultra Thin” OMEGA wristwatch when he gave his Inaugural Address in 1961. The Prince of Wales still wears an OMEGA which he received for his eighth birthday from Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie.
George Somlo says, “There are many Omega watches remaining in circulation from vintage years, purely because they were made so well. If you take any vintage Omega apart, you will find extremely high quality workmanship. Vintage Omegas are still undervalued for what they are really worth, but this has already started to change.”
Some very special and rare pieces are available from OMEGA Vintage: pocket watches from the early 20th century, early chronographs from the 1930s, famous chronometers from the 1940s and Speedmasters from the 1950s, including some of the first from 1957 and 1958. All OMEGA watches sold at the OMEGA Vintage store are approved by Omega and sold with a two-year warranty and certificate of authenticity.
”All pieces will be restored as close to the original as possible,” says Somlo. “It is incredibly important that we focus on restoration rather than replacing.” The new vintage store will also offer clients on-site servicing, specialising in vintage restoration up to the 1970s.
OMEGA Vintage at Somlo Antiques
35-36 Burlington Arcade, London, W1J 0QB. Tel: 020 7499 6526.
OMEGA was founded in 1848 and is a company of the Swatch Group, the world's leading watch manufacturer. For more than 150 years, the brand has been synonymous with excellence, innovation and precision. Faithful to its original pioneering spirit, OMEGA continues to make technical and watchmaking history with innovation in areas as diverse as sports timing, precision technology and design – innovations that led to the conquest of ocean depths and space. Through numerous partnership agreements at the top level of competition in various sporting disciplines such as golf, bobsleigh, yachting, athletics and swimming, OMEGA has actively supported for many years the ideal of perfection and precision. Since 1932 OMEGA has been the Official Timekeeper of 22 Olympic Games, a role it will also fulfil in Beijing 2008, Vancouver 2010 and London 2012.
