An easy way for the novice to differentiate between gold capped and gold plated cases is to study them from the rear. Gold capping very rarely wears through and if treated sensibly, will last a lifetime with ease. A thick sheet of gold is bonded to a steel base and the gold content of a case produced in this way is high. Gold capping is a completely mechanical process and has nothing whatsoever to do with gold plating. A thin layer of gold is applied and this will soon show signs of wear with regular use. The latter is an electro-plating technique, requiring a case to be submerged in a plating bath. It must be appreciated that gold capping is not gold plating, and the two processes must not be confused.

This is a gold capped case, which means that the case body and back are in stainless steel, but the lugs and bezel have been covered with a thick layer of sheet gold. The large case has only the very tiniest of imperfections to its surface that can only really be seen with the aid of a jeweller’s eyeglass.

Its condition is such that we would have to question whether it has been worn on more than a few dozen special occasions in the past. These were expensive watches when new and consequently were typically looked after well, but even so, it is unusual to find one that is as immaculate as the piece here. As the 1950s wore on, all the top tier Swiss makers gradually introduced rotor winding movements and certainly by 1960, bumper movements had all but disappeared from the industry as a whole. Omega continued to manufacture its bumper mechanisms until 1955, which actually made it among the last to abandon this technology. Rather than having a centrally pivoted rotor than spun in either direction, the bumper used an oscillating weight that rocked backwards and forwards through a captive arc, bouncing back in the direction from whence it came after reaching its extreme of travel, hence its universally used nickname. This made its debut in 1943 and contained a movement built around the “bumper” principle. Perhaps oddly given its proven track record for technical innovation, Omega had arrived quite late with its first automatic model.

This watch is historically significant within the context of the Omega company. It isn’t an inexpensive item, but in a market when good vintage Omega watches seem to rise in value virtually every month, it is almost impossible to think of a piece that would be a safer bet when buying with a view to appreciation. Manufactured only a year after the end of World War II in 1946, it remains totally original and in a condition that could only be described as almost perfect. This is an absolutely beautiful example of one of the very earliest self-winding gentleman’s wristwatches by Omega and is a textbook specimen of what should be purchased for serious investment.

Omega bumper movements