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Lot Essay
It is an extremely rare event when an historic Omega watch specifically produced for testing purposes and actually worn as part of a famous mission is offered for sale on the open market. It becomes even more exciting when that watch is a super-stylish early 60s diver’s watch and the mission was headed by legendary oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau (1910-1997). This watch can certainly be regarded as one of, if not the most desirable of all Seamaster 300 watches in private hands.
The present watch was used by Jacques-Yves Cousteau’s team during the underwater experiment Precontinent II conducted in the Red Sea in July 1963, where a “station” and a “main house” were immersed. The “station” immersed to a depth of 25 metres and supplied with a mixture of helium and oxygen, sheltered two men for seven days. The starfish-shaped “main house” immersed at a depth of 11 metres and supplied with air sheltered five men for one month. The undersea colony was supported with water, food, power, and all other essentials of life, from a large support team above. In the 1960s Jacques Cousteau was involved with a set of three projects to build underwater "villages", funded in part by the French petrochemical industry, the projects were named Precontinent I, Precontinent II and Precontinent III. Each ensuing project was aimed at increasing the depth at which people continuously lived under water, and were an attempt at creating an environment in which men could live and work on the sea floor. The projects are best known as Conshelf I (1962), Conshelf II (1963), and Conshelf III (1965). The names "Precontinent", and "Continental Shelf Station" (Conshelf) were used interchangeably by Cousteau. Conshelf Two is documented in Jacques Cousteau's 1964 documentary film World Without Sun.
Confirming that the present Seamaster 300 was officially supplied, it may be noted that the movement - Omega caliber 552, has a most unusual serial number: 00000554. Confirmed by the certificate, this is because the movement was issued from a special batch reserved only for testing purposes. Such movements were pre-tested to very high tolerances in the factory and then fitted into watches supplied to expeditions and for events where they could be field-tested being subjected to extreme and prolonged “real-life” situations. The results obtained after the watches had been put through their paces were in turn invaluable to Omega in the development of ever more reliable and consistently performing tool watches.
The Seamaster 300 has been the choice of many of the world’s most famous explorers and divers over the years. The "Professional" range of Seamaster watches was introduced in 1957 with the launch of the Seamaster 300 using the caliber 28 SC-501 movement. In 1962 the present model was introduced “specially designed for professionals and underwater sports’ lovers alike” fitted with the caliber 552 movement, matt black oxidized dial with large luminous hour markers, stainless steel case with Speedmaster-type lugs and reinforced crystal, the back featuring the Seahorse medallion and inscribed “Certified High Pressure Waterproof Seamaster”
The present watch is illustrated and described in: Omega – A Journey Through Time, Marco Richon, 2007, p. 324.
The present watch was used by Jacques-Yves Cousteau’s team during the underwater experiment Precontinent II conducted in the Red Sea in July 1963, where a “station” and a “main house” were immersed. The “station” immersed to a depth of 25 metres and supplied with a mixture of helium and oxygen, sheltered two men for seven days. The starfish-shaped “main house” immersed at a depth of 11 metres and supplied with air sheltered five men for one month. The undersea colony was supported with water, food, power, and all other essentials of life, from a large support team above. In the 1960s Jacques Cousteau was involved with a set of three projects to build underwater "villages", funded in part by the French petrochemical industry, the projects were named Precontinent I, Precontinent II and Precontinent III. Each ensuing project was aimed at increasing the depth at which people continuously lived under water, and were an attempt at creating an environment in which men could live and work on the sea floor. The projects are best known as Conshelf I (1962), Conshelf II (1963), and Conshelf III (1965). The names "Precontinent", and "Continental Shelf Station" (Conshelf) were used interchangeably by Cousteau. Conshelf Two is documented in Jacques Cousteau's 1964 documentary film World Without Sun.
Confirming that the present Seamaster 300 was officially supplied, it may be noted that the movement - Omega caliber 552, has a most unusual serial number: 00000554. Confirmed by the certificate, this is because the movement was issued from a special batch reserved only for testing purposes. Such movements were pre-tested to very high tolerances in the factory and then fitted into watches supplied to expeditions and for events where they could be field-tested being subjected to extreme and prolonged “real-life” situations. The results obtained after the watches had been put through their paces were in turn invaluable to Omega in the development of ever more reliable and consistently performing tool watches.
The Seamaster 300 has been the choice of many of the world’s most famous explorers and divers over the years. The "Professional" range of Seamaster watches was introduced in 1957 with the launch of the Seamaster 300 using the caliber 28 SC-501 movement. In 1962 the present model was introduced “specially designed for professionals and underwater sports’ lovers alike” fitted with the caliber 552 movement, matt black oxidized dial with large luminous hour markers, stainless steel case with Speedmaster-type lugs and reinforced crystal, the back featuring the Seahorse medallion and inscribed “Certified High Pressure Waterproof Seamaster”
The present watch is illustrated and described in: Omega – A Journey Through Time, Marco Richon, 2007, p. 324.