Five Years of Sub Seconds Omega Design in the years after WWII
OMEGA Cosmic Triple Calendar Moonphase Ref 2471 (1946)
Men’s File is delighted to welcome watch dealer and aficionado Robin Mann to the pages of our twenty-third issue. ‘Aficionado’ is not a term we often use as it suggests ‘luxury’ and ‘rich men’s toys’ and we avoid both. However, there is a difference between trinkets and objects of cultural significance. While the output of the great watchmakers has been partly appropriated by those seeking status symbols, here Robin celebrates the mindset of the collector, aesthete and revivalist in this brief, but concise, appraisal of the post-war Omega. The ethos of Robin Mann’s Mann About Time seeks to pass the notional baton of historic time pieces on to the next custodian - a full selection of vintage pieces can be found at either www.mannabouttime.com, or in his cabinet on the second floor at Fortnum & Mason, London.
Photography and Text: Robin Mann
The 1930s and 40s were periods of both upheaval and recovery - economic records were at once broken, before grinding to a shocking halt. What started as a period of post-depression-era wanton indulgence, careered towards a seeming end-of-world-state of global conflict. What followed The War was a period of rebuilding and redesigning, of re-understanding the world required, and how to live within it.
OMEGA Seamaster Chronograph Calibre 321 (1961)
This is by no means an exhaustive account of Omega Design, entire books have been written on the subject and indeed the brand alone – rather, it should serve as a brief visual account of the scope of design borne out of a brief moment in time. Just 5 years separate the four watches discussed on these pages, and each has their own unique personality and story to tell.
To read the full article, order Men’s File issue 23 at www.lightningclutch.com
