The OMEGA De Ville Prestige Co-Axial Chronometers bring mixed reactions; neither unpleasant. Their large and loyal following is not just about the classic and elegant crowd; its design and characteristic luxury styling is a subject of interest to anyone admiring timeless existence. It exudes from the design.
They are perspicuous right at the first glance, but a closer inspection shall reveal there’s more to see. A large part of that is under the scratch-resistant sapphire crystals, the striking dials with Roman numerals at the midpoints and the date window at the 3 o’clock position. It’s the heart of these timepieces, the Co-Axial calibre 2500.
[Note] Co-Axial is a type of escapement with two escape wheels mounted together. They release the torque from the main spring by working in conjunction. There is an additional jewel to lessen friction. It’s much lesser than just two jewels sliding along the teeth of a single wheel. The third jewel catches the edge of the teeth on two wheels lessening friction in the escapement and resulting in longer gaps between services.
This is the first escapement design with a practical usage for the mass to come out in the last 250 years. It’s larger than Swiss-lever escapement. The Omega Cal. 2500 was introduced in 1999.
The Omega DeVille Prestige is also very low-profile at the same time. It’s sober as a dress watch, but its relatively low publicity makes it the member of close circles. It is not a widely known watch with a large following; it is about creating impressions from the connoisseurs’ point of views.
There is no other complication into it apart from regular timekeeping, which is its appeal. Being a current Omega product, all that we can say is it is very well made. It would be naiveté judging Omega and giving it points.
Else, let’s consider it a pleasant deviation from the trend of big sports watches, of military appearances and dominating by looks. The current fashion has gone bit to awry on legibility issues; multiple functions are more important now. So is sturdiness; all these are appealing with today’s trends.
But the distinguished crowd often run into a variety of social situations, where the military looks are never the priority criteria. Elegance and lightness are appreciated more for those settings; the soberness of formal clothes match with thinner volumes better. The wrist and the cuff don’t allow for a very wide gap and the OMEGA De Ville Prestige fits in perfectly.
The OMEGA De Ville Prestige watches got a very nostalgic appearance. It brings back the memories of days past and proudly wearing dress watches. Its elegance is its smaller size and it fulfils the intended goal of being a fine old-fashioned timepiece with a small crown, as opposed to the large heaps of metal often accompanying many of today’s best-sellers.
Watch(es) mentioned in this post are listed below. Click to see details and buy them:
