Seven (More) Amazing Omega 'Geneve' Watch Designs
As mentioned in the companion piece, the Omega 'Geneve' is the sort of underrated little brother of the brand’s watch lineup. But it’s much more than that! The vintage Geneve line covers dressy, classic, and sports watch styles; there’s just too many good examples to fit into one article.
First we’ll start with the cover shots: the 70s integrated bracelet models. These can have rotatable divers-style bezels (as shown above) or a fixed bezel (as shown below.)
These examples really bring the Royal Oak or Nautilus vibe, but without the high price tag or waiting list of those white-hot watches.
Speedmaster fan? You’ve heard of the 'Speedy Reduced,' but this Omega Geneve example takes reduction to a whole other level. The designers basically grabbed Omega’s most famous watch and deleted the chrono, slimmed down the case, and kept the hands and dial.
Do you dig the Rolex Explorer II? Or the Speedy Mark II? Then you’ve seen these 'Flightmaster' watch hands before. O.G.’s that sport these usually command a small premium, yet at present they’re still easy enough to find on the secondhand market.
Yes, the O.G. line also contains some divers models! Though don’t get too excited; most of these watches only were designed to have 'diver looks' and be 'splash-proof,' meaning 50m water resistance or so. Some lucky models have screw-down crowns or casebacks, but let’s be honest; you’re not diving with a vintage watch anyways.
Many examples have 'ghost bezels,' faded tropical dials, and other vintage quirks usually seen on dive watches with an extra '0' or two in the asking price! Grab them while you can.
Fortunately or unfortunately, it’s the Omega Geneve divers that command the highest costs at market; an average-to-great example lives around a grand or two in cost. High for an O.G., but considering what Swiss brands are asking for new offerings, we’d still consider these O.G. flagships as good buys.
One more thing: the ones featuring an anchor on the dial are called 'admiralty' watches. Not that they were ever issued to soldiers, but are named as such due to the icon on the dial.
You wouldn’t have a vintage Omega round-up without a few 'Racing Dial' variants. Consider these the Paul Newmans of Omega O.G. watches!
As mentioned in the first article, this is in now way an exhaustive guide to the Omega Geneve watch line. There are Geneve branded watches with the ellipsoid '70s 'Dynamic' case. There are Geneve models with a late 60s and early 70s 'TV Screen' vibe. There are even chronograph Geneve models called the 'Chronostop,' some of which were meant to be worn on the inside of the wrist, as true driver models.
See what’s available in your area.
If you see anything new, or own any interesting Omega watches…feel free to message us or DM us on Instagram. Thanks again as always for reading + being a part of Curated Classics!
