It ain’t easy getting excited about dress watches these days, but that’s not to say they don’t still have their time and place in a thoughtfully assembled watch collection — and it’s great to see Omega sticking to its guns on the ultra-classic De Ville Trésor watches, which have been refreshed with a new 40mm stainless steel case option, and fitted with a trio of new dial treatments, each with the svelte hand-wound, METAS-certified Master Chronometer movement ticking away beneath.
Owing its proliferation in the ’50s and 60s to a clean design and no-nonsense build quality, in many ways, the De Ville is one of Omega’s most iconic properties. Let’s also not forget that many of our fathers, or their fathers, at some point probably owned an Omega De Ville similar to what we’re looking at today — classic everyday watches that would go on to pave the way for a larger-scale appreciation of Omega’s more popular Seamaster and Speedmaster sports watches, which tend to get all the glory these days.
Previously, the Master Co-Axial Trésor watches were noteworthy in the sense that they were only available in precious metals, but now for 2019, Omega is refitting the collection with the most current line of METAS-certified Master Chronometer calibers, but more importantly, a brand new price point, as well, thanks to the new stainless steel case. The case itself is still 40mm in diameter, and it’s still fitted with a hand-wound co-axial movement, albeit upgraded from the 8500 Co-Axial series to an 8900-caliber movement — one I’ve always loved for its super-slim profile and semi-symmetrical layout when viewed through the exhibition caseback.
Specifications:
Brand: Omega
Model: De Ville Trésor
Dimensions: 40mm
Water Resistance: 30 meters
Case Material: Stainless Steel
Crystal/Lens: Sapphire
Movement: Omega cal. 8910 (handwound)
Power Reserve: 72 Hours
Strap/Bracelet: Leather strap
Price & Availability: Starts at $6,500 in Stainless Steel (ref. 435.13.40.21.03.001) on leather strap, jumps to $15,000 in gold (ref. 435.53.40.21.06.001) on leather strap. Available August 2019.
Flip the new Master Chronometer De Ville Trésor watches over, and you’ll notice a new set of dial treatments that echo the vintage-style domed dial that defined the mid-century editions. Style-wise, they’re still the same — with the wafer-thin baton indices and needle-shaped handset — but it’s the dials themselves where the changes are made. The blue stainless steel variant comes with a brass-stamped dial that yields a cool lattice texture that’s only lightly interrupted by the color-matched date aperture at 6 o’clock. The silver dial isn’t quite so complex, opting for a more classic opaline finish and yielding an execution that feels the most faithful to the De Ville that might be part of your family tree. If you do make the jump to precious metal, Omega does have a new “no date” Sedna rose gold variant with a luxurious slate gray enamel dial, achieved using the traditional “Grand Feu” firing technique.
Though largely a spiritual update to the De Ville Trésor watches, the new offerings in stainless steel start at a price of $6,500, which provides an interesting value proposition that slots in neatly between Omega’s entry-level Seamaster and Railmaster sport watches, and the Globemaster collection. Jumping to precious metal is going to push the price up to $15,000, which is still a slight reduction over the outgoing Master Co-Axial variants. Learn more at omegawatches.com.
