The Omega Speedmaster “Silver Snoopy Award” 50th Anniversary might have captured the watch world’s attention earlier this year with its eye-catching and cheeky animated caseback, but this week the Swiss watchmaker showed it wasn’t done with its novelties quite yet for 2020. In another playful take on one of its classic collections, Omega has unveiled two new timepieces in its eleganr De Ville Trésor collection in support of Orbis International.
Orbis is a non-profit organization best known for its Flying Eye Hospital, which travels to the world’s most remote areas to treat avoidable blindness, working with a network of partners in those communities to mentor, train and inspire local teams. Omega has been a prominent supporter of Orbis since 2011, hosting auctions, launching sales, and releasing novelties all in support of the non-profit’s efforts.
Both new watches come in 40-mm polished steel cases, the only difference between them being the polished steel bezel on one and the diamond-set bezel on the other. Otherwise, each case has the familiar, thin silhouette that has defined the De Ville Trésor models since their initial debut in 2014 — along with the small signed crown and seamless, curved lugs that add to their overall understated, more formal appearance.
Beneath the sapphire crystal is a domed, sunray blue dial, fluctuating between deep dark shades to lighter ones depending on the lighting conditions. On the outer edge of the dial is a subtle, white-printed minute ring, giving way to applied, white gold hour markers in an elongated style, doubled at each quarter hour. At 6 o’clock the dial’s normally nondescript date window showcases this watch’s novelty feature: on the 8th of each month, a light-blue teddy bear— a symbol of Orbis — is displayed, matching the color of the seconds hand that sweeps above it. Two other slim hands count the hours and minutes as they pass over understated watch descriptions toward the bottom of the dial and Omega’s printed logo toward the top.
Powering the new Orbis edition is the Omega Caliber 8511, one of the few hand-wound variation of the manufacture’s renowned (and mostly automatic) Master Co-Axial mechanisms. This caliber is capable of a 60-hour power reserve, resists magnetism up to 15,000 gauss, and has its many decorative elements, including radial Geneva wave motif and a rose gold balance bridge, via a sapphire exhibition caseback.
Each De Ville Trésor Orbis comes with a certificate of authenticity and a five-year warranty from Omega. Each novelty also comes with a special presentation box and Teddy Bear key holder which the brand claims will “charm even the most serious collector.”
Both models are available now through Omega’s online store and via authorized boutiques, with the all-steel model marked at $6,500 and the diamond version set for $11,800. Profits from both will benefit Orbis and its initiative to fight preventable blindness in the developing world.
To learn more about Orbis and their efforts, you can visit the non-profit’s website, here.
To learn more about the new Trésor models and inquire for purchase, you can visit Omega’s website, here.
