OMEGA MARINE　

COMMENT

オメガのマリーンは、角形の外装ケースとインナーケースを組み合わせた二重構造の防水時計として1930年代に登場したモデルです。外装をスライドさせて外すことで巻き上げ・時刻合わせを行う仕組みが与えられ、“ケース構造で防水を成立させる”発想が徹底されています。ダイヤルはアール・デコ期らしい端正なレイアウトで、スクエアの面にアラビア数字、レイルウェイ風のトラック、青焼き針を合わせた緊張感のある表情。搭載ムーブメントは手巻きCal.19.4T2で、同系統のキャリバーが当時のオメガを支えた中核のひとつです。

ステンレススチール（Staybrite表記）のケースは、面の揃いが良く、角の立ち上がりが自然に残っています。ケースバックは保管・使用に伴う線傷が見受けられますが、開閉機構の噛み合わせは良好です。裏蓋の“ANTIMAGNETIC / INCABLOC / STAINLESS STEEL”等の刻印、各国特許表記が確認できます。ダイヤルは全体に細かな点状の経年が散り、ヴィンテージらしい表情として収まっています。青焼き針は色気が残り、視認性を崩すような強い劣化は感じません。弊社にて分解清掃済みです。

マリーンの価値は、意匠の良さ以上に「防水腕時計の初期解」としての思想にあります。シーマスターが1948年に登場して“日常の防水時計”を量産ラインで洗練していく以前、マリーンは特許に裏打ちされた二重ケースとレバー機構で、密閉の成立を真正面から追い込んだ存在でした。実際に深度試験（73m、さらに13.5気圧＝135m相当で語られるテスト）まで記録されていた点も、このモデルが技術で語れる理由です。角形の静けさの内側に、ブランドの挑戦がそのまま格納された一本です。

BRAND

腕時計が普及し始めた1910年代から手巻き、自動巻と変遷を経て、クオーツ時計の開発によって機械式時計が衰退します。それ以前の1960年代に機械式腕時計はひとつのピークに達します。当時は日本でも三種の神器の一つだったオメガの時計。持つ人のステータスとなる高級品で、各メーカーが精度や防水性、耐久性など切磋琢磨し開発した時代。コストをかけて、より良い時計造りのためにしのぎを削っていました。

COMMENT

The Omega Marine was introduced in the 1930s as a waterproof wristwatch employing a distinctive double-case construction, combining an outer rectangular shell with an inner case. By sliding and removing the outer case, the watch can be wound and set—an approach that rigorously pursued the idea of achieving water resistance through case architecture itself. The dial reflects the disciplined aesthetics of the Art Deco period, pairing Arabic numerals, a railway-style minute track, and blued steel hands within a square layout that conveys a sense of controlled tension. The watch is powered by the hand-wound Cal. 19.4T2, a movement from the same lineage that formed one of the technical backbones of Omega during this era.

The stainless steel case (marked “Staybrite”) shows well-aligned surfaces, with naturally preserved edges and corners. The case back exhibits linear marks consistent with storage and use, though the engagement of the opening mechanism remains sound. Inside the case back, inscriptions such as “ANTIMAGNETIC / INCABLOC / STAINLESS STEEL,” along with various international patent markings, can be clearly confirmed. The dial shows fine, evenly scattered spotting from age, settling into an appropriately vintage expression. The blued hands retain their depth of color, with no pronounced deterioration that would impair legibility. Fully serviced by our watchmaker.

The true significance of the Marine lies not only in its design, but in its conceptual importance as an early solution to the challenge of waterproof wristwatches. Before the Seamaster debuted in 1948 and refined the idea of everyday water resistance on an industrial scale, the Marine confronted the problem directly through a patented double-case system and lever mechanism designed to ensure a reliable seal. That the watch was subjected to documented depth testing—reported at 73 meters, and further discussed in terms of 13.5 atmospheres (equivalent to 135 meters)—underscores its technical credibility. Beneath the calm restraint of its rectangular form, this model encapsulates Omega’s early engineering ambition in its most literal form.

BRAND

As wristwatches became widespread from the 1910s onward, watchmaking progressed from hand-wound to automatic movements, before the advent of quartz technology led to the decline of mechanical watches. Prior to this shift, mechanical wristwatches reached a peak in the 1960s. During that period, Omega was regarded in Japan as one of the so-called “three sacred treasures” of modern life—a luxury item that symbolized personal status. Manufacturers competed intensely to improve accuracy, water resistance, and durability, investing heavily in development in pursuit of better watchmaking.