Omega De Ville Hour Vision Watch: For Omega Fans, A Timepiece To Celebrate

When Omega debuted the De Ville Hour Vision watch in 2007, I felt a certain degree of quiet delight. While the introduction of the George Daniels-designed Co-Axial escapement in 1999 was a big Omega headliner in its own right, the Hour Vision timepiece with its in-house 8500 movement took things to an entirely new level. Suddenly, Omega had gloriously return to its noble heritage as a manufacture watchmaker – and one obsessed with top-level chronometric precision, at that. I was possessed with a sudden urge to dust off the old books on Omega and get reacquainted with the rich and colorful history of the brand that the Brandt family founded in the 19th century.

The Omega De Ville Hour Vision watch is a fantastic total package. To showcase their new in-house movement, Omega went to the considerable length to develop a remarkable case holding an inner sapphire “vault”; this inner sapphire case, which demanded some extraordinary techniques to manufacture with the requisite precision – enables you to look in from the sides as well as the back! The dial is one of the finest Omega has ever produced, past or present – it has a lot of retro charm, yet shows off some very fine minutiae; take note of the rakish date window, and the brushed 18-karat gold hour markers and hands with their exacting bevels. The leather strap and deployant buckle looks superb on the Hour Vision watch, but the complex bracelet is a real work of art that really compliments the unique sapphire case.

Omega’s De Ville Hour Vision timepiece is also an outstanding value, considering how many exclusive watchmaking treats it offers the buyer. The price of this watch (particularly in its steel variants) is very fair in relation to the horological quality it demonstrates. The Omega Hour Vision watch serves up the kind of exclusive quality you usually find only in the haute horlogerie category – but at a price point that is in the “mid-range” for fine timepieces.