Dear All

For sale is this Omega 1956 6B/542 Rhodesian “Thin Arrow” Pilot’s Wristwatch.

Ordered from Omega on 27 June 1952 and delivered in May 1953, these watches were designed and manufactured to a very high standard. They were originally made to be waterproof, and the 283 calibre shockproof movement was finished in rose gold. The inner casing was constructed from soft iron to make the watch anti-magnetic. This ensured that the aircraft’s instruments did not affect the watch’s crucial performance during flight operations.

It is believed that only around 5,900 of these watches were ever manufactured and issued to the RAF in May 1953. Consequently, they are rather appropriately referred to today as the “53 Omegas”.

The watch for sale is an extremely rare example of its kind that was issued to the Royal Rhodesian Air Force (RRAF) in 1956.

Having originated from the Southern Rhodesian Air Force that served under the British RAF during WW2, the RRAF was officially formed on 15th October 1954.

Throughout the Rhodesian Civil War from 1964 until 1979, the RRAF consisted of more than 2,300 personnel, of which only around 150 were pilots, most of whom would have participated in combat missions. Rhodesia gained its independence in 1980 and became the Republic of Zimbabwe.

The markings on the reverse of the case back confirm the watch for sale to be an Omega ’56 Rhodesian. It features the usual NATO reference of 6645 101000 with 6B/542.
“016” represents the individual serial number of the watch, with the number “9” representing the month of issue (September), followed by “56” for the year of issue. The watch’s serial number suggests it is one of the earliest examples to have been issued to the RRAF in 1956.

The watch features a rarely found “Thin Arrow” dial variant that is believed to have been specifically produced for the RRAF. The red second hand is also a familiar trait that has been observed on the relatively few other examples that are known to exist.

The watch is powered by the same Omega 283 calibre movement as the RAF examples issued in 1953. However, its case bears the unusual and rarely found Omega reference 2777-3. This is opposed to the usual 2777 and 2777-1 found on the Omega RAF ’53s.

According to the Omega archives, it is believed most, if not all, these very special watches were originally delivered to the UK and were subsequently forwarded to the RRAF by the UK Ministry of Defence.

The Omega ’56 Rhodesian for sale is in excellent overall condition having been recently serviced by our highly skilled and experienced horologist.

The dial is in lovely overall condition with no obvious flaws or blemishes.

The hands and crown are correct to the original specification of the watch. There is some obvious loss of lume to the minute hand.

The outer casing is in good overall condition with several marks and scratches commensurate with age.

The Omega 283 calibre shockproof movement is in good condition and includes its original magnetic deflector dust cover and retainer ring.

The watch diameter is 37mm.

Please see photos below:

The watch is listed for sale on our website, priced at £5,995, which includes a free six-month warranty and a newly fitted NATO strap.

For further information on the watch for sale please feel free to call us on 0207 117 2807 or email us direct via info@finest-hour.co.uk

Many thanks and regards

Finest Hour
www.finest-hour.co.uk