The De Ville Trésor might not get the same kind of attention as Omega’s iconic Moonwatch or the sporty, diving fare with superspy endorsement, but over the past couple of years it’s become their de facto dress watch for good reason. The overall design is about as classic as things get, harking back to the late 1940s.
This year, Omega is fleshing out the Trésor collection with, we’re promised, an array of colours, materials and displays. For now though, we just have two new models to dote over and dote we shall. The new De Ville Trésor Power reserve and Small Seconds are very, very good-looking watches.
Omega De Ville Trésor Power Reserve
Let’s start with the Power Reserve. As a sign of things to come, it’s the more interesting of the two, with a small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock mirrored in the power reserve subdial at 12 o’clock. Doing the reserve this way feels far more classical than your usual power indicators that look closer to fuel gauges than anything. It blends in nicely without interrupting the symmetry of the dial.
The change in layout has also pushed the Omega logo to 3 o’clock rather than 12, which is visually satisfying, balancing the Co-Axial Master Chronometer lettering at 9 o’clock. On a dial that’s otherwise just brushed, silvered metal and yellow gold indexes, it’s a great touch.
The 40mm yellow gold case is slim and elegant, a pure 50s dress watch at its heart. The mechanical heart on the other hand is all modern. As the dial lettering clearly states, the calibre 8935 is Master Chronometer certified, but in line with the vintage feel of the Trésor, is manual-wind and was designed specifically for the new power reserve model.
The series-mounted barrels mean a power reserve of 72-hours, so it’s fine for daily wear even if you forget to wind it now and then, especially as for this model you can keep an eye on it. But honestly, I’d keep this for formal occasions rather than daily wear, so I’d be setting it every time I took it out anyway.
The Specs
Ref: 435.53.40.22.02.001 | Case/dial: 40mm diameter x 10.07 mm thickness, 18K Yellow gold, crystal silvery dial | Water resistance: 30m | Movement: In-house OMEGA Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 8935, hand-wound, 29 jewels | Frequency: 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz) | Power reserve: 72h | Functions: Hour, minutes, small seconds hand, power reserve display | Strap: Grey leather strap with polished 18K gold buckle | Price: £14,970
Omega De Ville Trésor Small Seconds
The second of the new pair is a lot more eye-catching. Every Trésor moving on will use a small seconds subdial, so this is perhaps truer to the wider collection, and the lacquered burgundy dial is magnificent. The Omega logo is back at 12 o’clock to maintain that aesthetic balance and the indexes are the same thin, elegantly elongated applied numbers as the Power Reserve model.
The case is made from Omega’s own Sedna gold, essentially a proprietary rose gold alloy with a deeper, redder colour. Paired with the dial it’s as traditionally rich as velvet drapes at a members’ club. Again, the Trésor Small Seconds is a dress watch at heart, but the brighter, more unusual dial would make it just quirky enough to pull off outside of formal occasions.
The movement inside is the calibre 8927 which, other than the lack of a power reserve, is the same as the 8935. Both watches are equipped with a sapphire caseback, which is a damn good thing. Omega has been upping their finishing game drastically and the 8927 and 8935 are absolute beauties. Arabesque Geneva waves, rhodium-plated bridges, even the layout seems designed for maximum visual impact. I’ve not seen much else at this price point that comes close.
The Specs
Ref: 435.53.40.21.11.002 | Case/dial: 40mm diameter x 10.7mm thickness, 18K Sedna™ gold, domed burgundy lacquered dial | Water resistance: 30m | Movement: In-house OMEGA Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 8927, hand-wound, 29 jewels | Frequency: 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz) | Power reserve: 72h | Functions: Hour, minutes, small seconds | Strap: Burgundy leather with polished 18K gold buckle | Price: £14,460
These Trésor Power Reserve and Small Seconds models aren’t ground-breaking, but they do show two different sides to Omega’s signature dress watch. And bear in mind, these are just the tip of the iceberg, promising more to come. We even caught a glimpse of a olive-hued dial during the press presentation, so expect some seriously covetable timepieces to come from the collection.
More details at Omega.
