Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Omega · De Ville
Omega De Ville 43 mm Mother-of-pearl Stainless
Reference 11423ST.98
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Omega
- Collection
- De Ville
- Model
- Omega De Ville 43 mm Mother-of-pearl Stainless
- Reference number
- 11423ST.98
- Year / era
- 1980 · 1980s — quartz-crisis era
- Complication
- Minute repeater
- Movement
- In-house automatic, chronometer certified
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Dial type
- Mother-of-pearl
- Strap / bracelet
- Integrated steel bracelet
- Water resistance
- 200 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 43 mm
- Case thickness
- 12.6 mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Bezel
- Emerald-set
- Crystal
- Box sapphire with AR coating
- Dial
- Mother-of-pearl
- Hands
- Faceted dauphine hands, polished by hand
- Indexes
- Printed minute track with applied batons
- Bracelet / strap
- Integrated steel bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 200 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 13F — In-house automatic, chronometer certified
- Movement type
- Automatic, self-winding
- Frequency
- 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 65 hours
- Number of jewels
- 21 jewels
- Complications
- Minute repeater
- Functions
- Annual calendar, moon phase
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1980 – 1994
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Trades close to retail on the secondary market, with steady demand for full-set examples.
Designer
Marc Newson
Marc Newson is an Australian industrial designer whose work spans Qantas cabins, Apple hardware and Jaeger-LeCoultre's Atmos clocks; his watch design reduces the object to pure geometry and legibility.
Historical significance
Omega De Ville 43 mm Mother-of-pearl Stainless sits within Omega's De Ville line, introduced in 1980. It carries the house codes established since 1848 — stainless steel case, mother-of-pearl dial and in-house automatic, chronometer certified — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
The House
Omega
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1848
- Founder
- Louis Brandt
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Luxury
- Major collections
- Speedmaster, Seamaster, Constellation, De Ville, Aqua Terra, Planet Ocean, Railmaster
- Signature technologies
- Hand-applied guilloché dials · Composite and ceramic case materials · Certified chronometer regulation
- Famous movements
- In-house manual-winding · In-house automatic chronograph · In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer · In-house automatic, chronometer certified
- Notable watches
- Omega Speedmaster 38 mm Slate Sapphire (1961) · Omega Speedmaster 39 mm Blue Quartz (1952) · Omega Speedmaster 44 mm Meteorite 18k (2001) · Omega Speedmaster 36 mm Slate 18k (1981)
Brand history
Omega has spent more than 178 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Speedmaster, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Louis Brandt established Omega in 1848, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Omega calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1848
Louis Brandt founds Omega in Switzerland.
1888
Omega earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Omega to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Omega enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Omega continues to produce Speedmaster, Seamaster, Constellation and other icons in limited numbers.