Caliber 18/20 LOBP (Omega Ref: KAR 141LV)

Given to Winner of 1st President's Cup Yacht Race in 1926 - First Aluminum Speedboat!

Trophy Presented by President Calvin Coolidge

Own a Piece of History! This matching pair of rare Omega Chrono-tachymeter pocket watches were presented to L.G. Hamersley, to commemorate his winning the very first President's Cup Yacht race on the Potomac river on September 17 & 18th 1926 with his all new aluminum boat "Cigarette IV". The watches were given to Hamersley by the designer of the boat, Frederick Lord. The watches have been locked away in a vault, unused, and are in pristine mint New Old Stock (NOS) condition.

About the Historic Race

In addition to being the first running of the prestigeous President's Cup Yacht Race, this was also the first speedboat race ever won by an all metal boat:

On September 17th & 18th 1926, 75,000 spectators lined the banks of the Potomac river in Washington D.C. to watch. The winner of the President's Cup was L. Gordon Hammersley in his $60,000 duraluminum CIGARETTE IV. The winning speed was around 55 miles per hour. President Calvin Coolidge presented the President's Cup to L. Gordon Hammersley, owner and pilot.

Constructed even before aluminum skinned aircraft technology was developed, this was the first all aluminum race boat ever built. Most of her wooden competitors weighed in at 5 or more tons, the Lord/Hammersley contender weighed only 2,000 pounds wet.

The boat was designed by pioneering marine architect Frederick K. Lord and built for L. Gordon Hamersley of New York City. Design and construction began in 1925. The boat was constructed at the Brewster Body Works, a coach and auto body manufacturer in Long Island City.

You can find more details of this historic race here and here.

You can also find additional details about the famous "Cigarette IV" yacht (re-named "Mercury") here.

About the Watches

These matching watches are absolutely pristine and come packaged in their original 1926 Omega factory cardboard box and original Omega cloth protective pouches. The watches have never been used and show only slight tarnish oxidation of the silver cases. They have never been polished.

The solid sterling silver Omega signed openface cases on the two matching watches are marked with serial numbers that are 3 digits apart (7126395 & 7126398). Likewise, the Omega Caliber 18/20 LOBP 15-jewel chrono-tachymeter movements are also marked with serial numbers (under the balance wheel) that are 3 digits apart (5800743 & 5800746). The original box gives the Omega reference number for these watch models to be "KAR 141 LV".

Everything about the watches is pristine and they are exactly as they left the factory over 80 years ago. The original multicolor porcelain dials have no scratches, hairlines or imperfections of any kind. Black Arabic numerals with minute/second scale marked to 1/5 second. Outer tachymeter scale in 6 colors! Gorgeous! Beautiful gold Breguet moon-style hands with a blued sweep second hand. The dial also has a multi-color recessed 30-minute register at the 12 position with a blued hand and a recessed subsidiary seconds register at the 6 o'clock position with a gold hand.

The movements in the watches are pristine and look like they left the Omega factory yesterday. They show no rust or corrosion anywhere and wind, set and function perfectly. The stopwatch functions operate properly, also. The watches have never been serviced or adjusted (or used) since leaving the factory 80+ years ago, so I haven't tested their timing accuracy.

The watches measure approximately 54mm across.

SALES TAX
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GUARANTEES
We guarantee that our watches and jewelry are exactly as described. We want you to be 100% satisfied with your purchase. If you receive an item and don't wish to keep it, simply let us know within 7 days of receipt and we'll arrange to take it back and issue an immediate 100% refund. It's that simple! The exception to this rule is when we list an item "as is" in the text description (usually parts or salvage items).

There is no guarantee on "as is" items and these sales are final. All our vintage watches are guaranteed to run unless otherwise stated in the description, however please assume that they may require cleaning or adjustment to keep correct time. If a watch has been recently serviced or timed while in our possession, we'll disclose this in the description.

DOMESTIC SHIPPING
Domestic shipping is by Registered U.S. Postal Priority Mail unless otherwise noted or requested. All shipments are insured. The fixed cost for domestic shipping is $50 USD. Shipping discounts are available on multiple item purchases.

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING  
International shipments will shipped via Insured Fed-Ex or U.S. Postal Express Mail (where allowed) and will be charged shipping at our cost (no handling fees). You can obtain an estimate of international shipping cost by visiting www.fedex.com or www.usps.com. We will e-mail the winning bidder at the end of the auction with the exact shipping cost. Buyer is responsible for all duties and taxes. We will not falsify customs documents.

SOLD