In Omega’s collection of vintage watches, the Super Sport Moon landing is a legend, and the Seamaster 300 is the benchmark for diving. But there is one Seamaster watch that has a special story. It was used on the battlefields during World War II and appeared in Nolan’s film. The movement it was equipped with was called “one of Omega’s best manually wound movements” by the collector. It is called CK2120, but few people seriously talk about it.
In today’s watch world, when it comes to Omega military watches, most people’s first thought is the “WWW” series customized by the British Ministry of Defense, or the RAF styles with the broad arrow logo. But during World War II, among the flight watches provided by Omega to the British Royal Air Force, there was one model that was extremely special: it had no broad arrow, no military serial number, the dial was clean, and only the Omega logo and scales were on it. Its model was CK2120, a name that occasionally appears in auction catalogues and forum posts but is rarely systematically described.
A sea horse designed specifically for pilots
The CK2120 belongs to the Omega Seamaster series. However, its positioning is completely different from what people are familiar with today’s Seamaster 300. The Seamaster 300 is a diving watch, while the CK2120 is a flight watch, or more precisely, it is a military timepiece designed for the British Royal Air Force during World War II.
Its core configuration, in today’s perspective, is not particularly impressive: a stainless steel case, with a diameter ranging from approximately 33 to 35 millimeters (the standard size of that era), equipped with Calibre 23.4SC manual winding movement, a central seconds hand, and water resistance up to 30 meters. It has no flyback function, no chronograph function, and no complex design with luminous hands. It is simply a clean, tool-like watch designed for reading time.
But it is precisely this “cleanliness” that has given it its place in the military watch collector community. Many military watches from that era were marked with broad arrows, military inventory numbers, and even unit designations. The dial of the CK2120 has almost no such markings. Some collectors have discussed this issue on forums, and the conclusion is that it might belong to an early batch issued or purchased by officers, without going through the standard military numbering process. This “identity ambiguity” has become its characteristic – unlike later standardized military watches, each CK2120 dial has its own aging marks, and each one has its own story.
23.4SC: The Underestimated Mechanism
The Calibre 23.4SC equipped in the CK2120 is a relatively overlooked element within the lineage of Omega’s vintage movement designs.
23.4 refers to Omega’s main manual winding movement family from the late 1930s to the 1940s. It measures 23.4 millimeters in diameter, has a solid structure, and is highly repairable. SC stands for “Seconds at Center”, which is the version with a central second hand. During the transition from pocket watches to wristwatches, the central second hand was an important design choice – it made reading the time more intuitive and was more suitable for aviation and military purposes.
The finishing and configuration of this movement were at an above-average level among the mass-produced movements of that time. Although it lacks an official astronomical certification and complex fine-tuning devices, its circuitry is clear and the parts are durable. A repairer on the forum has commented that the 23.4 series is “one of Omega’s last generations of conscientiously made manual winding movements”, and later models like 28.10 are more modern but lack the solid feel of old-school watchmaking.
More importantly, the parts of the 23.4SC are still relatively easy to find to this day. This means that the CK2120 is not an antique watch that can only be displayed but can be repaired, maintained, and worn daily. For those who want to get into antique military watches, this is a very practical advantage.
Nolan made it be seen again
The CK2120 truly gained widespread attention in 2017.In Christopher Nolan’s film “Dunkirk”, the wristwatch worn by the British Royal Air Force pilots was the Omega CK2120. After the film was released, discussions about the CK2120 on antique watch forums suddenly increased. Many people realized for the first time: It turns out that Omega not only has the Supercompacts but also has this watch with a story.
However, the popularity brought by the film did not last long. The price of the CK2120 rose in a wave from 2017 to 2019, and then fell again. The reason was simple: Its story was not “easy to tell”. The Supercompacts have the moon landing, the Seamaster 300 has 007, but the CK2120 only has the “Dunkirk” and “RAF Flight Watch” labels. The latter is an added advantage in the military watch market, but not loud enough in the mass market.
This is precisely the reason why the CK2120 is underestimated. Its value does not lie in the marketing narrative, but in itself: a Swiss flight watch from World War II, equipped with a solid mechanical movement, with no unnecessary decorations on the dial, just doing one thing – allowing pilots to clearly see the time in the bumpy cockpit.
The position in the auction venue
The performance of the CK2120 at the auction can be described as “moderate”.
The ordinary steel version of CK2120, in good condition, usually sells for between two thousand and four thousand US dollars. If the dial has special markings (such as a very rare batch with military numbers) or if the accessories are complete (original watch box, certificate), the price can reach over five thousand US dollars. This price range falls in the mid-range among vintage Omega watches, lower than the Superlative Pre-Moon and the early Seamaster 300, but higher than the ordinary dress model.
It is not an “investment item”. People who buy CK2120 usually do not do so with the expectation of its value increasing. They purchase it because they want a vintage Omega with a genuine historical background, one that can be worn out in public, and one that won’t get mistaken at gatherings of watch enthusiasts.
Conclusion
The CK2120 is not Omega’s most famous or most expensive watch. It is a piece that exists in archives, appears in movies, and is sold quietly at auctions.
But if you are looking for an entry-level antique military watch, it is worth considering seriously. The size of 33 to 35 millimeters is not ostentatious on the wrist, the 23.4SC movement has controllable maintenance costs, and the aging marks on the dial are unique to each watch. Most importantly, it is not just a watch you wear, but a piece of history that has not been overly packaged.
Nolan chose the CK2120 in “Dunkirk” probably because of this. It doesn’t need to explain who it is. It is simply there, quietly moving.
