OMEGA, DESIGN INSPIRED BY ANDREW GRIMA: A DIAMOND-SET WATCH PENDANT CHAIN NECKLACE, CIRCA 1972

The chain and pendant of abstract textured design, the pendant highlighted with brilliant-cut...

OMEGA, DESIGN INSPIRED BY ANDREW GRIMA: A DIAMOND-SET WATCH PENDANT CHAIN NECKLACE, CIRCA 1972

The chain and pendant of abstract textured design, the pendant highlighted with brilliant-cut diamonds and enclosing a 17-jewel manual wind Cal-620 watch with oval-shaped champagne dial, logo on crown, movement signed, mov. no. 31381135, inside case no. 8260 & maker's mark 'OWC', mounted in 18K gold, pendant numbered, stamped with Omega logo, chain in 18K gold, numbered signed A. Grima, with Omega logo, with maker's mark 'OWC', English import mark for 1972, chain length 82.4cm, pendant length 10.3cm

A Private Collection (lot 79 to 106) from a Distinguished Private Collector

 

Andrew Grima’s path into jewellery design was anything but planned. Born in Rome in 1921 to a Maltese father and an Italian mother, he moved to London at age five and later studied engineering at what is now the University of Nottingham. During the Second World War he served as an army engineer in Burma and India. After the war he took a job at his father‑in‑law’s small jewellery workshop in London. A chance purchase of a suitcase filled with rough Brazilian stones sparked his interest in design, and despite having no formal training, he started creating pieces skilfully using textured gold. His unconventional style gained attention, and by 1966 he had opened a striking modern showroom on Jermyn Street and earned the Duke of Edinburgh’s Prize for Elegant Design and a Royal Warrant. Over his career he received a record number of De Beers Diamonds International Awards and opened boutiques in cities including New York, Sydney, Tokyo and Zurich.

In 1969 Omega approached Grima with a proposition: design a collection of watches unlike anything on the market. He agreed, provided the watches carried no brand names and were made in his London workshop before Omega fitted the movements. The resulting About Time collection debuted in 1970. Most sources agree it included 55 watches—although some counts include an additional 31 pieces of jewellery, while others mention 80‑plus watches. The pieces were made as jewellery first and watches second, with sculptural bracelets, rings and pendants housing Omega movements. Omega displayed the collection in London, then sent it to Expo ’70 in Osaka and other major cities. To keep them exclusive, only a few pieces were ever duplicated, and even those were limited to one per continent. When originals sold, new designs replaced them.

The success of the collaboration led Omega to release more lines inspired by Grima’s style. In the 1970s the company introduced the Time in Style series within its De Ville and other ranges, adopting faceted crystals and textured metal while adding hour markers and Omega branding.

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