Staley‘s Seamaster 300

a highly unusual Omega Seamaster 300, reference 165.024 CB, with serial number 27.900.xxx and caliber 550 from 1969.

This example, rich in charm and unusual details, features on the dial a mysterious logo composed of two intertwined “S” letters, one blue and one green. The same symbol is also found on the stainless steel Speidel USA expansion bracelet that accompanies the watch, with gold-decorated end links enriched with small gem-stones.

On the case back is engraved the inscription “G.L. White 1971”.

After further research, the logo appears to be traceable to the A. E. Staley Manufacturing Company, a historic American company founded in 1906 by Augustus Eugene Staley in Decatur.

The A. E. Staley Manufacturing Company was an iconic American food processing, best known for pioneering the commercial soybean crushing industry and for founding the NFL’s Chicago Bears.

The founder, Augustus Eugene Staley was not only a highly successful entrepreneur, but also an active figure in the Decatur Masonic community.

During the 1970s, the company adopted a new visual identity based on a monogram with two intertwined “S” letters in blue and green. It is precisely this emblem that we find, in a completely unusual way, both on the dial and on the bracelet of this Seamaster 300.

The watch is presented in excellent condition: unpolished case, well-preserved bakelite bezel, and dial with a suggestive oxidation of the print. Over time, this may evolve toward darker tones, eventually achieving a “ghost” effect, while keeping the logo still crisp and creating a particularly interesting contrast. The hands have been recently restored and filled with old tritium.