1950s stainless steel vintage Omega Chronograph watch
Date: 1956
Case: Stainless steel, 35mm
Movement: Calibre 321
Dial: Silver, 3 subsidiary dials
Lugs: 18mm
A rare Omega Chronograph watch, with the exceptional calibre 321 movement! As seen in James Bond film ‘Spectre’!
A 1956, stainless steel vintage Omega Chronograph watch. The case measures 35mm in diameter with 18mm lug size. The case is signed Omega Watch Company, Fab. Suisse, Acier Staybrite, with reference 2279-1. The calibre 321 manual wind movement is signed Omega Watch Co., Swiss, numbered, with 17 jewels. The silvered dial, with applied batons features three sunken engine-turned dials for constant seconds, 30 minute register and 12 hour register, an outer tachymeter scale, with fine gilt hands. The dial is signed Omega above the centre.
Omega Calibre 321 Movement
The legendary calibre 321 movement was launched in 1946, used in the Gemini and Apollo Astronaut watches, ‘The Moon Watch’. The 321 movement is considered to be the finest chronograph movement ever produced and was chosen by NASA over all other makers.
As with many movements in the watch industry, the calibre 321 was the result of a collaboration – with this particular one being between Omega and Lémania. Beginning life as the CH27 C12 project (and also known as the Lémania 2310), this movement has been used by many other watch brands including Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, and Vacheron Constantin, which attests to its quality and workmanship.
This calibre was most famously used in the Omega Speedmaster since its inception in 1957 through 1965 and then in the Speedmaster Professional from 1965 through 1968, at which point it was replaced by the Omega 861. The 321 movements also powered other Omega chronographs.
The Omega 321 is a manually wound chronograph with 17 jewels, a frequency of 2.5 Hz (18,000 vph), and a power reserve of 44 hours. It features a 60-second chronograph register, a 30-minute counter, and a 12-hour counter.
As previously stated, calibre 321 is a robust, yet elegant movement due to its small stature. The construction is solid with it being able to withstand years of hard wearing.
