Serviced 1940's Omega Chronograph Watch Cal 27 CHRO C12 T2 Pre Cal 321 Fancy Lug

From OMEGA’s beginnings, our timepieces have recorded some of the most significant moments in the world (and beyond). They have been worn by presidents and kings, astronauts and spies, movie stars and you. Behind each one is a legacy of horological quality and innovation.

Omega Caliber 321

The Omega Caliber 321 chronograph movement is a thing of legend. After all, it has been to the Moon, the iconic Speedmaster wasn’t the only Omega chronograph made in the 1960s to utilize this high grade manually wound unit. It also found its way into the considerably less common, one might even say rare, Seamaster chronographs from the same era. The Seamaster line was, at the time, the more stylish alternative – more about the looks than about its technical capabilities. But with the addition of the Caliber 321 it was no less proficient a timing tool.

Launched in 1948 to coincide with the brand’s 100th anniversary, the Omega Seamaster line is the oldest in the current collection. Loosely based on the waterproof wristwatches made for the British military at the end of World War II, the Seamaster was first intended as a robust yet elegant watch for active individuals who wanted a watch for town, sea and country.

The Seamaster’s first diving-record was achieved in 1955, when diver Gordon McLean reached a depth of 62.5 meters in Australia. The key to these watches was the O-ring rubber gasket. At this time, water-resistant watches generally used lead or shellac gaskets which were susceptible to temperature changes. The engineers at OMEGA were so sure of the Seamaster that one flew the Polar Route over the North Atlantic attached to the outside of a Douglas DC6 aircraft in 1956.

I consider the Seamaster two lines in one: the big, heavy Professional, designed for divers for deep diving, and a dress range also made by Seamaster.  Omega was founded in 1848 by Louis Brandt at the age of 23. The brand’s reputation grew fast and in 1895 the watches achieved a precision of 30 seconds a day.

By the turn of the 19th century Omega was one of Switzerland’s largest watch companies with 240,000 watches produced annually and employing 800 people. Omega made its debut in sports during the Gordon Bennett international ballooning Cup in 1917; since then Omega has gone on to be the official timekeeper at 21 Olympic Games. In 1936 Omega set the remarkable World precision record of 97.8 points at the Kew-Teddington observatory in England.

In 1957, with motorsport in mind, Omega launched the Speedmaster, which in 1965 was chosen by NASA as its official chronometer in Space. Four years later the Moonwatch was the first watch to be worn on the Moon, when on 21st July 1969 Neil Armstrong made his giant leap for mankind. Currently Omega belongs to the Swatch Group. The Omega cal. 321 movement was in production for roughly only 11 years. The production of this specific movement was cost prohibitive. Making this piece, from a horological perspective, that much more limited and ultimately rare altogether due to lower production numbers.

The Movement:

Designed by Albert Piguet and Jacques Reymond (for OMEGA and Lemania) 70 years ago in 1942 as a compact (12 lignes), robust and accurate chronograph movement. Back then, watches were essential tools for many purposes (including navigation and the military). So this was not a design intended to look pretty, this was a design for function and performance. With a Breguet overcoil hairspring and large balance for improved stability, this column wheel chronograph would go on to have an exceptionally illustrious career, and still today is a significant part of the line ups of major manufacturers, notably OMEGA, Patek Phillipe (5070 CH 27-70), Vacheron Constantin (1141) and Breguet

This is a beauty. It is very rare to find a watch this old with Omega Red box. Defiantly a collector watch, one of the rarest and super early Omega Chronograph with pre cal 321 movement which is know for 27 CHRO C12 / T2 PC (based on Lémania) 9.6 million movement serial putting it in early 1940's . Please look at all the pictures, as they are part of the description. The watch is working and Serviced by master Omega service cost of over $700. This is a highly collectible watch. Very few left with this rare movement. Sure, to increase in value overtime, and a great addition to your collection. The condition of the watch is the same as it appears in the photos.   The watch is working and is part of our new Certified Pre-Owned CPO. Contact me if you have any questions first.