The Vintage Racer’s Chronograph By Omega
The Omega Chronostop face is on sideways, as this watch was not meant to be worn like your Rolex Daytona. You are supposed to wear this chronograph under your wrist when you are driving a car, a race car, in fact.
At that angle, the 12 O’clock position is vertical as usual, so you can read the watch at a glance.
The chronograph is like no other you have seen.
The bright secs hand is all you have got, so you can measure intervals only up to 1-minute long. When you press that pusher at 2 O’clock, the hand starts moving. A 2nd press will send it back to Zero, so you have to hold it down to read out the secs. It is an interesting solution to a very unconventional problem, if it is a little clumsy to operate when you are at the wheel. You have to reach over the top with one hand
This Chronostop has a bright blue dial that’s still extremely vivid.
Many examples had darker black or gray dial with lower-contrast markers. Not only does this not make much sense for a watch you need to read quickly at full speed, but it compromises the period look of the watch.
The white and reddish-orange hands really stand out against the dial.
While the chronograph harkens back to the 1920’s and ’30’s, the case shape is a dead giveaway that this watch is from the ’60’s. The barrel style is sturdy looking, but at 35 millimeters it’s relatively small by today’s standards. The mesh bracelet is not original, but it’s a perfect match.
There are also versions of the Chronostop with a more traditional layout with 12 O’clock, at the top of the case, for normal wear, but they are less charming than these quirkier examples.
Stay tuned…
HeffX-LTN
Paul Ebeling
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