18ct yellow gold Omega chronograph wristwatch, 1963 — view 1 of 5 — View 1 of 5 · Image: Somlo Antiques · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

18ct yellow gold Omega chronograph wristwatch, 1963

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.

Maker / attribution: OMEGA (maker)
Date: 1963
Historical period: Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
Country of origin: Unrecorded in source
Object type: Wristwatch
Materials / technique: yellow gold
Dimensions: Case 34 mm
Dealer: Somlo Antiques (dealer), London
Stock no.: O.3400
Credit line: Dealer listing, Somlo Antiques (O.3400)
Catalogue title (original): 18ct yellow gold OMEGA chronograph wristwatch. Made 1963 (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Somlo Antiques (dealer), London (stock number O.3400), this is a wristwatch by OMEGA, dated 1963. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: yellow gold. Recorded dimensions: Case 34 mm. The record is illustrated with 5 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Dealer description — Somlo Antiques

The Calibre 320, a column wheel chronograph movement developed by Lemania, stands as one of the most technically robust and mechanically refined chronographs of the 20th century. Often overshadowed by its more famous counterpart, the Calibre 321, the 320 was produced during a period when mechanical precision and build quality were paramount. Extensively utilized by Omega throughout the 1960s, it remains a benchmark for reliability and movement architecture, featuring a compact layout and durable chronograph mechanism that exemplify high horological standards of its era. Brand: OMEGA Made: 1963 Model: Chronograph Reference: 101.009-63 Calibre: 320 Movement: Manual Material : 18ct yellow gold Features/complications: Chronograph Dial: D ial with outer minute track and Tachymetre scale featuring subsidiary dials for the constant seconds , 12 hour and 30 minute registers featuring applied yellow gold hour markers and hands. Case dimensions: 34mm Bracelet/strap: Leather strap Accessories: - SKU: 03400

Historical context

Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)

Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.

The classic era of the mechanical wristwatch: dive watches, chronographs for motor racing and space flight, GMT watches for jet travel, slim dress watches, automatic calendars, and the rise of Japanese manufacturers alongside Swiss, American, German and Soviet industries.

Read the period in the timeline More wristwatches from this period Earlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking

Atlas type guide

Chronographs and split-seconds watches

A chronograph is a watch with an additional seconds hand that can be started, stopped and returned to zero independently of the timekeeping. Louis Moinet built an early example in 1816 and Nicolas Rieussec a recording 'chronographe' in 1821; Adolphe Nicole's heart-shaped reset cam (patented 1862) made the modern return-to-zero possible. Split-seconds (rattrapante) chronographs add a second hand that can be stopped for intermediate times; flyback chronographs restart instantly.

Chronographs were essential tools for doctors (pulsometer scales), artillery (telemeter), engineers and sport. In wristwatches, Valjoux, Venus, Lemania and later the automatic chronographs of 1969 (Zenith El Primero, the Chronomatic Calibre 11 group and Seiko 6139) are milestones.

What to look for

Push-pieces on the case band or a single button in the crown (monopusher).
Subsidiary registers for minutes and hours; tachymeter, telemeter or pulsometer scales.
Column wheel versus cam control visible in the movement.
Calibre markings of specialist makers (Valjoux, Lemania, Venus, Landeron).

Dating clues

Pocket chronographs with heart cam reset: after 1862.
Wrist chronographs: from c. 1910; two-button designs from the 1930s.
Automatic chronographs: from 1969.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

Mechanisms mentioned

Chronograph — Complication

Record completeness

Maker or attributionRecorded
DateRecorded
Place or countryNot in source
MaterialsRecorded
DimensionsRecorded
Narrative descriptionRecorded
Inscriptions / marksNot in source
ProvenanceNot in source
Several photographsRecorded

Editorial status: Documented — facts as published by the source; not independently verified by Atlas editors.

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Sources & image rights

Record source: Somlo Antiques (dealer), London (opens another website in a new tab).

Image rights: © Somlo Antiques — dealer photographs; permission required (opens another website in a new tab).

Images are hosted by the Atlas for study and credited to their owner. Rights holders may request correction, credit changes or removal, or grant permission, via the editorial office.

Cite this record

"18ct yellow gold Omega chronograph wristwatch, 1963." Somlo Antiques (dealer), London, O.3400. Catalogue record in The Horology Atlas, WatchMuseum.org, https://atlas.watchmuseum.org/museum/18ct-yellow-gold-omega-chronograph-wristwatch-1963-20847b.