Instruments · Stopwatch
Omega Rattrapante Chronograph Stopwatch, ref. MG6358, circa 1970s
- Maker / attribution
- Omega (maker)
- Date
- c. 1970s
- Historical period
- Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Stopwatch
- Stock no.
- vws1438cs
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Vintage Watch Specialist (vws1438cs)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Omega Rattrapante Chronograph Stopwatch - Model Ref MG6358 - c.1970s (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Vintage Watch Specialist (dealer), United Kingdom (stock number vws1438cs), this is a stopwatch by Omega, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1970s. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Instruments collection. The record is illustrated with 6 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 — Vintage Watch Specialist
Omega Rattrapante Stopwatch - Model Ref MG6358 - C. 1970s - Lemania Caliber 19063A Movement - Excellent condition Omega has long upheld a tradition of timing events, particularly large-scale sporting events so when OMEGA began its relationship with the Olympic Games at the summer events in Los Angeles, it made history. It was the first time the Olympic Games entrusted a single brand to be the official timekeeper. So of course if you are going to buy a stopwatch - it should be an OMEGA, based on this illustrious history and pedigree. And what a beauty we have here for you. What’s On Offer This vintage Omega stopwatch is in wonderful condition with only slight signs of wear to the case which is remarkable given its age. The stopwatch boasts a Lemania r attrapante movement (rattrapante roughly translated from French means “catch up,” - a chronograph movement with an additional seconds hand for the chronograph function superimposed over the normal second's hand and an additional pusher). To the reverse of the case, engraving details the watch was gifted to somebody for the longevity of service in 1974, a lovely bit of provenance and insight into the watch's history. This really is a thing of beauty and would make a great addition to any collection or an absolutely wonderful gift in keeping with its story so far...
Historical context
Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.
Electronic timing replaced mechanical instruments in sport, industry and navigation.
Read the period in the timelineMore instruments from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology
Atlas type guide
Timers, stopwatches, chronoscopes and time recorders
Instruments for measuring short intervals or recording when something happened form a large and practical branch of horology. Sports stopwatches and split-seconds timers, laboratory chronoscopes (such as Hipp's, which measured thousandths of a second for psychology and ballistics experiments), metronomes for music, watchmen's clocks that recorded patrol rounds, and the time recorders that clocked factory workers in and out all derive from clock and watch technology.
These objects matter historically because they show timekeeping leaving the observatory and the drawing room and entering industry, science and sport. Many were mass-produced, and their dials, scales and patents chart the rise of electrification and industrial management.
What to look for
- Scales graduated in fifths, tenths or hundredths of a second, or decimal minutes for industrial use.
- Start, stop and reset push-pieces; a second hand that can be stopped independently (split seconds).
- Recording devices: paper discs or tapes, printing mechanisms, keys or punches.
- Patent numbers and dates on the dial or case, which give a terminus post quem.
Dating clues
- Hipp chronoscopes were made from the 1840s into the twentieth century.
- Employee time recorders spread from the 1890s (Bundy, IBM, International Time Recording Co.).
- Quartz and electronic timers replaced mechanical stopwatches in sport from the 1970s.
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.
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