Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Omega Seamaster Chronograph 'Alpha' 321, 1960s
- Maker / attribution
- Omega (maker)
- Date
- 1960s
- Historical period
- Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Stock no.
- 40960327
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Analog/Shift (40960327)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Omega Seamaster Chronograph 'Alpha' 321 (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Analog/Shift (dealer), New York (stock number 40960327), this is a wristwatch by Omega, made in Switzerland, dated 1960s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches 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 — Analog/Shift
The Omega Calibre .321 chronograph movement is a thing of legend. After all, it has been to the moon and all... But 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 Calibre .321 it was no less proficient a timing tool. As for the looks? Well, you be the judge! Creamy satin dial, outer tachymetre scale, recessed & textured subsidiary registers, teardrop indices and dauphine hands....you get the picture. A thing of beauty any way you slice it. If timepiece design had just stopped progressing after 1960, we'd have been just fine with that. These don't turn up in this condition often (we use that line a lot...because its true), so don't miss out!
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 timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: 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.
Read next:Flyback chronographChronograph
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