Stainless steel Omega 2nd Generation 'Flightmaster' chronograph wristwatch, 1976 — view 1 of 4 — View 1 of 4 · Image: Somlo Antiques · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Stainless steel Omega 2nd Generation 'Flightmaster' chronograph wristwatch, 1976

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

Maker / attribution: OMEGA (maker)
Date: 1976
Historical period: Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
Country of origin: Unrecorded in source
Object type: Wristwatch
Materials / technique: stainless steel
Dimensions: Case 50 mm
Dealer: Somlo Antiques (dealer), London
Stock no.: O.3277
Credit line: Dealer listing, Somlo Antiques (O.3277)
Catalogue title (original): Stainless steel OMEGA 2nd Generation 'Flightmaster' chronograph wristwatch. Made 1976 (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Somlo Antiques (dealer), London (stock number O.3277), this is a wristwatch by OMEGA, dated 1976. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: stainless steel. Recorded dimensions: Case 50 mm. The record is illustrated with 4 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 2 nd Generation OMEGA Flightmaster was introduced in 1971 using a calibre 911 with a constant second’s subsidiary dial replacing the 24-hour indication dial which was originally fitted to the 1 st Generation model. This was because many pilots had complained that they were unable to tell at a glance if the watch was working because the chronograph was not in use. The 2 nd Generation Flightmaster was produced as two separate references, the ST 145.026, with orange hands and flat crystal that fitted into a groove in the watch case; the second reference St 145.036 ‘’Pilote’’, with cadmium coated yellow hands and with a flat crystal pressure fitted to the case in a gasket. Brand: OMEGA Made: 1976 Model: Flightmaster Reference: ST 145.036 Calibre: 911 Movement: Manual Material: Stainless steel Features/complications: Colour coded hands, crowns and pushers, chronograph, rotating inner bezel, independently adjustable second time zone hand, running seconds at 9 o'clock. Dial: Grey painted dial with black subdials and luminous hour markers, outer racing minute track and rotating inner bezel, Cadmium yellow chronograph hands and black and white racing baton hands. Case dimensions: 42 x 50mm Bracelet/strap: Stainless steel bracelet Accessories: - SKU: 03277

Historical context

Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)

Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.

Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.

Read the period in the timeline More wristwatches from this period Earlier: Modern Mechanical Horology

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
GMT / dual time — 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

"Stainless steel Omega 2nd Generation 'Flightmaster' chronograph wristwatch, 1976." Somlo Antiques (dealer), London, O.3277. Catalogue record in The Horology Atlas, WatchMuseum.org, https://atlas.watchmuseum.org/museum/stainless-steel-omega-2nd-generation-flightmaster-chronograph-wristwat-4fd36d.