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Tissot-Omega Navigator Chronograph (Ref. 40521) "Gold Plated", 1960s — view 1 of 6
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Tissot-Omega Navigator Chronograph (Ref. 40521) "Gold Plated", 1960s

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Tissot (maker)
Date
1960s
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Materials / technique
gold
Stock no.
TSTOGP40521
Credit line
Dealer listing, Craft & Tailored (TSTOGP40521)
Catalogue title (original)
1960s Tissot-Omega Navigator Chronograph (Ref. 40521) "Gold Plated" (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Craft & Tailored (dealer), Los Angeles (stock number TSTOGP40521), this is a wristwatch by Tissot, made in Switzerland, dated 1960s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: gold. 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 — Craft & Tailored

Tissot was founded in 1853 by Charles-Félicien Tissot and his son Charles-Emile Tissot. While the company’s initial specialty was luxurious pocket and pendant timepieces, the brand merged with Omega in 1930 to form the first Swiss watchmaking association, the SSIH (Société Suisse pour l’Industrie Horlogère), which would later go on to become the Swatch Group, where both brands remain members to this day. As sibling companies, the respective histories of Tissot and Omega are often intertwined, and there are a number of instances where Tissot watches have used the same movements and components as their more expensive Omega siblings. One of the more notable instances is the Tissot Navigator Chronograph, which uses the same Lemania-based integrated chronograph movement as the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch of the time, but lacks the additional 12-hour totalizer of its Omega-branded sibling. SPECS Stock # TSTOGP40521 Brand Tissot-Omega Style Navigator Chronograph Model 40521 Serial N/A Size Men's Material Gold Plate Dial Brown Vignette Millimeters 38 Bracelet 2pc Leather Strap CASE & BRACELET The large cushion-shaped case is in exceptional condition and its original gold-plated sunburst finish is free from any significant marks and scratches. The gold-plated winding crown and chronograph pushers are in similarly well-preserved condition, with the only visible signs of wear being small scuffs and tool marks on the stainless steel case back. Completing the watch is a handmade two-piece black leather strap. DIAL & HANDS The original brown vignette dial is in excellent overall condition and features a faint vertical brushing pattern, white text, a tachymeter scale along its periphery, and contrasting black sub-dials. The tritium lume is missing from a couple of the hour marker plots and is also missing from most of the minute hand; however, the material that remains has developed a warm sand-colored patina that perfectly complements its brown dial and orange chronograph seconds hand. ACCESSORIES None. The watch is keeping time and functioning perfectly, previous service history is unknown.

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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