Well, I thought I had seen every interesting watch in “A Journey Through Time” but this evening I stumbled across something new and utterly wonderful:-




Putting “Omega Calibre 18‘‘‘ CHRO PB” into Google didn’t throw up much so I wonder if anyone here on OF would care to enlighten me as to what model this is or, well, an info would be greatly appreciated.

 

The P signifies a flat caliber, the B signifies a Grade B.

The description in AJTT indicates to me that it is not an official Omega model, but an early "marriage" watch where the 18''' CHRO movement was fitted to a new contemporary case.

 

and the diameter is 18 French lignes.

Tom

 

Thanks for the reply Jim….now I have a new Rabbit hole to get lost in.

So this is essentially an Omega Chronograph mono-pusher Lepine calibre pocket watch movement turned through 90° and re-housed in, as you say, a contemporary case, which will presumably be very large since the movement alone is 40mm approx.

I was a bit surprised to discover that Omega have re-released the 18’’’ calibre as a 3018 in their “First Omega Wrist-Chronograph; surprised because it isn’t shown on the Omega UK website, nor is the calibre listed in their Watch search filter…


but it is on the German site.



What is more confusing is that the pusher on the 3018 is at 6 o’clock rather than co-axial with the crown at 3 o’clock.

I didn’t find anything like that in the 39 CHRO, 28.9 CHRO, but something at least partly in this direction with the 33.3. As usual all roads lead back to OF and I found (via Google) an interesting discussion in this direction here:-

https://omegaforums.net/threads/omega-chronograph-movements-over-the-years.26518/

Looks like I have a ton of research to do to get my head around all the different mono-pusher variations, as well as those with a pusher at 2 o’clock and another on the crown. There’s so much variety I hardly know where to start looking, not to mention the occasional distraction with the Glashütte Original Senator Hand Date models that bear a certain resemblance if a tick smaller at 40mm rather the the monster 47.5mm of the Omega above.