Hi, just thought I'd drop this post in on here for those interested. My main interest is probably the Lemania 5100/Omega 1045 movement, so perhaps limited interest for some, however I hope you enjoy the read... I thought these would be interesting to see stripped down and together to have a look at some similarities and differences, any excuse to get the Kodak out. (Omega Speedmaster 376.0822, Sinn EZM1-LE, Lemania South African Air Force issue) Strangely, the Omega is the most common of the three - if we stretch a point and consider the EZM1-LE as being distinct from the EZM1; the SAAF is certainly uncommon and I wouldn’t expect the survivors to number much more than maybe thirty or forty or so. So Omega: 1,500-ish produced, Sinn: 250, Lemania: 800 produced, 30-ish survivors. Having said that, who really knows how many unadulterated 376.0822s there are left out there. All have different ‘roles’ if you like; the Sinn being a 300m, 1hr mission timer, the Lemania an issued aviators watch and the Omega a sports chronograph. The Sinn and Lemania have bezels, but they are unusual in that both are count-down bezels – the Sinn is a full size bezel while the Lemania is particularly narrow, in fact about as narrow as the Omega non-bezel, or fixed tachymeter ring. The narrowness of the Omega and Lemanias bezels gives both a very large dial area – in fact both give a larger dial than the Sinn. The Sinn has a dial diameter of about 30mms while the Lemania and Omega have 34mm and 33mm respectively. Of course, the common element between them all is the Lemania movement, however all are subtly different in that department too, giving us perhaps the three most common variants of the 5100. The 5100 itself, (in a stripped down form), in the Sinn; the 5012, slower beat and non-24hr version in the Lemania, (also stripped out of its day and hour function); and finally the Omega Cal. 1045 which is a plated and Omega signed 5100 – but here keeping the full panoply of options on display. What none has is a pure, unadorned or modified 5100 under the bonnet. Another 5100 derivative or version is found in the Silberstein Bauhaus, another one I quite fancy too. The closest I’ve got to a pure 5100 is in the Heuer 510.501, but even that’s missing the day wheel. Here are their backsides, see how the Lemania is scalloped out almost, leaving very little space for the springbar and strap while the Omega and Sinn have much more room to play with. Military engravings don’t get any more rustic than the SAAF I have to say... As Dave, (see link below), described in his appreciation of the EZM1, the case is inspired, if not copied, from a Heuer, (Autavia 2446C), with its barrelled body and chamfered lugs. The case of the Omega is a pure classic Omega ‘moonwatch’ configuration though, with the twisted or bombe lugs. So the Lemania…well, that is also derivative, this time an Omega design (Seamaster 176.007), but one which was also found on a Heuer, the Carrera 510.523 in this case. So, Sinn/Heuer, Omega, Omega/Heuer – hardly surprising but interesting to see the connections in the flesh between them all. All nicely domed, and although there is not much difference the Sinn stands tallest at 15mm while the Omega and Lemania keep to a more modest 13.5mm. All have nicely semi-shrouded pushers, a unique feature of this particular Omega case with the Sinn adding the ‘pump-pusher’ feature. I've started the chrono to better show the minute/second chrono hands on all three - ...and in more detail - (Sorry for the 'Blow Up' quality, no macro lens yet...) Clothes back on - Better links to each one in more detail - although I think you have to register nowadays. EZM1 - http://forum.atgvintagewatches.com/showthread.php?t=4060 SAAF - http://forum.atgvintagewatches.com/showthread.php?t=1442 376.0822 - http://forum.atgvintagewatches.com/showthread.php?t=4116 Out of interest here is the original bezel/crystal/chapter ring of the 376.0822, notice the larger font and missing accent above the 'E' in 'tachymeter' compared to the service replacement on the watch at the moment - And separated - As an aside, I know the term 'Grail' was coined by the late Chuck Maddox in relation to the 376.0822, and I can see why, knowing how this was the intersection for him of three sub-sets; chronographs in general, Omega Speedmasters and Lemania 5100 derivatives. Here is my take on why it is an important one from both an Omega and Lemania point of view: "The partnership with Lemania dates back to the 1930’s, indeed the cal. 321 and 861 found in the famed 1960s Speedmasters were made by Lemania. Omega used the 1045 movement in about half a dozen different watches in the early seventies but all had cases other than the typical moonwatch case. It was only in 1987 that the classic, bombé lugged moonwatch case was uniquely used in conjunction with the 1045 movement, the first time Omega had an automatic in a moonwatch case, the first time the day/date appeared in traditional form in a moonwatch case and it would be the last time that an Omega used a Lemania movement, so a final culmination of a partnership that dated back over fifty years." Any insights and/or corrections are most welcome, Cheers, Andy
Oh wow, just wow. When we started this site this is exactly the type of thing we'd hoped to see from people, with brilliant and historically significant pieces that genuinely care about the history and horological significance. That is a sublimely beautiful trio, and while the 376.0822 definitely grabbed my attention first, that Sinn is really something else. Thank you so much for your post and your quality photography.