In 1977, Albert Piguet retired from Lemania after 43 years of employment. He had developed some of the most iconic Lemania/Omega calibers, including the 27 CHRO C12, cal.321, cal.861, the 27 DL38, the cal.910, and the cal.1045.

Upon his retirement, Lemania/Omega gave him a 18k solid gold 176.007 Seamaster automatic (photo at the bottom of this post). Given than Omega never otherwise produced a solid gold 176.007, Piguet's retirement watch is probably a single-piece intentional variant of a production model Omega. That's a pretty rare watch example (being one, the rarest possible?).

Other contenders for the rarest, or equally rare, Omega?

I’d think rarity may exclude prototypes (never production), production accidents, or an otherwise ubiquitous model rare only due to its use/owner (e.g., Aldrin’s speedy).

Here's a picture of Piguet's retirement watch.



And here's a picture of the watch in its case at the Omega museum in Bienne (middle, bottom - included in one of the Speedmaster cases, presumably due to Piguet's role in the production of the cal.321):



Anyone know if Bienne might open the case museum case for pictures of the front of the watch?

 

Hey @Andy K - you ever come up with a view RE other solid gold .007s, or info on Piguet’s retirement watch?

 

You exclude watches that were never in production, but then include a watch/case combination that was never sold to the public. I think the line is just not clear enough.

Although not Omega - and apparently never serialized, one of the rarest Lemania's would be one of these.

 

No prob, that’s why I said ‘may’...

Also, my attempt at brevity doesn’t say much, but: my thinking was that a ‘prototype’ is something Omega considered making but then did not. In contrast, Omega (apparently) intended to make a single watch for this purpose? In effect, an LE of 1?

(The retooling issue makes me think perhaps they made more than 1 solid gold 176.007, but I’ve never heard any mention of a second other than this one.)

Similarly, there are other purpose-made LEs Omega made in limited quantities for purpose of gifting, etc., but none I’ve heard of in a n.1

Meanwhile, say more about your Lemania movement? Yours?

 

E.g.:





https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bl...ixon-s-gold-omega-speedmaster-first-ever-made

 

The solid gold 18k Marine Chronometer would be my candidate for non special edition but hens tooth rare. I believe 20 were made in total? There is a picture in A Journey Through Time.

There are a few 176.007 in solid gold around. I am not sure of production numbers but they do come up for sale.

 

145.0023 Darth Vader

 

I see for the first time that @Andy K has elsewhere answered this already (and in typically detailed style):

https://www.calibre1040.com/the-rarest-of-the-bunch-ba-176-007-18k-solid-gold/

His estimates are ~400 of the solid 18k gold .007’s made - which takes it well out of the running for “rarest”!

Does that put @simonsays ’s solid gold 18k Marine Chronometer out front? Or @killer67 do you have a notion as to the numbers of 145.0023s produced?

 

One of my votes goes to the watch @Tom Dick recently snagged:

https://omegaforums.net/threads/a-rare-beast-indeed-omega-xvi-olympic-but-reference-2984.108314/

 

Hey, that's mine!

 

Ultraman...

 

I think other than the Speedmaster 125 I've uncovered the most interesting information about the gold 176.007s. My understanding of these evolved from not believing they existed other than Piguet's retirement watch in June 2017, to reversing course later that year, to buying one of my own and getting an extract. I continue to see them offered for sale at a rate of about 1 per year. There's one for sale right now in Germany: https://www.chrono24.com/omega/ultr...-176007-chronograph-18kt-gold--id11529159.htm

Here's mine:


Oh and yes, I have learned more about Piguet's retirement watch. Not much more, but T Solo T (the guy that runs websites for the Ploprof, Grand, Grail and others, since banned from OF) knew I was curious what dial was installed on Piguet's watch since A Journey Through Time only shows the caseback, so he sent me this pic from the Omega Museum archives:

Note the dial is the same as the one for sale in Germany.

I agree, not as rare as we once thought. Even if I'm wrong by double and even if half were sold for melt value, there are probably 100 or so of them out there.

 

i don’t know production numbers (or if anyone does) but seen 2 in 10 years (none in the metal though)

 

It was posted Dsio in 2015:

Dsio: "Years ago I collected as many photos as I could of them, there are at least 3-4 of them floating around which means there are likely many more nobody knows about, its a CH27 with a bumper automatic winding system installed, apparently its actually a quite decent execution but Lemania / SSIH group saw no demand for it in the market and never put it into serial production.

Its actually a pretty amazing thing to look at, most of the early automatic chronographs are ugly, especially the Calibre 11 and the Seiko, this Lemania from over 20 years earlier actually looks more beautiful if that were even possible, imagine having one of these with a display back?

The Ch27 family has always had that sort of mystique and prestige surrounding it for collectors due to its staggering longevity and use of the design in everything from the most desirable Speedmasters to modern Pateks like the 5970, things like beating the world in automatic chronographs by over two decades only really adds to that."

https://omegaforums.net/threads/omega-chronograph-movements-over-the-years.26518/#post-295719

 

Starmus Award Speedmaster?

 

I don't often wear this one, but just so happen to be wearing it now, so I figured I would post.

They made 50 of these back in 1992. About 5-6 years ago I saw one in real life, and was simply amazed. I was fortunate enough to buy this two years ago.

 

second hand missing?

this movement reminds me of the Tru-Beat from Rolex, also produced in the mid '50s and also not so successful commercially

 

That's the Lemania bumper prototype (aka @Northernman 's grail watch ). Some posts on it here:
https://omegaforums.net/threads/omega-chronograph-movements-over-the-years.26518/
https://omegaforums.net/threads/176-007-and-cal-1040-family-review.32325/page-2

 

Only 3 but I think they are calling those LE’s or special one offs. I was going to say the same thing.


I’ll throw this one out. Can’t be that many of these.