Now please don't double lynch me for firstly posting a technically non Omega in the Omega dicussion and then secondly because its a bloody quartz!

BUT

I have been waiting for this grail for quite some time and last week postie called with a special parcel for me back from service.

As you know I love 60's and 70's watches, especially Omega and particularly Megaquartz and the 1500 family watches which to this day remain the most accurate wrist watches produced.

I wont blather with detail, this link provides a great background on these land mark time pieces

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_Marine_Chronometer

About three years ago I got wind that Omega has sold the most accurate movement they have ever developed and made, the Marine Chronometer calibre 1511 to Audemars in 1974/5, Omega have always maintained they never sold the movement to any other manufacturer but inn fact they did.

The original R&D cost of the 1500 family of watches was over CHF3,000,000, which at the time was an enormous sum of money, despite the watches huge price tags Omega lost a great deal of money on the 1500 series. Part of this was due to their prohibitive price tag (they were by far the most expensive watches in Omegas range and equivalent to around £15K now and the gold 18K stardust was more like £50K now ) and part due to the falling price of quartz technology in a very short space of time between 1970 and 1975.

Anyway, on to the reveal and to answer the title: An Omega Marine Chronometer is not an Omega Marine Chronometer when it is an Audemars Marine Chronometer

so here it is:



In 1974 Omega sold (clearly secret squirrels, although Dosen did cover it in his book) around 400 movements to Audemars Piguet who produced a tiny run of outrageously expensive Marine Chronometers of their own, although they were simply branded as Quartz (250 in total), I have never seen one in the wild, only in images.


The movement is a silver finish AP branded Omega calibre 1511, the case is specifically designed by AP two piece case (which splits) to house the movement and the BCT appears to be almost identical in construction to the Speedy 125/ Speedy TV dials, most where SS, I have seen one for sale in 18K.

Anyway, after a year of waiting this NOS beauty has arrived and is now on my wrist, fingers crossed I now own ever variant of the 1500 family of watches (including the prototypes) with the exception of the 18K Marine Chronometer, of which they only made 10 examples



Sorry its not an Omega and sorry it's a quartz but it is a great piece of Omega watch making which most people probably didn't realise existed in AP format!

I now beg the humble forgiveness of my fellow Omega addicts for straying away from Omega and not for the first time this months as I've also bought 1/400 Beta 21 Rado's ever made and there are only two know survivors (including mine)

Cheers Tom

 

Nice write up!

The 1511 is a mighty piece of technology.

 

That's the first AP that appeals to me, but not as much as the OMC.

Thanks for some interesting history Tom.

 

fascinating back story and a really good looking watch. You always come up with something different....

 

Great read

 

Thanks guys, I'm really pleased with this one! This is one of the other beauties I've bought, a beta 21 rado (same movement as the Omega Electroquartz and the first Quartz watch produced by the Swiss)

It's one of 2 survivors of only 400 ever made, again not omega but the same engine, omega really ruled the roost on the B21, all other users of the movement (Rolex, iwc, Patek etc) produced small batches, omega really industrialised it's application and produced over 10000 beta 21 electroquartz watch

Not understated, especially with a lapis lazuli dial but very cool

 

Whoa there Tom....

Loving the AP action , but you've now gone & spoilt this great thread by posting that Rado !

Take care....

Best - Neil

 

OK, that's enough!

I can't take it any more.

You've even got your love child @CALIBER1013 touting "battery watches".



How about some hummers?

(Sorry for the crap pics)

 

I do like the odd hummer too, I have a pretty rare hummer I might be inclined to show off at some point and you boys know if I say rare then it usually is

 

Tom, you must be a member of the watch Mafia to find these. Aaaaaargh!

 

Very interesting post! Thanks for the bit of education Tom. I have always thought that the Omega Marine Chrono has a cool look that I would wear but the AP................not my thing.

 

Nice story and very educational. I just purchased an omega marine chronometer (part of a three watch deal) since I admired the look at the story of technology transition in the watch industry

By the way. I assume since this is vintage quartz technology the battery doesn't last as long as modern quartz watches?

 

Interestingly the battery life on these old war horses is still 12-18months! Which isn't terrible

 

Thank you. Here is the pic of the watch

 

Here is my humble collection of these magnificent watches

 

Holy .... [emoji15] that's a collection ....

 

interesting stuff, really educational..... thanks for posting it, really.

but I have to post this just to get my fix in.....

its a cylinder escapement... so there's no battery