Omega Chronostop Driver

The Omega Chronostop was introduced in the mid-60s as an attempt by Omega to create a lower-priced chronograph watch targeted at younger consumers. More novelty than true chronograph, the Chronostop is only able to time events up to 1 minute. We’re sure some people found a good use for it, but to be honest, this is not the most functional chronograph ever made, but at least it’s fun to use. The mono-pusher stopwatch is started with the initial press of the pusher and then it is pressed and held to freeze the orange hand and read the seconds. When the pusher is released, the totalizer returns to zero.

A few years into the Chronostop’s production run, Omega came up with an unusual idea: When one’s hands are on a steering wheel at ten and two, it’s very difficult to read the time. To solve this “problem”, Omega decided that their Driver’s Chronostop should be worn on the underside of the wrist, and then rotated the dial 90° so that it would be easy to read at a glance. This new design earned Omega a bit of notoriety, and a prototype of the watch won honorable mention in the Sports Chronograph and Watches category at the 1966 Montreal World's Fair.

The Driver’s version of the Chronostop has endeared itself to collectors and is certainty the most sought after. This particular example of the Chronostop features a crisp case and beautiful blue dial, and comes on a Shark Mesh style bracelet. The Chronostop will surely catch the eye and lead to confused looks and questions when it’s strapped to your wrist, so if you’re a painfully shy guy, this is not the watch for you. But if you’re looking for a conversation piece and all-around awesome vintage Omega, the Chronostop is hard to beat.

More information on the full Omega Chronostop line can be found HERE.