The famous Omega Calibre 321 is reborn. It is a chronograph movement from the 1940s and is still highly sought after by watch collectors around the world. Today, more than 50 years after the last Calibre 321 was produced, the brand has decided to put it back into production. Calibre 321 was the first movement used in the Omega Speedmaster of 1957, and had previously been used in some chronographs in the Seamaster collection. It stood out for its use of a one-piece column wheel, a detail created from a single piece that added further technical value. This movement was used in models such as the Speedmaster ST 105.003 (the watch first tested and certified by Nasa and then worn by astronaut Ed White during the first "American spacewalk") and the Speedmaster ST 105.012 (the first watch worn on the moon).
For the Calibre 321 relaunch project, Omega formed a dedicated team of experts
who worked for over two years in total secrecy to bring the movement back to life. The small
group consisted of researchers, developers, historians together with top watchmakers, who worked under the code name 'Alaska 11', just like the names used for the secret Speedmaster projects designed for Nasa in the 1960s and 1970s.
Using the second generation of the Calibre 321 as a reference, the brand's team used extensive historical research along with original drawings to reconstruct the movement as accurately as possible. Digital tomography technology (a scanning method) was also used to look inside the Speedmaster ST 105.003 that astronaut Eugene "Gene" Cernan wore on the moon during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. Cernan was the last man to walk on the lunar surface and his Speedmaster is now on display at the Omega Museum in Bienne.
The new movements will go into production at Omega's headquarters in Biel. All the
production aspects will be developed in the special, dedicated Calibre 321 Workshop. For each
movement assembly, as well as the watch case and bracelet assembly will be
performed by a single watchmaker.
