Omega has just dropped a bombshell of a timepiece in the form of the Speedmaster Chrono Chime. Not only does it debut a new movement and complication six years in development, but it also takes the prize as the second most expensive timepiece ever sold by the Bienne-based watchmaker.
There’s a lot to unpack with this behemoth of a watch – including its antique-styled sibling, the Olympic 1932 Chrono Chime, which we won’t cover here – so let’s start with what you can see. The case of the watch is executed in 45mm of Omega’s proprietary Sedna gold, measuring a hefty 17.3mm thick and boasting a total weight of 326g. Its design was directly inspired by the first watch ever worn in space, the Omega ref. CK 2998, and it arrives on a matching Sedna gold bracelet.
The dial is where we get our first true sense that the Omega Speedmaster Chrono Chime is a different beast when compared to your standard Moonwatch, with just two chronograph registers and a pair of chiming gongs nestled around the register at nine o’clock. Both the subdials and the ring around the minute track have been expertly finished with engravings inspired by soundwaves, while the darkened dial and bezel are made from blue aventurine “Grand Feu” enamel.
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The movement of this latest Omega Speedmaster is the real star of the show, however, as the most complicated ever created by the watchmaker. The Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 1932 was developed in partnership with Omega’s Swatch Group stablemate Blancpain, and is a fully integrated split-seconds chronograph capable of measuring 1/10th of a second, as well as a minute repeater that is able to chime the elapsed time of the chronograph.
This is an entirely new movement mechanism that Omega has developed for the Speedmaster Chrono Chime, as typical minute repeaters will chime the time displayed by the watch, but never the elapsed time of the chronograph (check out a video of the movement in action below). The manually wound calibre also contains a total of 40g of solid gold in its bridges, as well as serving up 60 hours of power reserve which is extremely impressive for such an energy-intensive mechanism.
Omega is known best for creating high-quality everyday watches that are designed to last generations, but it’s exciting to see the brand pushing the envelope when it comes to the most technical and complex areas of watchmaking. While the Omega Speedmaster Chrono Chime isn’t specifically a limited edition, the level of complication required to manufacture it will mean just a few examples will likely leave the factory each year.
Another element that will make this one of the rarest releases of 2022 is the eye-watering RRP of the Omega Speedmaster Chrono Chime, which is CHF450,000 (AU$700,000). This makes it the second most expensive serially produced Omega of all time, after the CHF600,000 Omega De Vile Tourbillion Baguette, which is no mean feat for a watchmaker with 173 years of history.
