1943 Omega cal. 33.3 Ref. CK2092 chronograph tachymeter telemeter. This is a very special Omega 33.3 because of the complicated dial, big steel case and rare movement.

The Omega cal. 33.3 chronograph series, which is considered to be a forerunner of the Speedmaster, is one of the most sought-after chronographs by Omega. It is said that only 14,000 movements were produced for 20 years.

From the mid-1940s until the late 1960s, the most beautiful timeless and iconic Chronographs were created. These watches still feel contemporary and fashionable today.

By the 1940s the demand for chronographs had increased dramatically. Now, not only for military and scientific purposes, but also very importantly for use in motor sports. It was during this period that the telemeter scale appeared on watch dials. The telemeter scale was used to accurately assess the distance away of an event by timing the journey of its sound. This was very useful in combat, for example a general could start the chronograph timer when he saw the flash of artillery and then stop it when he heard the sound of the explosion. The reading on the telemeter would then tell him how far away the explosion had taken place.

A tachymeter scale measures how fast an object is moving. The scale can be found either on the dial or in the bezel. Most tachymeters start at 400 and end at 60, but some models can show different numbers. A telemeter scale measures the distance between the user of the watch and the event seen and heard. It was used extensively to calculate when artillery fired. When you saw the light of the shot of the artillery, you would push the start button and push the stop button when the thunder was heard. The number shown in the scale refers to the distance.

Omega was founded in 1848 by Louis Brandt at the age of 23. The brand’s reputation grew fast and in 1895 the watches achieved a precision of 30 seconds a day.
By the turn of the 19th century Omega was one of Switzerland’s largest watch companies with 240,000 watches produced annually and employing 800 people.

Omega made its debut in sports during the Gordon Bennett international ballooning Cup in 1917; since then Omega has gone on to be the official timekeeper at 21 Olympic Games.

In 1936 Omega set the remarkable World precision record of 97.8 points at the Kew-Teddington observatory in England.

In 1957, with motorsport in mind, Omega launched the Speedmaster, which in 1965 was chosen by NASA as its official chronometer in Space. Four years later the Moonwatch was the first watch to be worn on the Moon, when on 21st July 1969 Neil Armstrong made his giant leap for mankind. Currently Omega belongs to the Swatch Group.