1969 Pilot version Omega Flightmaster first generation cadmium yellow chronograph hands ref. ST 145.013, manual winding movement cal. 910, 52.25 x 42.6 x 14.65 mm. case.

Nice tropical dial, domed mineral glass and a 24-hour hand at 9 o’clock sub dial. Equipped with cadmium yellow chronograph hands which remains visible under the infrared lightning of a cockpit. The second generation Flightmaster feature a continuous second-hand instead of the 24-hour hand.

A flaw in the manufacturing process resulted in the occasional fading of the dial to a shade of brown, described as tropical dial or chocolate. Long sought after by collectors.

The Flightmaster was a chronometer designed specifically for pilots and intercontinental travelers. Most of the Concorde British Airways crew members used to wear Omega Flightmasters.

This unique chronograph series started in 1969 and was produced until around 1974 and was the first Omega to feature a chronograph GMT

The movement is a modified version of the caliber 861 found in the Speedmaster. The watch features no fewer than 5 crowns/pushers and 7 hands, but its extremely practical for navigation officers and pilots.

Omega was founded in 1848 by Louis Brandt at the age of 23. The brands 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.