OMEGA Calibre 321, 1946
Albert Piguet designed the OMEGA calibre 321 in 1946. He knew that he had created a rugged, precise chronograph movement but he could not have imagined how well travelled it would be – it equipped the Speedmasters approved by NASA for manned space flight.
Designer: Albert Piguet
Description: Launched in its standard version (27 CHRO C12) in 1942, it is, together with its successor the 861, the most famous of all OMEGA chronograph calibres. Using a traditional design with a column wheel, its performance has won over thousands of collectors.
The calibre 321’s robust components, produced with maximum precision, offered perfect interchangeability without modification, which was highly unusual at the time for such an instrument.
The reliability of the calibre is confirmed by the fact that it equipped the Speedmaster chronographs chosen by NASA for its first manned spaceflight missions. It was the also used for NASA’s first extra-vehicular activity in outer space, including on the Moon. Ultimately, more than 40,000 movements would be produced.
