PERSONAL COLLECTION ~ AUTHENTIC OMEGA DYNAMIC CHRONOGRAPH GENTS WRISTWATCH

Omega Dynamic Chronograph HISTORY The Dynamic has been a part of Omegas history since 1969. Back in the 1970s the Dynamic was Omegas number one selling watch, but it was discontinued a few years later. Omega released a second Dynamic in 1984 in its International Collection. The watches were extremely different from one another, but when one looks back on them today, they reflect the times in which they were made. In March of 1997 Omega released its third issue of the Dynamic.

They offered the watch in two versions, the chrono, and non-chrono. These two watches, however, took a step back to a different era. The Dynamic of today was inspired by an Omega that was issued to Royal Air Force (RAF) pilots in the 1950s. Pilots of those days needed a watch that had highly legible luminous numbers so that they could read the watch from almost any angle, and in the dark. Todays Dynamic is an exact copy of that design. The chrono version of the Dynamic gives us another reminder of that era, with its 30-minute register rather than the typical 60-minute registers of today. This can be seen on other chronograph watches from the early to mid 1900s. Omega also decided to stay true to history in their use of markings on the minute sub-dial of the chronograph.

The markers at the 3, 6, and 9 stand out more than the others because of the way that public phones charged customers in three minute intervals until the mid 1960s in Europe. The standout markings made it easier to tell when it was getting close to taking another coin from your pocket to continue the call. Because of Omegas desire to remain true to that era, they decided to put this feature on the third generation of the Dynamic. What Makes it Tick The movement used in the Dynamic chronograph is Omegas cal. 1138 with 45 jewels. This caliber

is based on the ETA 2890-A2 movement with a Dubois-Depraz 2030 module chronograph. The 21 jeweled non-chrono cal. 1108 is based on the ETA 2892-A2. Both calibers operate at 28,800 bph. Both versions are offered with either a stainless steel bracelet, or a strap. There was also a limited Targa Floria chronograph that was limited to 1,973 pieces. This watch was made to commemorate the Targa Floria race, which was last held back in 1973.(* 1138 top plate)(*1138 pillar plate)(* 1108 top plate)(* 1108 pillar plate)(Targa Floria)

The Dynamic Chronograph is a fantastic watch. The width measures 38mm wide without the crown, and 40mm with the crown. The length of the watch is 45mm from lug to lug. The watch does sit high at 13mm, but due to the size of the watch, it does not draw attention. The only draw back is that the crown sits almost even with the bottom of the watch which allows it to dig into the back of your hand, if you wear your watch at the end of your wrist. (But, your body will adapt to it by making a nice little red dot of a callus.) The crown is low on this watch is due to the orientation of the movement components. The winding part of the movement is located on bottom whereas the chronograph part of the movement is located under the dial.

The bracelet is the same one that was used on the old Omega Speedmasters. The Omega strap has the signed Omega stainless steel buckle and white stitching on the band.

The finishing on the watchcase is a nice brushed stainless steel, with a raised sapphire crystal. The watch has a signed Omega screw down crown which allows the watch to have a water resistance rating of 50 meters, but the chrono function can not operate underwater like the Seamaster Professional chronograph can. The pushers for the chronograph remind me of the ones used on the Omega Speedmaster. One click of the top pusher starts the chronograph, another click stops it, and one click of the bottom pusher resets it to zero using a fly-back function.

Another really nice feature on this watch is that the second hand hacks (stops) when you pull out the crown. This allows you to set the watch to another time source with out having to do a manual hack. It is also another way that Omega stayed true to the watches that were issued to the RAF pilots back in the 1950's. The watch’s black dial is very easy to read from any angle during the day, or in the dark. Omega uses Super-Luminova on the raised Arabic numerals, the hands, and on the minute counter of the chronograph.

The pleasing blend of colors on the dial (black, white, and yellow) helps to give it that vintage and/or sporty look. The screw down case back is very simple and has a nice finish on it. The serial number is located on the bottom lug opposite to the crown side. The emblem on the case back is simply an Omega symbol with the word "Omega" underneath it surrounded by a circle. The automatic movement in my watch keeps time with only a gain of +2 seconds a day. This seems common for the watch, as other owners report accuracy in that range. The watch has a power reserve of 40 hours, and it can be wound by hand via the crown when in the first position. All in all, this is a fantastic watch.

Unfortunately, Omega discontinued the Dynamic again on January 1st, 2000 due to its lack of sales.

The watch was a big seller in Europe, but never sold well in the US market until after it was discontinued. Still, it remains a testament to a proud time in Omegas history.