Enter Omega with a new and deeply ’70s design that blended a sporty 1/100th of a second lap-timing chronograph with the tech-forward aesthetic first seen on another avant-garde quartz watch – the 1974 Marine Chronometer. The Chrono-Quartz is the only watch to have used Omega’s caliber 1611 movement, which allowed distinct control over both the digital chronograph and the analog time display, while both measures relied on the same 32 kHz quartz resonator design.
With a battery layout that looked like a pair of wings, the 1611 earned the nickname “Albatross” and the dial layout was meant to invoke the legible and functional look of Olympic timing devices. Measuring some 51mm wide and with a left case flank housing several pushers and a price tag that was more than double that of the then-current Speedy Pro, the Chrono-Quartz further established Omega’s relationship with both cutting-edge timekeeping and with the split-second world of the Olympics.
– James Stacey, Senior Writer