Lemania Chronograph

Lemania, founded in 1884, is one of the leading movement manufacturers of the 20th century. Responsible for some of the most highly revered movements in horological history, its finely wrought ébauches have formed the basis of classic calibres from the likes of Omega and Patek Philippe.

The Calibre 15TL was just one of many such historic calibres crafted by the manufacture. Adapted from a pocket watch movement, the Calibre 15TL was large for the time at 33.3mm. Serviceable yet elegant, it would form the basis for the legendary Calibre CH27. History would know it as the Omega Calibre .321 — the movement that Buzz Aldrin would take to the moon in Apollo 11 within his Speedmaster.

This particular Lemania dress watch from the 1940s-1950s carries this CH27 movement as its power source. Measuring 34mm in yellow gold, it features elegant stepped lugs and a matching stepped bezel, an unsigned crown, and an acrylic crystal. Beneath this sits a beautiful champagne dial with an outer tachymeter scale in blue, a closed 1/5th-seconds track, 'Arabic' and applied 'beaded' indices, a triple-register chronograph display, and a gold 'feuille' handset. 

Paired to an 18mm tan leather strap with tone-on-tone top stitching and a yellow gold-tone buckle from Delugs, this gorgeous dress chronograph looks just as elegant today as the moment it left the assembly line in the mid-20th century. If you're looking for a handsome timepiece powered by a classic movement, you could do much worse than this beauty from Lemania!