1960's Omega Chronostop Rally Watch Q....

[dtdukok]

Can anybody recall the original strap that would been on one of these from new?

A friend of mine has one and would like to get it back to original, which I'm fairly sure the expando-crap bracelet isn't.

Any help very much appreciated.

Darren

PS. Pics may help...

[dtdukok]

Pics added...

[PickleB]

Link:

"The various watches appear to have been available with a wide variety of dial & strap colours.

At the end of the article are a couple of links to Chronostop brochures, If you're interested, I suggest you follow the links. They will show you some of the strap options that were available when the watches were new."

[Neil.C]

The original one I had was a holey leather type.

[wampa]

The original one I had was a holey leather type.

Think Omega call it Corfam:

[Foxy100]

Think Omega call it Corfam:

Everyone called it Corfam. No longer made, you can get a close enough leather replica from Abel Court in Belgium or Omega will supply a leather strap. Nice watch!

[Jack Norman]

I bought my Chronostop new in 1971 and still have it.

It was on special offer mail order for £21 and I had to pay by monthly installments!

Mine came on a mesh as pic below borrowed from the web.

[PickleB]

Everyone called it Corfam. No longer made, you can get a close enough leather replica from Abel Court in Belgium or Omega will supply a leather strap. Nice watch!

DuPont called it 'Corfam' (link) and apparently sold their rights in 1971 (link).

[M4tt]

It also came on a fairly fine mesh, but with a long buckle which was meant to be engraved.

edit: oops, as above.

[wampa]

DuPont called it 'Corfam' (link) and apparently sold their rights in 1971 (link).

Another pub quiz obscure question answered thanks to TZ

[MrGrumpy]

I have a recollection that it was advertised with a black leather strap with some what bigger holes than the one illustrated above - rather like the 'Rally' style straps that are advertised, though why a Rally driver would value holes in his watchstrap I'm not sure!

Something like this...http://www.thestrapshop.co.uk/pages/...and%20Prix.htm

[Emilio]

Think originally the mesh and perforated rally strap..

Had them both..

[PickleB]

Link:

"The various watches appear to have been available with a wide variety of dial & strap colours.

At the end of the article are a couple of links to Chronostop brochures, If you're interested, I suggest you follow the links. They will show you some of the strap options that were available when the watches were new."

Of the links referred to:

A 1968 Chronostop Brochure has pictures like this:

while 1969 - Chronostop In German shows:

and

You can see bigger pictures by clicking on the links from the articles themselves.

Then there's Hodinkee Explains: The Omega Chronostop Driving Watch:

...that shows the clasp very well.

[walkerwek1958]

I think the sensible approach is to buy a strap that's similar to what the watch would've been sold with, and the pics/links show this to good effect.

Definitely DON'T buy a leather strap with Omega stamped on it. Apart from the fact that it's signed there's no way Omega can supply something that's 'correct' for the watch. They'll sell something that fits and you're paying a premium for the Omega name on it. Just choose something that fits it nicely and save a boatload of money doing so. However, I would buy an Omega buckle, which costs around £20. The watch will be 18mm across the lugs, so a 16mm buckle will be Ok (provided the straps 18/16mm)

A mesh bracelet would work nicely, but again you're paying a premium to get one with Omega stamped on it, and the quality of the Omega stuff is no better than similar generics.

With old watches like this, there's a danger of trying too hard to find something 'original'. Here's a strap that'll work very nicely, it's cheap but excellent quality, believe me they're good, I put 'em on my own watches.: https://www.cousinsuk.com/product/pr...le?code=S31134

I find these will suit virtually any watch. An alternative would be a rally-style strap with holes in....as shown in some of the pics. Personally I`d chose what I preferred rather than try to pursue originality in this case.

Hope this helps

Paul

[dtdukok]

All of the above is exceptionally helpful and I thank each and every one of you for sharing your knowledge and suggestions.

I'll find out whether it started out life on the mesh or (as I suspect) the punched rally strap. He refers to it as his 'rally' watch so it's quite likely.

I will then get him a generic version of which ever he prefers. Good call on the Omega buckle to finish it off.

Thanks again chaps.

Cheers,

Darren

[PickleB]

...I will then get him a generic version of which ever he prefers. Good call on the Omega buckle to finish it off...Darren

See eBay items 181773160993 and 381328846876?

[dtdukok]

See eBay items 181773160993 and 381328846876?

Much obliged

[Carlton-Browne]

With old watches like this, there's a danger of trying too hard to find something 'original'. Here's a strap that'll work very nicely, it's cheap but excellent quality, believe me they're good, I put 'em on my own watches.: https://www.cousinsuk.com/product/pr...le?code=S31134

I had a long chat with Jack Norman about the Cousins straps at a GTG a while back and he's convinced that they come out of the same factory as the Omega ones. I have a couple and I'm very happy with them.

[walkerwek1958]

It's possible they do come out of the same factory thesedays!

However, that wasn`t the case a few years ago. I ended up with a brand new genuine Omega strap on a Constellation I bought from Mike Wood and I`ve compared it to the Cousins version. The leather's a little softer on the Omega strap, it's marginally better quality, but I don`t know what the latest Omega ones are like.

The Cousins straps are less than 10% of the Omega price, it's a no-brainer really! They suit such a wide range of watches too, they work on an everyday casual watch and they also look fine on a gold dress watch.

Much as I like old Omegas, and I like 'em to be as 'right' as they can be, I really don`t see the point in paying an inflated price for an 'Omega' strap.

Paul

[PickleB]

With a mention of straps: Service + Repair: Omega Chronostop Driver’s watch calibre 865.

Omega: Vintage watch database.

[Boarder1]

Mine has the mesh.