Lemania watch movements: history, technical prestige, and strong collector appeal

This year Lemania celebrates 120 years since the brand name was officially registered. People often forget that making a name in the horology world and staying competitive while maintaining top quality for such a long period is extremely difficult and rare in the horology world. Such an occasion is the perfect time to dive deep into the heritage of this Swiss brand and remind ourselves of Lemania’s most memorable moments and why it has remained one of the most coveted names in the watch movements production field.

Lemania, the engine of icons

Over the course of its century-plus existence, Lemania mechanisms have been a driving force behind many famous watches. The most prominent one in that select group is, for sure, the Lemania 2310, which is considered by many to be the greatest chronograph movement ever made. What catapulted this nowadays infamous mechanism into orbit, pun intended, was the Omega modification that turned it into Calibre 321, used in their Speedmaster watches.

Omega Speedmaster Professional (classic model equipped with Calibre 321 movement). This movement, derived from the Lemania 2310, served as the official timepiece for NASA’s Apollo lunar missions, witnessing humanity’s historic moon landing.

Namely, Calibre 321 was certified as the official timepiece for NASA, subsequently becoming the powerhouse behind the three Speedmaster models that were a part of the manned missions into space: the 105.003, the 105.012, and the 145.012. Calibre 321 landed a legendary status and has remained one of the hereditary features of Omega. So much so that the company invested millions to recreate the original 321 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo lunar landing it was part of. Nowadays, the recreated version is used in Omega’s high-end watches, such as the Speedmaster Calibre 321 38.6 mm Canopus Gold™, Reference Number: 311.50.39.30.01.001, and the Speedmaster Calibre 321 42 mm Platinum™, Reference Number: 311.93.42.30.99.001, among others.

Close-up of the Lemania 2310 / Omega Calibre 321 movement, clearly showcasing its signature column-wheel design. This precision mechanism is regarded by many as one of the greatest chronograph movements ever made.

With such a reputation, an unmatched portfolio of supreme reliability and performance, and ample customizability, Lemania 2310 caught the eye of other notable watchmakers. The two most notable ones would be Patek Phillipe and Breguet, which used their own refined versions of the Lemania 2310.

Patek Philippe used the Lemania 2310 as the basis for their in-house caliber CH 27-70 Q in 1986, which became a core of their grand complication lineup. Their perpetual-calendar chronographs, Ref. 5970 and Ref. 3970, are the most famous representatives.

Patek Philippe Ref. 5970 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph, powered by the CH 27-70 Q movement developed from the Lemania 2310 base. It is a classic representative of Patek Philippe’s grand complication lineup.

Brequet, after acquiring Nouvelle Lemania in 1992, heavily modified the caliber 2310, creating its own Calibre 533 and 533.2, which were used in Brequet’s notable Ref. 3230/3237 and Ref. 3947/5947 watches.

Breguet Classique Chronograph Ref. 3947, equipped with Breguet’s Calibre 533 movement, which was heavily modified from the Lemania 2310. It exemplifies high-end watchmaking craftsmanship.

Lemania’s Military Dominance

Lemania’s military career started in the 1940s when it became the primary chronograph supplier for the British Ministry of Defense. 15CHT and 1872 were the primary choices for monopusher and two-pusher chronographs. Lemania HS9 and Lemania 818 Royal Navy Double-Pusher watches are the most famous watches that use those two calibers, respectively.

Classic Lemania HS9 military chronograph. It was one of the primary models supplied to the British Ministry of Defence, marking Lemania’s early dominance in the military watch sector.

The period from the 70s to the 90s was marked by the dominance of another groundbreaking Lemania movement, the Lemania 5100. It’s one of those few movements that are rugged in looks and build, yet ultimately durable, trustworthy, and functional in virtually any imaginable environment. It comes as no surprise that it was used for military watches of a great number of air and special forces units, particularly those of German and North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces.

The most notable uses of Lemania 5100 were the Tutima Military Chronograph Reference 798, the Sinn 156, 157, and 142 pilot chronographs, and Heuer/TAG Heuer Military Chronograph 510.523. It was also used for space voyages on MIR and ISS missions, embodied in the Fortis Official Cosmonauts Chronograph reference 630.22.141.

Fortis Official Cosmonauts Chronograph (powered by the Lemania 5100 movement). It was actually used in MIR and ISS space missions, proving its reliability in extreme environments.

Lemania’s Engineering Authenticity and Excellence

Nothing falls from the sky in the horology world; success and endurance in the market are fruits of hard work and engineering excellence above everything else. Lemania has built its own on two major fundamentals, the column-wheel design and the central minute counter.

The column-wheel design is what pushed the Lemania 2310 to the top of the list of the best chronograph movements ever made. It has been considered the ultimate standard in chronographs ever since its debut, as it enables flawless operation of the chronograph buttons while producing the characteristic click with each action. Due to the precise vertical-sequence nature of its operation, it also safeguards the movement by preventing the operator from accidentally starting the chronograph while resetting it, thereby preventing damage. The craftsmanship required to produce it also places it in the horology high-end, ultimate-precision league.

The central minute counter characterizes the Lemania 5100 movement and is the key factor behind its unmatched pilot and military applications. The foremost feature for such applications, besides durability under duress, is optimal readability. The central minute counter uses a dedicated, center-positioned pinion, enabling improved legibility and readability compared to chronographs with small minute-counting subdials. In time-critical tasks, this could provide a crucial difference, even a life-or-death one.

Close-up of the Lemania 5100 movement, clearly displaying its distinctive central minute counter design. This innovation provided exceptional legibility for military and pilot watches in extreme conditions.

Current rarity

After several ownership changes. 2010 marked the complete renaming and integration of Lemania into Breguet. Although no exact figures are available, an estimate is that a six or even seven-figure number of watches with Lemania-based movements were produced until 2010. Compared to Brequet’s annual production of a total of around 18 000 units, the difference is staggering, making Lemania quite a rarity when new editions are in question. That makes contemporary Lemania-Brequet movements highly sought-after and rather exclusive nowadays.

Wrap-up

Lemania has always been highly appealing to both users and other watchmakers due to the high level of craftsmanship in its creation and production, as well as a proven record of durability and impeccable performance under critical stress. All that has made Lemaia-based watches highly collectible and in demand. Moreover, the intriguing and rich tradition and heritage of Lemania movements are also inspiring research areas.

As a result of all the above, this article is the second article dedicated to Lemania's history. The first was an in-depth research piece on the Caliber 321, and, to complete the Lemania trilogy, the upcoming one is a hands-on review of the 2020 Speedmaster Calibre 321, the watch considered the pinnacle of chronographs and the ultimate legacy of Lemania.

Stay tuned.

Written by S.K, images by others as noted