Omega Seamaster Chronograph ‘Jedi’ (176.007)

Vintage 38mm Omega Seamaster Chronograph ‘Jedi’ (176.007)

The Omega Seamaster Chronograph “Jedi” has a quirky place in vintage-watch lore because the nickname wasn’t officially given by Omega, but rather emerged from the collector community. In the early 1970s, Omega produced a handful of distinctive Seamaster chronographs — notably the reference 145.024, a manual-wind model powered by the Caliber 861. In the 1990s, renowned Omega enthusiast Chuck Maddox started referring to this rounded, shield-like chronograph as the “Jedi,” in keeping with his playful Star Wars nomenclature for other Seamasters like “Darth Vader” and “Anakin Skywalker.”

Over time, the name stuck with collectors, but confusion grew after the 2007 Omegamania auction catalog mistakenly labeled the automatic 176.005/176.007 Seamaster chronographs (with Caliber 1040) as “so-called Jedi.” That misattribution helped spread the nickname to those models as well, even though purists still reserve it for the original 145.024.

Today, “Jedi” broadly conjures images of 1970s Omega chronographs with bold styling and strong collector appeal — but the authentic Jedi origin lies with the rare, manually wound 145.024 that first earned the moniker from a passionate fan, rather than from Omega itself. Whatever you wish to call it, this automatic Seamaster Chronograph is a beautiful watch in excellent condition, having recently received a full service.