Television presenter James May spotted wearing a Omega

James May, co-presenter of The Grand Tour and one of British television's most intellectually curious personalities, was recently spotted wearing a vintage Omega Seamaster Chrono-Quartz — a watch that, much like May himself, sits at an intriguing intersection of the technical and the unconventional. The sighting captures May in a casual setting, the chunky rectangular steel case of the Chrono-Quartz clearly visible on his wrist, its integrated bracelet unmistakable even at a glance.

The Omega Seamaster Chrono-Quartz, introduced circa 1976–1977, is a landmark piece in horological history. Powered by Omega's Calibre 1611 (or related variants within the 1610 family), the watch operates on a 32,768 Hz quartz frequency and delivers split-second chronograph functions via twin seven-segment LCD panels — one for minutes/hours elapsed, one for seconds and 1/100ths — while a conventional analog sub-dial continues to display the time in the traditional manner. The rectangular case measures approximately 43mm lug-to-lug and is constructed entirely in brushed stainless steel with an integrated expanding bracelet, giving it a monolithic, almost brutalist presence that reads as thoroughly 1970s.

The dial visible in the image is the classic black variant, with the 'CHRONO-QUARTZ' text arched across the top, Omega's logo and 'SEAMASTER' script on the analog sub-dial, a date aperture at 3 o'clock, and the '32 kHz' frequency designation — all consistent with the production references in the 1760032 or 196.0032 family. Left-side pushers handle start/stop, display/split, and reset/lap functions.

For collectors, the Chrono-Quartz occupies a fascinating niche: it is neither a pure quartz piece nor a traditional mechanical watch, but a genuine technological artefact of the quartz crisis era, when Swiss manufacturers were scrambling to compete with Japanese digital innovation. Today it commands serious collector interest, particularly in complete, functioning condition with its original bracelet intact — which is often missing on surviving examples.

James May's choice is entirely in character. A man who has publicly celebrated engineering for its own sake, from steam engines to Lego, would naturally gravitate toward a watch where the complication itself is the point. The Omega Seamaster Chrono-Quartz is available on the grey market in a wide price range depending on condition, typically between $1,800 and $4,500 for clean examples.