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Lemania 5100: What It Is, How to Identify It, and Which Watches Used It

The Lemania 5100 is an automatic chronograph recognized by its central elapsed-minute hand. Here’s how to identify it, where it appeared, and what to verify in a vintage watch.
Estimate5–6 min Catalogued SpecialistWatchRanker Team
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The Lemania 5100 is an automatic chronograph movement best known for its centrally mounted elapsed-minute hand: instead of keeping chronograph minutes in a small subdial, it places them at the center of the dial beside the chronograph seconds hand. That layout makes the movement unusually easy to recognize and read. It appeared in watches from Sinn, Omega, Fortis, Tutima, Orfina, Heuer and others, but the calibre must be verified against the exact watch reference.

What is the Lemania 5100?

The Lemania 5100 is an automatic chronograph calibre. Its defining display is a central chronograph minute counter: elapsed minutes are shown by a hand at the center of the dial, rather than by a hand in a small subdial. A specialist history describes the minute hand as airplane-shaped. It sits alongside the central chronograph seconds hand, while other functions occupy subsidiary displays.

This arrangement prioritizes legibility. When timing an event, the wearer can read seconds and elapsed minutes from the main dial without first locating a small minute register. The central minute hand is also the most useful visual clue when identifying a possible 5100, though appearance alone is not proof of the calibre.

What are the Lemania 5100’s specifications?

A technical guide for Omega calibre 1045, a designation associated with the Lemania 5100 in documented Omega examples, lists the following figures. The guide is reproduced in a third-party-hosted PDF, so these are attributed specifications rather than figures taken from a directly hosted Omega document.

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  • Horotec movement holder made of anodized aluminum suitable for OME 1045 or LEMANIA 5100. Slotted to accommodate pushers.
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Specification Figure or function
Diameter 31.00 mm
Height 8.20 mm
Power reserve 45 hours
Jewels 17
Frequency 28,800 A/h
Chronograph minute recorder Central 60-minute recorder
Other recorded functions 12-hour recorder, small seconds, 24-hour indicator, and day-date indicators with rapid correction
Winding Automatic, unidirectional winding

The Boley parts catalogue identifies the Lemania 5100 as a 13½-ligne automatic calibre and lists replacement or substitute components. Its catalogue warns that stock and prices can change; a listing is not confirmation that a part is currently available.

Which watches used the Lemania 5100?

Examples documented in a specialist archive include watches from several brands. The archive is a useful reference lead, not a manufacturer catalogue for every watch it lists. Confirm the exact model reference and movement before buying or describing an individual watch.

Brand Documented model families or examples Identification note
Sinn 142, 147, 156 and 157 Check the individual reference and movement; the archive also offers a German-language instruction manual for a 5100-equipped watch such as the Sinn 157.
Omega Speedmaster Mark 4.5 and Mark 5 examples The cited archive associates these Omega 1045 watches with the Lemania 5100. Do not assume all 1045 variants are interchangeable without documentation.
Fortis Cosmonauts and Stratoliner Verify the exact watch and calibre rather than relying on the family name.
Tutima F3 and military models Military use or specification applies only where documented for the particular watch.
Orfina / Porsche Design Porsche Design chronographs Check the specific reference and its fitted movement.
Heuer / TAG Heuer Carrera and other 510-series references TAG Heuer’s vintage Carrera history says the fifth generation comprised two chronographs introduced in 1984 and powered by the Lemania 5100.
Other makers Lorenz, Paul Picot, Revue Thommen and others These appear in the specialist archive; each example still needs reference-level verification.

TAG Heuer’s published history gives manufacturer support for the specific fifth-generation Carrera application. For other families, the specialist archive helps locate potential examples, but an archive entry should not replace documentation for the individual watch.

Is Omega calibre 1045 the same as Lemania 5100?

For the cited Omega Speedmaster Mark 4.5 examples, the specialist archive labels the movement Omega 1045/Lemania 5100. That establishes the naming relationship for those documented examples. It does not establish that every watch carrying an Omega 1045 designation is identical or interchangeable in every detail. Verify the exact Omega reference and consult its relevant movement documentation before assuming parts or service procedures are shared.

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When was the Lemania 5100 made?

A specialist history dates production from the early 1970s through the end of 2002. Other material gives 1974 as the starting year, so the safest concise description is that the movement was introduced in the 1970s and produced until 2002. The specialist history says exact production quantities are unknown; no dependable total is established here.

What is the Lemania 5100’s history in military watches and spaceflight?

The specialist history reports use of the movement in military watches in several countries, including Bundeswehr-related examples. Its archive also lists military-oriented watches from makers including Tutima, Orfina/Porsche Design, Sinn and Arctos. This does not mean every 5100 watch had a military specification; that must be established for the specific model.

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The same specialist history recounts that German astronaut Reinhard Furrer took a Sinn 142 fitted with the Lemania 5100 on the 1985 Spacelab mission, and describes it as the first automatic chronograph in space. That claim is an account from the specialist site, last updated 16 October 2016, rather than an independently verified mission record.

For broader company context, that history says Alfred Lugrin founded the company in 1884 as Lugrin SA and that the Lemania Watch Co. name was used from 1930.

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How should you assess a vintage Lemania 5100 watch?

Do not buy on the movement name alone. Model families can include variations, and the sources available for a family do not establish the calibre in every individual example. Assess the particular watch in this order:

  1. Confirm the reference and movement. Match the case or model reference to reliable documentation, and ask for clear movement evidence where appropriate. A central minute hand is a helpful clue, not sufficient proof.
  2. Check originality and condition. Review the dial, hands, case, and movement for condition and modifications, and ask for service records. No standardized condition assessment or current market-price benchmark is established by the cited sources.
  3. Establish service support for that exact watch. Ask a qualified watchmaker whether the movement and variant can be serviced, whether appropriate parts can be sourced, and what the work would involve. A parts catalogue or manual does not guarantee current stock or suitability.
  4. Compare the complete watch, not just the calibre. Consider its case, dial, intended use, originality and documented service history alongside the asking price. Current listings should inform price comparisons; no current price statistic is established here.

Can a Lemania 5100 be serviced?

Parts references are listed by Boley, and a specialist archive provides a German-language 5100 instruction manual, including for a watch such as the Sinn 157. These sources show that service and parts information exists; they do not confirm present stock, a current official service route, a service price, or support for every watchmaker and variant. Before purchasing parts or commissioning work, give a qualified watchmaker the exact watch reference and have them confirm the movement, parts requirements and service options.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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