During the mid-19th century, an annual event took place to determine the fuel efficiency of motorcars. This event was sponsored by Mobil, the oil company, and took place in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Cars would be purchased from dealerships to make sure the results were real and the cars not prepped advantageously beforehand. It seems like a very archaic way of testing for fuel efficiency, and it was. The main point of the event was for marketing purposes.

Offered here are four OMEGA split-seconds chronograph pocket watches made for the Mobilgas Economy Run that took place in New Zealand. Mobil operated as Standard Vacuum Oil Co. in several countries, including New Zealand. These two names can be found on the case back of each watch.