Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo is excited to welcome you to The Hong Kong Sessions, Spring 2023 online auction, running from 9:00 PM HKT, Tuesday, March 28, to 6:00 PM HKT, Tuesday, April 4. Featuring more than 100 different high-end luxury wristwatches, the sale covers everything from A. Lange & Söhne and Audemars Piguet to Sartory Billard and Zenith.
It’s a common collector refrain that every well-considered watch collection should include at least one Omega Speedmaster. The legendary lunar-ready chronograph is just that important and influential of a watch. It’s one of the very few timepieces that has transcended the conventional niche world of watch collecting and become an object of cultural fascination.
Omega has been more than happy to oblige the continued interest in its flagship product with all sorts of interesting variants over the past few decades. Although the company has shied away from the limited-edition approach in the past two years, there have been a huge number of special-edition variants over the watch’s recent lifespan that are worth exploring and collecting.
Our PHILLIPS watch specialists in Hong Kong have sourced a number of the most interesting Omega Speedmaster Limited Edition examples in our current Hong Kong Sessions, Spring 2023 online auction, which we’ve gathered right here for easy browsing.
Lot 8070: Omega Speedmaster 'Jubilee' Ref. 3191.50.00
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic manual-wind caliber 27 CHRO C12, the Speedmaster “Jubilee” ref. 3191.50.00 was launched in 1992 as a limited edition of 999 watches. For any non-chrono buffs that might be reading this, the caliber 27 CHRO C12 was found inside early Omega chronograph wristwatches, dating back 1942, and its base architecture eventually evolved into the legendary caliber 321.
Omega debuted three limited models, all of which had cases in 18k yellow gold, to commemorate its 50-year anniversary. Instead of the caliber 321, however, these watches utilized the caliber 863. One interesting detail to note is that this series also represents the first time a Speedmaster utilized a sapphire crystal to protect the dial. The present watch is from the first series and is number 100 of the 999 pieces.
Estimate: HKD $80,000 - 160,000
Lot 8050: Omega Speedmaster Alaska Project Re-Edition Ref. 311.32.42.30.04.001
Omega was commissioned to oversee the “Alaska Project,” comprised of four individual classified assignments dedicated to designing space-qualified timepieces for NASA’s manned missions. This series of top-secret projects resulted in several highly collectible watches that were worn by prominent astronauts who went to space in the 1970s. Now considered holy grails among collectors and scholars, the originals are often only found in museums or in the possession of Omega and NASA. In May 2022, an original 1970s Speedmaster Professional "Alaska Project" prototype was auctioned at PHILLIPS Geneva for an impressive CHF 529,200.
To celebrate this monumental legacy, Omega released a 1,970-piece limited edition in 2008, which is where this present example comes from. The production number is a nod to the original production year of the “Alaska II” Project, which subsequently inspired this release. This modern interpretation bears a distinctive dial display that is similar to its predecessor, which was developed in “space simulators” for optimal performance in outer-space conditions. The pictured Alaska Project is number 409 of a limited edition of 1,970 pieces. Offered in excellent overall condition, it is complete with all accompanied documents and accessories, including its red anodized aluminum protective case, tools, an additional stainless steel bracelet, and white velcro straps.
Estimate: HKD $60,000 - 120,000
Lot 8097: Omega Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday 'Ultraman' Ref. 311.12.42.30.01.001
The Omega Speedmaster ref. 145.012-67 was in production throughout 1968 with around 3,000 pieces produced, ranging from serial number 26.076.XXX to 26.079.XXX. Thanks to the distinctive orange chronograph hand from on a small number of this reference, this rare bird is now famously known as the original “Ultraman” Speedmaster thanks to its appearance on the 1971 Japanese TV sensation, The Return Of Ultraman. Extremely scarce, less than 50 vintage examples with this striking configuration are known to the market.
In honor of the highly sought-after original, the present Speedy Tuesday Ultraman was launched in 2018 and is almost identical to its predecessor. In addition to the orange center seconds hand, the reissue is complimented with a black and orange tachymeter bezel and orange hour markers. Furthermore, the “Speedmaster” signature is stamped in a matching orange hue instead of white. Another tribute to the TV series is the sneaky imprint of Ultraman's head in the small seconds register at nine o’clock. This hidden feature is most prominent under UV light. Offered at PHILLIPS for the first time, the present watch is number 1,235 of the 2,012 pieces, is in “new-old-stock" condition, and is accompanied by its original accessories.
Estimate: HKD $48,000 - 96,000
Lot 8049: Omega Speedmaster Professional 'Silver Snoopy Award' 50th Anniversary
First presented in 1968, the “Silver Snoopy Award” was a part of NASA’s Manned Flight Awareness program, where astronauts were encouraged to recognize and award outside companies and individuals who contributed “outstanding achievements related to human flight safety or mission success.” The award is presented by the astronauts themselves as recognition of all-around excellence. Omega was awarded the Silver Snoopy Award in 1970, when the Speedmaster Professional successfully helped astronauts on Apollo 13 navigate back to Earth after an oxygen tank exploded and jeopardized their mission. The Silver Snoopy Award continues to this day, and it still holds the same significance more than 50 years later.
The present special-edition chronograph, the Speedmaster Professional “Silver Snoopy Award” 50th Anniversary, was released in 2020 and commemorates the Speedmaster’s one-of-a-kind role in the history of space exploration. This is actually the third Snoopy-related Speedmaster to be released since 2003. The current edition retains the classic Speedmaster Professional case design that carries back to the late 1960s with the original ref. ST105.012. NASA’s favorite beagle once again adorns the dial – but wait, flip the watch over and you’ll find a whimsical mechanical animation featuring Snoopy once again, visible through the sapphire exhibition caseback. The movement is covered with a night blue plate featuring white dots, representing outer space. From a perspective that looks like you’re sitting on the Moon itself, you can view a rotating Earth, as well as a flying NASA Command and Service Module with Snoopy inside.
Estimate: HKD $80,000 - 160,000
Lot 8072: Omega Speedmaster Professional, Apollo XI 30th Anniversary Ref. 3560.50.00
Omega introduced the Speedmaster ref. 3560.50.00 in 1999 as a limited edition of 9,999 pieces to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Moon landing, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped onto the lunar surface while wearing Speedmasters on the outside of their space suits.
With a traditional black dial with white accents, the charm is perhaps most apparent on the caseback where it is inscribed with the date and time of the Moon landing, as well as the famous phrase from astronauts on board, “HELLO HOUSTON, TRANQUILITY BASE HERE, THE EAGLE HAS LANDED”– a nice touch and a nod to this historic event. The present example is number 3,476 of the 9,999 piece run and is complete with its full set of accessories.
Estimate: HKD $24,000 - 40,000
Lot 8098: Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional 'Tokyo 2020' Ref. 522.30.42.30.03.001
As official timekeepers of the Olympic Games, Omega celebrated the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics by releasing a collection of five different Speedmaster Professionals, one in each color found in the Olympic ring logo. Despite the unfortunate deferred date of 2021, the caseback of each watch is embossed with the logo for the 2020 Tokyo Games, with the year they were supposed to happen. This small historical nuance can make any timepiece in this Speedmaster Specialties series a potential collector’s item, or at least a memento of how COVID-19 had influenced the world in 2020. As a nod to the 2020 Tokyo Games, the "blue ring" Speedy is limited to 2,020 pieces only.
If not twins, then brothers, the present ref. 522.30.42.30.03.001 also looks and feels very similar to the long-time fan favorite, the limited edition Gemini IV ref. 3565.80.00 from 2006. In fact, the two references share the same combination of a 42mm stainless steel case, a blue bezel, and a blue brushed dial with white sub-counters. Some differences can be appreciated, namely the “Speedmaster” signature in red, the extended applied hour markers, the metallic chronograph counters, and the red-tipped seconds hand. Number 1,849 of the 2,020 pieces, this handsome, robust timepiece is offered in excellent overall condition and is complete with its original accessories.
Estimate: HKD $32,000 - 64,000
Lot 8076: Omega Speedmaster '1957 Trilogy' Ref. 311.10.39.30.01.001
Omega struck gold in 1957. The Swiss watchmaker introduced three different sport watches that year that would go on to change everything – not only for Omega, but for the entire watch world. Sixty years after those watches – the Speedmaster ref. CK2915, the Seamaster 300 ref. CK2913, and the Railmaster ref. 2914 – were first released, Omega went back to the archives in 2017 to create limited edition versions of all three, including the present Speedmaster ref. 311.10.39.30.01.001.
This wasn’t your run-of-the-mill reissue, either. Omega used a pioneering digital scanning technology to recreate the exact look and feel of the original CK2915 for the modern world. It's made of brushed-and-polished stainless steel with straight lugs connected to a flat steel bracelet with the iconic vintage Omega logo on the clasp. No detail was spared – even the crystal features a subtle engraved Omega signature at the center, just like you’d find on an original example. The present example is complete with a robust NATO strap that further enhances its vintage appeal. This limited edition Speedmaster is a scarce commodity, numbered 3,309 out of the 3,557 pieces made.
Estimate: HKD $30,000 - 60,000
You can learn more, place a bid, and view the entire Hong Kong Sessions, Spring 2023, catalog here.
About Phillips In Association With Bacs & Russo
The team of specialists at PHILLIPS Watches is dedicated to an uncompromised approach to quality, transparency, and client service. Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo holds the world record for the most successful watch auction, with its Geneva Watch Auction: XIV having realized $74.5 million in 2021. Over the course of 2021 and 2022, the company sold 100% of the watches offered, a first in the industry, resulting in the highest annual total in history across all the auction houses at $227 million.
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Specialist's Picks: Watches Online: The Hong Kong Sessions, Spring 2023