1084
Omega
Ref. 145.012-67 SP
Speedmaster “Racing” Dial
An extremely rare and attractive stainless steel chronograph wristwatch with black “Racing” dial, tachymeter scale and bracelet
Full-Cataloguing
- Rare first generation “Racing” dial
- Less than 10 known pre-Professional "Racing" dial Speedmasters
- Produced only between 1967 and 1968
When it comes to vintage chronographs, the Omega Speedmaster series might be the ones that pop up people’s mind due to their successful historic significance. Since 1957, the Speedmaster has undergone various design changes and technical upgrades, and keeping the reputation as one of the most accurate and reliable timepieces. The Speedmaster with “Racing” dial is one of the rare models with special components that were made in the 1960s and 70s.
The exact number of production is hard to identify, and there is no decisive information on the background of these watches. The special components, in most cases the dials and hands, might have been developed for projects but did not reach the market, and later fitted to complete watches, as suggested by the book Moonwatch Only by Gregoire Rossier and Anthony Marquie. The only thing known is that watches fitted with said components are very rare. As for Speedmasters with “Racing" dial, collectors have identified three versions for these watches with dials featuring bi-colour markers and special coloured hands.
Type 1: Racing pre-Professional
Type 2: Racing Professional
Type 3: Orange Racing
The present watch, most notably the lack of the word “Professional”, belongs to the first type. Fresh to the market, this Speedmaster is the earliest pre-Professional "Racing" dial known. It has an applied metal Omega logo, and is at a lower position from top corner of the minute counter. The “O” of the “Omega” appears to be more in an oval shape as well. The hour markers are in half-red and half white, and the hours hand and minutes hand are in red. The hand of seconds is in red while the hands for chronograph functions are in white. Unlike later versions, the “Swiss Made” logo does not have the T designations. The watch operates on the legendary cal. 321 movement, the same reliable movement that was used in the original Moonwatch. Kept in well-preserved condition, this Omega Speedmaster “Racing” Dial is a grail watch for the Omega Speedmaster enthusiasts.
Omega
Swiss | 1848Omega's rich history begins with its founder, Louis Brandt, who established the firm in 1848 in La Chaux de Fonds. In 1903, the company changed its name to Omega, becoming the only watch brand in history to have been named after one its own movements. A full-fledged manufacturer of highly accurate, affordable and reliable watches, its sterling reputation enabled them to be chosen as the first watch company to time the Olympic Games beginning in 1932. Its continued focus on precision and reliability ultimately led their Speedmaster chronograph wristwatch to be chosen by NASA in 1965 — the first watch worn on the moon.
Key models sought-after by collectors include their first, oversized water-resistant chronograph — the reference 2077, early Speedmaster models such as the CK 2915 and 2998, military-issued versions of the Seamaster and oversized chronometer models such as those fitted with their prestigious caliber 30T2Rg.