Manufacturer: Omega Year: 1957 Reference No: 2915-1 Movement No: 15'500'006 Model Name: Speedmaster "Broad Arrow" Material: Stainless steel Calibre: Manual, cal. 321, 17 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Leather Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Omega pin buckle Dimensions: 38mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and buckle signed Accessories: Accompanied by Omega Extract from the Archives confirming production of the present watch on November 22, 1957 and original product literature.
Catalogue Essay
The Speedmaster is unequivocally Omega’s most historically important model to date. Its history spans almost sixty years with the very first Speedmaster launched in 1957. Reference 2915 was the brainchild of Pierre Moinat and Claude Baillod. Period advertising marketed the innovative model to "men who reckon time in seconds". It was incredibly useful for race car drivers, engineers, and professionals who dealt with time in their line of work. This model is among Omega's most important references ever created, spawning successors that partook in humankind's most ground-breaking moments, the most pertinent being landing on the moon.
The first generation model, reference CK 2915, is considered by collectors as “the grail” for a number of reasons. In terms of design, it was the first chronograph to feature a tachymeter scale (or, as Omega called it at the time, the Tacho-productometer scale) on the bezel, rather than on the dial. In terms of movements, Omega did not go for a brand new caliber, turning instead to caliber 321, an extremely robust and reliable column-wheel chronograph, which it recognized as the best available option for its new Speedmaster.
In production only between 1957 and 1959, the reference 2915 was produced in three different iterations: -1, -2, and -3. CK2915-1 and -2 are the very first – and most collectible - Speedmaster models. They have unique differences from all later generations of Speedmasters, most notably in their dial graphics and important elements of case design. The large, “Broad Arrow” minute and hour hands are one such trait, but also the metal bezel - rather than a bezel with black insert - and slightly different dial graphics, distinguishable by the oval “O” of Omega. This oval will later become perfectly round. Also the case has details which would later be abandoned, such as the “Speedmaster” designation engraved on the slanted edge of the case back rather than on the center.
The present watch displays an exceptional "tropical" dial that has aged to a vibrant milk-chocolate shade. The brown tone is not only rich and vivid, but it is also incredibly even throughout. Moreover, the luminous material on both the dial and hands have aged to an attractive golden tone.
Omega'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.
