Omega - The Hong Kong Watch Auction: TWO Hong Kong Monday, May 30, 2016 | Phillips

Create your first list.

Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.

  • Manufacturer: Omega
    Year: 1958
    Reference No: 2915-2
    Movement No: 15'500'546
    Model Name: Speedmaster 'Broad Arrow'
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Mechanical, 321, 17 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Omega bracelet, 190 mm. maximum length, end link stamped 6
    Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Omega folding deployant clasp
    Dimensions: 38.5 mm. diameter
    Signed: Case, dial and movement signed
    Literature: For another example of a reference 2915-2, please see Omega Sportswatches by John Goldberger, page 102 and 103.

  • Catalogue Essay

    The Speedmaster is unequivocally Omega’s most historically important model to date. Having enjoyed a variety of dial, bezel, hand and bracelet variations, its history spans almost sixty years with the very first Speedmaster launched in 1957.

    Originally designed for racecar drivers, the Speedmaster eventually entered space, an accomplishment that has reached almost mythical lore. The Speedmasters underwent rigorous testing before being declared as ‘qualified’ for space travel. Launched in 1957, reference 2915 was the brainchild of Pierre Moinat and Claude Baillod. The very first prototype was made by George Hartmann. Reference 2915 was made for engineers, race car drivers, engineers, and any other 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 groundbreaking moments, the most pertinent being landing on the moon.

    The first Speedmaster is instantly recognizable due to its 'Broad Arrow' hands. Another defining feature is the tachometer bezel. At the time, most tachometers were printed on the dial. To have a chronograph wristwatch with an outer tachometer bezel was truly very rare.

    The present watch, reference 2915-2, is from the second generation of the reference and displays all right features. The first is the 'Base 1000' bezel, followed by the dial configuration. The Omega signature features the iconic 'fat' O followed by the slightly longer 'r' in the Speedmaster signature. This watch is furthermore accompanied with its original 'semi-extendable' bracelet.

  • Artist Biography

    Omega

    Swiss • 1848

    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.

    View More Works

176B

Ref. 2915-2
A very rare stainless steel chronograph wristwatch with bracelet

1958
38.5 mm. diameter
Case, dial and movement signed

Estimate
HK$320,000 - 500,000 

Sold for HK$437,500

Contact Specialist

Thomas Perazzi
Head of Watches, Asia
+852 2318 2001
thomasperazzi@phillips.com

Ziyong Ho
Specialist
+852 9386 2032
ziyongho@phillips.com

Jill Chen
Specialist
+852 2318 2033
jillchen@phillips.com

The Hong Kong Watch Auction: TWO

Hong Kong Auction 31 May 2016