Manufacturer: Omega Year: 1971 Reference No: 145022-16 ST Movement No: 32'852'415 Model Name: Speedmaster Material: Stainless steel Calibre: Mechanical, 861, 17 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Omega bracelet, 175 mm. maximum length Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Omega folding deployant clasp Dimensions: 42 mm. diameter Signed:Case, dial and movement signed Literature: For another example of the present watch, please see The Master of Omega by Alberto Isnardi, pages 50 and 51.
Catalogue Essay
In 1969, the Speedmaster was slightly modified. The applied steel symbol from the dial was replaced with an enamel one. The bezel is also modified. The reference number remains the same but the overall appearance is now more modern. The present watch is an excellent example.
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.