Manufacturer: Omega Year: Circa 1971 Reference No: 145.022-69 Movement No: 31’622’878 Model Name: Speedmaster Professional, Japanese Straight Writing Material: Stainless steel Calibre: Manual, cal. 861, 17 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Leather Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Omega pin buckle Dimensions: 42mm diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and buckle signed Accessories: Delivered with Omega Extract form the Archives confirming the manufacture of the present timepiece on 1st July 1971 and its delivery to Japan. Literature: A similar example is featured in Moonwatch Only: 60 Years of Omega Speedmaster by Gregoire Rossier and Anthony Marquie on pp 302.
Catalogue Essay
Regarded as the last pre-moon Speedmaster model, the ref. 145.022-69 was the last reference designed before the first moon landing in July 1969. However, the model was only introduced and delivered after the monumental event towards the end of the year. With one distinctive trait, the model was the first to feature a printed white logo on the dial replacing its former applied logo.
Early examples of the reference featured a caseback inscribed with the firm’s seahorse logo with later examples of the model bearing a caseback engraving of the moon landing. The reference was produced from 1969 until 1971. The present example features a rare variant of a caseback inscribed with the desirable mentioning of the Apollo XI 1969 mission, a similar style to the limited edition gold version. With very few examples of resurfaced, examples that features these casebacks were originally delivered to Japan. Boasting and well-preserved overall state, the case is wonderfully crisp and features a bezel that is nice and clean, which is further complemented by a flawless dial.
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.