Manufacturer: Omega Year: Circa 1969 Reference No: ST 145.022-68 Movement No: 27’323’763 Model Name: Speedmaster Material: Stainless steel Calibre: Manual, cal. 861, 17 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Omega bracelet endlinks stamped 516, max length 210mm Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Omega deployant clasp stamped "1039" Dimensions: 40mm Diameter Signed: Dial, case, movement, bracelet and clasp signed Accessories: Further delivered with Omega Extract from the Archives confirming its date of production on 19th March 1969 and its subsequent delivery to Hong Kong.
Catalogue Essay
Considered by collectors as one of the rarest transitional references of the Speedmaster lineup, the ST 145.022-68 was produced only for one year from 1968 until early 1969. With its aesthetics very much like the ST 145.012, only certain features depict one from another. The -68 features the dot over 90 bezel with an applied logo on the dial with long hour markers. The present example carries all traits of a transitional Speedmaster ref. ST 145.022-68 and produced in circa 1969.
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.