Omega - The New York Watch Auction: SEVEN New York Saturday, December 10, 2022 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Omega
    Year: 1968
    Reference No: 145.012-68SP
    Movement No: 26’552’500
    Case No: S/N 92, SEB12100039-002
    Model Name: Speedmaster Professional
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Manual, cal. 321, 17 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel
    Dimensions: 42mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial and movement signed
    Accessories: Accompanied by Omega Certificate of Authenticity dated October 8, 2021 confirming production of the present watch on October 30, 1968, and its subsequent delivery to the Omega USA agent Norman M. Morris on December 6th, 1968, and sent to the NASA program office at Johnson Space Center, Extract from the Archives dated August 25th, 2016 and signed “Jim Ragan the Original Speedy”, a further Extract from the Archives dated October 12, 2017, red leather presentation box and outer packaging.

  • Catalogue Essay

    Phillips is thrilled to offer this extraordinary Omega Speedmaster, originally issued to NASA, and only the second reference 145.012 Speedmaster ever at public auction with a NASA serial number inscribed.

    One of mankind’s most momentous achievements occurred on the historic day, July 20th, 1969, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to step on to the surface of the moon. Since President John F. Kennedy delivered a speech on September 12th, 1962 and spoke the words “we choose to go to the Moon” the American space program had been tirelessly working to put astronauts on the moon before the end of the decade and beating their Russian counterparts.

    As is well-known today, the history of NASA, the American space agency and the Swiss watch manufacturer Omega are closely intertwined, since it was an Omega Speedmaster chronograph that accompanied Armstrong and Aldrin on their extraordinary flight becoming “the first watch worn on the moon”.

    The remarkable engravings on the caseback and central case band are only found on Speedmasters destined for one organization – NASA, making it amongst the rarest and most coveted of all vintage Speedmasters. Furthermore, it is only 6 numbers away from a similar reference 145.012-68 worn by Michael Collins (1930 – 2021) during the storied Apollo 11 mission.

    NASA began testing wristwatches for the Gemini space program in 1964 and on June 1st, 1965 the 39mm diameter Omega Speedmaster reference 105.003 with straight lugs received official qualification, and then later the 42mm diameter reference 145.012 with lyre lugs. Each NASA-issued Speedmaster was engraved with a Part Number (P/N) on the case back and a Serial Number (S/N) on the central case band, the present watch engraved “S/N 92”.

    The Part Number had specific designation with “S” the first letter for NASA, the second letter is the type of documentation or engineering drawings on record, with “E” for assembly drawing. Other examples are: “L”= Source control (e.g., manufacture's specification) or “K”= drawings in book form. The third letter initially stood for the supplying division, “B” = Crew Systems or “D” = Space Physics, however, following the Apollo programs, this letter came to stand for the mission program “B”=Apollo, “C”= Skylab, “F”= ASTP, “D “= Space Shuttle, “Z”= multiprogram. The caseback of the present lot is engraved SEB12100039-002, designating it as a NASA Speedmaster with engineering drawings on record supplied by its Crew Systems division.

    While the present watch was not flown on a space mission, it was used for exercises for the Apollo, Skylab and Space Shuttle missions prior to being sold as surplus. The watch is accompanied by two Omega extracts, one signed by James H. Ragan, who was a NASA Program Manager and an aerospace engineer. The extract confirms the watch was delivered to NASA via Norman Morris, Omega’s US distributor at the time.

    Amongst the most important “issued” Speedmasters to appear at auction in recent memory, the present watch is further enhanced by its outstanding state of preservation – making it a true trophy watch for the collector.

  • 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

169

Ref. 145.012-68SP
A culturally and historically important stainless steel chronograph wristwatch with certificate of authenticity, James H. Ragan-signed extract from the archives, and presentation box

1968
42mm Diameter
Case, dial and movement signed

Estimate
$75,000 - 150,000 
CHF71,600-143,000
€73,000-146,000
HK$586,000-1,170,000
S$103,000-207,000

Sold for $327,600

Contact Specialist

Paul Boutros

Head of Watches, Americas

+1 (212) 940-1293

WatchesNY@Phillips.com

 

Isabella Proia

Head of Sale, New York

+1 (212) 940 1285

iproia@phillips.com

 

The New York Watch Auction: SEVEN

New York Auction 10 - 11 December 2022