Monthly Archives: November 2013

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Omega Speedmaster Limited Edition

Omega Speedmaster Limited Edition

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Property of a Gentleman: Daily Beater Speedmaster Split-Seconds

Omega Speedmaster Rattrapante 3540.50.00

Omega Speedmaster Rattrapante 3540.50.00

Property of a Gentleman: the awesome Speedmaster Split-Seconds!

Our reader Kirk sent this pic yesterday.. with the following text:

Attached is a shot of my Speedmaster in motion. I am a bridge and highway construction engineer and have worn the watch daily since August of 2002. 

It has seen some rough action and has taken quite a bit of abuse without looking like it has. 

Terrific watch and useful, it’s been used for everything from engineering time studies on field operations to estimating speed on my custom build chopper that has no speedometer, it’s clocked a sub 30 sec mile more than once. One of my most praised possessions for sure. 

Now that’s the spirit! Thanks for sharing Kirk!

November Auctions – Antiquorum November 10, Christie’s November 11, 2013

Omega Flightmaster 345.801 Christie's

Omega Flightmaster 345.0801 Christie’s

The last few days we’re exceedingly exciting for those of us following the auction world. Christie’s held the spectacular Rolex Daytona ‘Lesson 1’ auction on November 10 while Antiquorum hosted the Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces the same day, followed by Important Watches by again Christie’s the day after.

While the focus of the haute vintage collectors is still mainly Rolex and Patek Philippe, we thought it’d be fun to run past a few Speedmaster-related results.. Enjoy the show!

Christies Important Watches LOT 72: Omega Flightmaster Gold [pictured above]

The Flightmaster is a stunning watch in any disguise, but the crown is of course reserved for the full-gold model. The hammer price, excluding fees and taxes, for this particular model was CHF 30,000, which seems rather reasonable. FYI – a boxed&papered model in the 2007 OmegaMania auction commanded almost CHF 50,000. The price realized was right in the centre of the 20-40K CHF estimate.

Antiquorum Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces LOT 6: Omega Bullhead

Omega Seamaster Bullhead ST146.011

Omega Seamaster Bullhead ST146.011

Sure – the Bullhead is no Speedmaster.. But then again, it is one of the more intriguing chronograph designs Omega has presented us.. Breathing the spirit of the late sixties / early seventies. The example above was hammered off at CHF 5,650.

Antiquorum Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces LOT 7: Omega Speedmaster Professional Italia

Omega Speedmaster Professional Italia 3593.20.00

Omega Speedmaster Professional Italia 3593.20.00

For our frequent visitors it shouldn’t come as a surprise: the Italia is one of our favourite Speedies. The off-white dial is such a joy! This example, with box and papers, reached a respectable CHF 6,250 – not bad for a 15 year old Speedmaster!

Antiquorum Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces LOT 12: Omega Speedmaster Professional Mark II PVD

Omega Speedmaster Mark II ST 145.014 PVD

Omega Speedmaster Mark II ST 145.014 PVD

Now for the weird and wonderful: a Speedmaster Mark II ‘Racing’ with PVD-coated case and somewhat rare pulsation scale. At CHF 4,000, it seems like a job well done for the seller.. although we have no idea of the original selling price of this Moontime custom, made as a ‘limited edition of 10 pieces circa 2010’.

Antiquorum Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces LOT 13: Omega Speedmaster Custom Dial & Case

Omega Speedmaster 1957 Replica 3594.50.00

Omega Speedmaster 1957 Replica 3594.50.00 Custom

But wait – it doesn’t stop at a PVD-coated Mark II. Apparently, Moontime also made this 1957 Replica.. While the customized dial is acceptable and the telemeter bezel is a cool touch, we’re not so sure about the case set with black diamonds.. Still, sold at CHF 5,000! FYI, the following lot, a standard 1957, was sold at CHF 2,250….

Antiquorum Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces LOT 16: Omega Speedmaster CK2915-2

Omega Speedmaster CK2915-2

Omega Speedmaster CK2915-2

Back to business – the subzero CK2915-2. At CHF 27,500 a seemingly good buy.. Although we’ll have to report back later this week on the originality of the parts – if time permits.

Antiquorum Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces LOT 18: Omega Seamaster Bullhead

Omega Seamaster Bullhead ST146.011

Omega Seamaster Bullhead ST146.011

And we’re back to the Bullhead. While the first example we showed was sold at CHF 5,650, this one, in notable better condition, reached CHF 8,125. Condition is King – especially if you’re in the game for the long run!

Antiquorum Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces LOT 610: Omega Speedmaster Professional  Anatoly Artsebarsky

Omega Speedmaster Professional ST145.022 Anatoly Artsebarsky

Omega Speedmaster Professional ST145.022 Anatoly Artsebarsky

Of course, the best is saved for last.. What may seem an ordinary Speedmaster Professional, is actually the ‘The only watch ever to spend extended time in open space’. This Speedmaster, made in 1988, was worn by Anatoly Artsebarsky during his 1991 Soyuz TM-12 mission. Not only was it worn in space for 144 days, 15 minutes and 21 seconds, it was worn in OPEN space on 6 ‘space walks’, for a total of approximately 33 hours.

To finish off this post, we’ll quote Antiquorum on this superb piece of history (slightly edited for readability):

Provenance: from the Artsebarsky collection

`Flown` Omega Speedmasters – watches that have actually been worn in space-  are quite naturally the most coveted and desirable of all the Speedmasters and almost never reach the open market. This historic watch, No. 48261214, once owned by the Ukrainian-born Russian cosmonaut Anatoly Artsebarsky is one of the very few Omega Speedmasters in private hands to have actually been worn in space and of all the `flown` Speedmasters no other watch has ever spent so many hours in open space – a total of 33 hours. It is therefore not only an extremely significant watch in the history of the Omega Speedmaster but a uniquely historic world-class object in its own right. The provenance is verified by the accompanying certificate signed by Anatoly Artsebarsky.

Artsebarsky spent five months on the MIR Space Station in 1991 and during that mission he made an unprecedented six ‘walks’ into open space, during each of those EVAs (extra-vehicular activities) he wore this watch.

Artsebarsky was born in the Ukraine in 1956 and became a cosmonaut in 1985. In 1991 he was the 35-year-old Commander of Soyuz TM-12, leading the first joint Russian-British space mission and had the first Briton in space (Helen Sharman) along with Russian Sergei Krikalev, as fellow crew. To this day, Krikalev holds the record for most hours spent in space.

Setting off on 18th May 1991 from the same pad that launched Yuri Gagarin some thirty years before, TM-12’s mission was to dock with the Mir space station, relieve the station crew and then spend the next five months constructing a space tower for use with the control module. On 26th May, a few days after docking with the Mir space station, the rest of the crew flew back to Earth leaving Artsebarsky and Krikalev onboard with a list of repairs and projects, including the tower construction. After over 145 days in space and six EVAs, Artsebarsky made his return and was immediately made a hero of the Soviet Union and given the Order of Lenin (among the last ever such award given), as well as being made a Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR and receiving the Medal for Merit in Space Exploration. While he was in orbit, the failed coup d’etat against Mikhail Gorbachev rocked the Soviet Union, setting in motion events which led to the end of the Soviet Union on January 1, 1992.

Enjoy the original auction catalogues at:

Create your own vintage with the 3570.50.00!

Press Release – OMEGA Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon

Omega Speedmaster 9300 Dark Side of the Moon 311.92.44.51.01.003

Omega Speedmaster 9300 Dark Side of the Moon 311.92.44.51.01.003

Emblematic of OMEGA’s bold style, forward-thinking innovation and adventurous spirit, the all-black OMEGA Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon represents a sleek and sporty new addition to the popular collection.

November 11th 2013 – read more below the gallery

The black zirconium oxide ceramic dial, complemented by a matching ceramic 44.25 mm case with a brushed and polished ceramic casebody, features  striking 18K white gold applied indexes as well as two blackened sub-dials that distinguish the timepiece from its legendary predecessor, OMEGA’s “Moonwatch”.

These two sub-dials are made possible by the innovative placement of the 12-hour and 60-minute counters on the same sub-dial at the 3 o’clock position, allowing a comfortable and intuitive chronograph reading.

There is a small seconds sub-dial located at 9 o’clock and a date window at 6 o’clock. The hour and minute Moonwatch-style hands are fashioned from 18K white gold, as are the hands found on both sub-dials; the central chronograph hand is rhodium plated and features a red tip for increased visibility of recorded seconds. Super-LumiNova coats the two dots at 12 and the hour, minute and chronograph hands ensuring that the wearing can read the time in a variety of lighting conditions.

Protecting this prominent dial is a box-form scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides.

The matt chromium nitride tachymeter scale – among the most identifiable design features of the Speedmaster – stands out on the polished ceramic bezel. The two polished ceramic chronograph control pushers on the case function totally independently – accordingly, there is no risk to the chronograph mechanism as a result of inadvertent manipulation.

This unique timepiece is presented on a highly durable black coated nylon fabric strap complete with a black ceramic buckle. The timepiece is water resistant to 5 bar (50 metres / 167 feet).

Powered by the incredibly advanced in-house movement, the OMEGA Co-Axial calibre 9300, and equipped with a Si14 silicon balance spring, this Speedmaster is offered with a full four-year warranty.



The dark side of the moon
Engraved on the polished ceramic caseback in matt chromium nitride, above the bevelled scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, are the words “DARK SIDE OF THE MOON” – an appropriate tribute to this Speedmaster’s heritage and its bold black design.

Building upon our past’s great legends
With a design that recalls the same watch that accompanied astronauts to the moon on all six lunar missions, this model is a welcome addition to the family and one that upholds the bold Speedmaster name. It is sure to find a strong following among Speedmaster fans and watch enthusiasts who want to combine the impressive legacy of a remarkable chronograph with the best series-produced mechanical watch movement in the world.

More information can be found here: http://www.omegawatches.com/darksideofthemoon