Rare and unusual Speedmasters from the AQ archives
A few days back we highlighted some of the rarest and most unusual Omega Speedmaster models found in the Antiquorum archives and as promised, today we’re back for part two! This time we’re working our way up from 2003 – we sort of forgot at which page we left off last time 😉 .
Omega Speedmaster ref. unknown Racing Dial calibre 321
First up is a Speedmaster in a rather peculiar configuration: a racing dial and telemeter bezel. While we don’t have our Moonwatch Only copy at hand and won’t comment on originality, it does seem legit and if so, it was a stellar buy at 3.080 USD including commission.
Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonphase 345.0809
A moonphase display is a somewhat whimsical complication. While of little use to most of us, it adds a touch of romance to a dial that’s hard not to love. Omega first introduced this feature to the Moonwatch in 1985, in a limited run of 1300 pieces of the reference 345.0809. The differences compared to the current Speedy Moon are subtle yet noticable; the current version uses rings around the subdials for an arguably more luxurious look, while the vintage one has a more utilitarian feel to it – save for that charming face on the moonphase disc. This example was sold at the 2004 December 1st New York auction for USD 3.680 including commission.
Omega Flightmaster X-33 Prototype 09/22
Enter Omegamania, the auction that caused quite a stir and achieved top results for a huge number of lots. The prototype pictured above is a wonderful mash-up of Omega’s most iconic lines: named Flightmaster, it used a case similar to that of the Seamaster Chronograph and would grow out to become the Speedmaster X-33 ‘Mars Watch’. The hammer fell at 16.520 CHF including commission.
Omega Speedmaster Moonphase ‘Teutonic’ TA 345.0810
And another Speedmaster Moonphase – although this one is arguably more of an acquired taste. The distinct eighties style ‘Teutonic’ case in two-tone (titanium and yellow gold), the white dial, the moonphase – somehow it seems to work. This rare Speedmaster (300 pieces) in seemingly perfect shape was sold for a quite impressive 9.440 CHF including premium.
Omega Speedmaster Professional Alaska Project ST 145.0022-69
Boom. Holy grail alert – one of the original Alaska Project Prototypes. The Alaska Project was lead by Pierre Chopard from 1971 to 1973, trying to explore and improve the limits of the original Speedmaster Professional. Included in the sale was the red outer case, designed to improve its resistance to low temperatures. Final price? 64.900 CHF including commission.
Omega Speedmaster Professional Italy DD 145.0022
Indeed you’re right – we’re skipping a lot of the usual suspects and high-profile models. Here’s another one we love and that’s very rarely seen: the Omega Speedmaster Professional Italy DD 145.0022. Were it not for a friend of ours who owns one, we’d probably have a hard time locating one.. The two-tone is such a huge change compared to the regular Speedmaster look, although it -in our opinion- hardly detracts from the instrumental nature of the watch. This watch was made as a limited edition for the Italian market and sold at Omegamania for 14.160 CHF including premium.
We’re sorry guys – this is it for today. We’ll be back for more soon!
