Why We Love It

3… 2… 1… Liftoff!

Take a poll amongst wristwatch collectors, and we'd bet the consensus would be that there might be nothing more important or iconic in a watch collection than an Omega Speedmaster. 

Sure, chronographs such as the Rolex Daytona or the Heuer Carrera are classics - icons even, but neither can match the stature of the Speedy with regards to importance in history. In fact, arguably no watch can.

This particular one is a unique one, being sub-reference of 145.022-68. It is considered a "transitional" sub-reference because, even though it has the newer 861 movement, it retains the applied logo 'stepped' dial of earlier references with the Caliber .321. The 145.022-68 only saw production for a year before being discontinued. What results is a highly-desirable sub-reference in an imminently-collectible watch, which should be staple in every vintage collection. 

 In addition to the rarity of the sub reference, the condition and full set nature of this beauty truly makes it a watch worth owning.

The Story

With the passing of the 50th anniversary of the Moon Landing, focus is now on space-related ephemera. Major auction houses will no doubt hold sales of anything that an astronaut might have even breathed on. Now, with demand for those items soaring high, it might put a damper on anyone’s aspirations to own a piece of history.

But there is a piece of space history that anyone can own: The Omega Speedmaster.

Since 1965, this little machine has been issued to the crew of every manned space mission. Ed White, Buzz Aldrin, Jim Lovell—these are just a few heroes who strapped the Speedy to their wrists as they headed to the final frontier. As one of Omega’s longest-running models, the Speedmaster has seen variants as numerous as stars in the sky, from special editions honoring spaceflights to the simpler black-dialed “Moon watch” that everyone knows and loves.

There's something to be said for the popular appeal of the Reference 145.022. Produced from the late 1960s to the 1980s, the Reference 145.022 straddles the period between the pre-moon and post-Moon landing Speedmasters. Like the references that came before it, the Reference 145.022 represents a pivotal era in the development of the Speedmaster.

While the earlier References of Speedmaster contained the Caliber .321 movement, the Reference 145.022 was the first to contain the Caliber .861. Additionally, the sub-reference 145.022-69ST was the first to feature a caseback that commemorated the 1969 Moon Landing, which still adorns the backs of Omega Speedmasters today. Also, the 145.022 retained the tritium that adorned the dials of previous iterations; it wasn’t until the introduction of the Reference 3570 in the mid 1990s that Omega started using the non-radioactive SuperLuminova.