22
Omega
Ref. 2998-5
Speedmaster
An attractive stainless steel chronograph wristwatch with tachymeter scale and bracelet
Full-Cataloguing
• Original and well-preserved example of Speedmaster ref. 2998-5
• Fitted with Omega reference 7912 bracelet
Launched in 1959, the Omega Speedmaster reference 2998 was the successor of the first model, the reference 2915. It is also known for being the first Speedmaster in space as it was the personal watch of Wally Shirra during the Sigma 7 Mission of the Mercury program in October 1962. There are 8 sub-references of the 2998 model, each with their own distinguishing characteristics. The 2998 was only in production for four years.
The present watch is a 2998-5, bearing the correct hallmarks of that generation of 2998: alpha-style hands, a “DON” (dot-over-ninety) base 500 scale, stepped dial with applied Omega logo and no “Professional” text, and a double-step caseback with the hippocampus and “Speedmaster” engraving. It bears coveted painted “leaf” subdial hands found on the 2998-1, and is fitted with a lovely Omega ladder bracelet, reference 7912, stamped for early 1963. The luminous material has aged harmoniously, and the watch is fitted with the likely original Omega crystal with the tiny etched Omega symbol in the center.
Coming from an important American collector, who purchased it at Phillips’ inaugural Geneva Watch Auction: ONE sale, it is a lovely, original example of an early Speedmaster model.
Omega
Swiss | 1848Omega'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.