Manufacturer: Omega Year: Circa 2014 Reference No: 3576.50.00 Movement No: 77'096'722 Case No: 77'096'722 Model Name: Speedmaster Professional Material: Stainless steel Calibre: Manual, cal. 1866, 18 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Omega bracelet, max length 190mm Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Omega deployant clasp Dimensions: 42mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed
Catalogue Essay
Fitted with a sapphire crystal caseback engraved "The First And Only Watch Worn On The Moon”, reference 3576.50.00 is most notably fitted with a moonphase and date complication. Its appearance is directly inspired by the vintage reference 345.0809, which was the first Speedmaster to be produced with a date and moonphase complication.
This timepiece is offered with no reserve and is presented in virtually like-new condition. The watch must have been worn once or twice only and displays all its original factory finishes.
The Speedmaster is unequivocally Omega’s most historically important model to date. Its history spans almost sixty years with the very first Speedmaster launched in 1957. Period advertising marketed the innovative model to "men who reckon time in seconds". It was incredibly useful for race car drivers, engineers, and professionals who dealt with time in their line of work. This model is among Omega's most important references ever created, spawning successors that partook in humankind's most ground-breaking moments, the most pertinent being landing on the moon.
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.