Omega - Geneva Watch Auction: FOUR Geneva Friday, November 11, 2016 | Phillips
  • Manufacturer: Omega
    Year: 1968
    Reference No: 105.012-66
    Movement No: 25'003'738
    Model Name: Speedmaster Professional "Moon Watch"
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Manual. cal. 321, 17 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Canvas NATO
    Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel pin buckle
    Dimensions: 40mm. Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed
    Accessories: Accompanied by its original bracelet in Stainless steel, reference 1039, dated 1.68, end links stamped 516, max length 200mm., an Extract from the Archives confirming production of the watch in 1968 and its subsequent delivery in Switzerland and a limited and signed edition of the Moonwatch Only book.
    Provenance: Moonwatch Only collection
    Literature: The present watch is illustrated in Moonwatch Only by Grégoire Rossier and Anthony Marquié page 128

  • Provenance

    Moonwatch Only collection

  • Catalogue Essay

    For many enthusiasts and scholars, the reference 105.012 is a milestone variant of the legendary Speedmaster, and one that is both historically important and especially rare. It was the first model to bear the word “Professional” on the dial. Found at 12 o’clock, the designation marked the introduction of crown guards to protect both the crown and the chronograph pushers - still found on the cases of Speedmasters made today. Reference 105.012 is the reference that has most been used by NASA’s astronauts during their space missions from the late 1960s to the early 1970s. Most notably, two Speedmaster reference 105.012s were worn on the wrists of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon during the historic Apollo 11 mission in 1969.
    Produced in 1968 and delivered in Switzerland, the present watch is fitted with a rarely seen bezel with telemeter scale calibrated in kilometers. Using the chronograph to measure elapsed time, the telemeter scale permits instant calculation of the distance between an observer and a distant event that can be both seen and heard, such as lightning, based on the speed of sound. The dial has beautifully aged, with the luminous indexes having turned to a rich and warm beige color. The present watch is illustrated in the “Moonwatch Only-The Ultimate Omega Speedmaster Guide”, and is accompanied with a limited and signed edition of the tome.

  • Artist Biography

    Omega

    Swiss • 1848

    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.

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Ref. 105.012-66
A rare and very attractive stainless steel chronograph wristwatch with telemeter scale and bracelet

1968
40mm. Diameter
Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed

Estimate
CHF8,000 - 12,000 
€7,300-11,000
$8,200-12,400

Sold for CHF10,000

Contact Specialist
Alexandre Ghotbi
+41 22 317 81 89

Geneva Watch Auction: FOUR

Geneva Auctions 12 – 13 November 2016