The evolution of the OMEGA Speedmaster

Watch specialist Eric Wind picks out seven watches from the upcoming OMEGA Speedmaster 50 sale that chart the development of the original sports chronograph

Upon its introduction in 1957, the Speedmaster defined the new category of sports chronograph. Originally designed for use by racing car drivers, OMEGA’s designers never anticipated that the watch would be destined to become a watch used by astronauts and cosmonauts during some of mankind’s greatest achievements. That a watch designed over half a century ago is still used on missions to space, is a testament to its timeless design and quality.

Other sport chronographs have undergone dramatic transformations, but the Speedmaster endures. Its particular key innovation — a fixed bezel showing a tachymeter scale — allowed for tracking speed when on a fixed track. The benefit of this bezel was that it was much easier to read speed when driving than previous chronograph watches that placed tachymeter tracks on the dial. This innovation was soon copied and adopted by other companies for chronographs.

In addition, the Speedmaster further appealed to drivers due to the large rectangular luminous markers and the hands filled with lume, allowing for the reading of the time in darker conditions or at night.

The Speedmaster was quite large in size for its time, again assisting with legibility. The size also allowed for the screw down case back, and capped rather than square pushers, making the Speedmaster more resistant to water, dust, and other difficult conditions that would damage other chronographs from the time.

With these features in mind, here are seven watches from the OMEGA Speedmaster 50: From A Spacewalk To Today thematic auction to be held at Christie’s in New York on December 15 that show the evolution of the watch over the last half a century.

Speedmaster reference 2915-1. Manufactured in 1957. Estimate: $100,000-150,000. This watch is offered in theOMEGA Speedmaster 50 sale at Christie’s New York on 15 December

For the Speedmaster, there is only one first reference: the 2915-1. As the origin of the Speedmaster species, it has both the DNA that continues to exist in Speedmasters today, as well as notable features found the earliest Speedmasters: the ‘broad arrow’ hands and the steel bezel with an engraved tachymeter.

The OMEGA Speedmaster 50 sale also has an extraordinary example of a 2915-2 (Lot 4), which is very similar to the 2915-1. The dynamic look of the hands and limited production makes these early reference 2915 watches highly desirable for collectors.

Speedmaster reference 2998-1. Manufactured in 1960. Estimate: $20,000-40,000. This watch is offered in theOMEGA Speedmaster 50 sale at Christie’s New York on 15 December

After a couple years, OMEGA switched the steel bezel found on the early reference 2915 Speedmasters for a painted bezel made of aluminum that provided contrast for easier reading of the tachymeter scale to read speeds.

The other major change with this reference is the use of dauphine or ‘alpha’ hour and minute hands, which offered a dressier and sleeker look than the ‘broad arrow’ hands found on the reference 2915.

Notably, this lot has a dial that has faded to a ‘tropical’ or ‘chocolate’ brown from its original black, perhaps due to the fact it was, according to OMEGA, originally sent to Curaçao, an island of the Dutch Caribbean.

Speedmaster reference 105.003-65. Manufactured in 1967. Estimate: $8,000-12,000. This watch is offered in the OMEGA Speedmaster 50 sale at Christie’s New York on 15 December

Following the earliest reference 2998 Speedmasters, OMEGA switched to thin hands for the subsidiary registers and then to straight baton hands from the dauphine hands. These simple straight hands were evidently supposed to make reading the time faster.

This lot was in fact formerly owned by a famous British pilot who set a record for the fastest transatlantic flight with return, and who was also the Senior Training Pilot during the initial tests of the Concorde supersonic passenger jet.

Speedmaster reference 105.012-66. Manufactured in 1967. Estimate: $4,000-6,000. This watch is offered in theOMEGA Speedmaster 50 sale at Christie’s New York on 15 December

OMEGA was constantly seeking improvements with the Speedmaster. The company realised, perhaps due to its repair experience, that one weak point for the early Speedmasters was the exposed crown and pushers, which could be damaged if struck.

In particular, the crown is connected to the movement by a thin metal stem inside the watch and if the crown suffered a significant blow, the stem could bend or break, leaving the person wearing the watch without the ability to wind it or set the time and possibly exposing the movement to damage from moisture. Thus, OMEGA introduced the ‘PROFESSIONAL’ version, featuring a case that provided protection around the pushers and crown.

Speedmaster reference 145.022-69. Manufactured in 1970. Estimate: On request. This watch is offered in theOMEGA Speedmaster 50 sale at Christie’s New York on 15 December

This reference marked the beginning of the use of the caliber 861 movement, which beat at a higher rate than the previous caliber 321 movements. This example also features a dial that no longer had an applied OMEGA logo, but instead was painted in white. This particular watch is anything but ordinary as astronaut Ron Evans used it on the Apollo 17 mission. In fact, it is the only opportunity for someone to own a watch flown in the Apollo missions.

Speedmaster reference 145.034. Manufactured in 1971. Estimate: $10,000-15,000. This watch is offered in theOMEGA Speedmaster 50 sale at Christie’s New York on 15 December

With the dawn of the 1970s, OMEGA began experimenting with more unusual case designs, both from a functional and aesthetic perspective. The Speedmaster Mark II has a large case that protects the crown and pushers even further and a crystal that was supposed to be more protected from damage.

This particular watch is one of very few known to be made in 18k gold and is in mint condition. It is one of a number of more avant-garde and rare Speedmasters from the 1970s and 1980s in OMEGA Speedmaster 50 sale.

Speedmaster reference 186.1998. Manufactured in 1998. Estimate: $1,000-2,000. This watch is offered in theOMEGA Speedmaster 50 sale at Christie’s New York on 15 December.

This Speedmaster X-33 was not the first digital Speedmaster, but it marked the next technical leap for the model. Called ‘The Mars Watch’, it was what OMEGA envisioned would be needed for mankind’s travels to the Red Planet. It was developed after extensive testing, including with astronauts and cosmonauts in space, in the 1990s.

Notably, the watch featured ‘broad arrow’ hands, harkening back to the earliest Speedmaster reference 2915 models. One wonders what OMEGA will come up with next for its legendary Speedmaster line — and how it might be used in space.

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