Omega Speedmaster, c. 1957

Dealer description — Analog/Shift

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. But this is not just any ordinary Speedmaster. What we have here is a Reference 2915-1 - the first Speedy! The Reference 2915-1 Speedmaster was the brainchild of designer Claude Baillod. The black, stepped "pie-pan" dial is reminiscent of Italian race cars of the period. In fact, it was a close association with auto racing, not space flight, that drove the Speedmaster's design. One salient feature of the Speedmaster's design--what set it apart from chronographs of the period--is the bezel. While most of the chronographs at the time featured a tachymeter scale on a chapter ring on the dial, Baillod placed the tachymeter on the stainless-steel bezel (which Omega referred to as a "Tacho-Productometer Scale"). This made it easier for the wearer to measure speed with "no calculating, no paperwork," according to the advertisements. We take this feature for granted, given the remarkable continuity of the Speedmaster's design throughout its nearly seven decades of production, but at the time it was nothing short of revolutionary. The Speedmaster, along with the Seamaster and Railmaster, was meant to be a tool watch: purpose-driven watches intended to make a job easier. Its this legibility that would prove invaluable in the Apollo 13 mission, for example, when the astronauts used their Speedmasters to make life-saving calculations that would permit them to return to Earth--and without the Reference 2915-1, the progenitor of the Speedmaster line, that could never have happened. Another distinctive feature of the Reference 2915-1 are its 'broad arrow' handset. Later references of Speedmaster would bear 'alpha' - and from the 1960s on, 'pencil' hands. The Reference 2915 would feature broad arrow hands until the introduction of the Reference 2915-3 in 1959. This outstanding early example dates to circa 1957 and features a clean matte black dial with a matching 'broad arrow' handset, a correct signed crown, a (correct!) flat-link expanding bracelet with (correct!) #6 end links and a signed blade clasp, and of course - Omega's Calibre .321 hand-cranking movement within. Furthermore, this piece is accompanied by an incredible, collector-grade package. It includes an amazing (correct!) presentation box, papers, period-correct booklet, an original advertisement, and an extract from Omega's Archives confirming production and delivery to Italy in 1957. The Reference 2915 only saw three years of production. While exact production totals aren't known, estimates number between 3000 and 4000, with the 2915-1 in the 300-500 range. This scarcity, as well as the fact that so few examples have appeared intact on the vintage market, makes the Reference 2915-1 a very special breed. We've used the word "iconic" before, but perhaps in no other instance is it so appropriate - t he Speedmaster Reference 2915-1 is an icon among icons. It's the alpha of Omega - Speedmasters, that is - and perhaps the Alpha Omega, period.