Skip to content
Omega Speedmaster “Ed White” 105.003, 1965 — view 1 of 6
View 1 of 6 · Image: Watches of Knightsbridge · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Omega Speedmaster “Ed White” 105.003, 1965

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Omega (maker)
Date
1965
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Materials / technique
Stainless Steel
Dimensions
Diameter 40 mm
Stock no.
CUR2352
Credit line
Dealer listing, Watches of Knightsbridge (CUR2352)
Catalogue title (original)
1965 Omega Speedmaster “Ed White” 105.003 (English)

View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by Watches of Knightsbridge (dealer), London (stock number CUR2352), this is a wristwatch by Omega, made in Switzerland, dated 1965. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: Stainless Steel. Recorded dimensions: Diameter 40 mm. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Dealer description — Watches of Knightsbridge

Found in superb original condition, this Omega Speedmaster ‘Ed White’ reference 105.003-65 is a true Speedmaster collector’s piece. Featuring its original stepped dial with applied logo and original tritium luminous showing a nice even patina across its markers and hands, seldom seen in such condition. The 40mm case with “straight lugs” in excellent condition, featuring its original “flat foot” crown and a pronounced seahorse emblem to caseback. A few minor scratches can be found on the caseback from previous openings, but these are in line with the example’s age and tool watch status. The legendary cal. 321 movement powers the ‘Ed White’, and our example is no different, with its movement serial number 24.9xx.xx correct for this reference and year of production.

Specifications — Watches of Knightsbridge

Reference: 105.003-65; Metal: Stainless Steel; Movement: Calibre 321, Manual Wind; Bracelet/strap: Molequin Nubuck Strap

Historical context

Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)

Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.

The classic era of the mechanical wristwatch: dive watches, chronographs for motor racing and space flight, GMT watches for jet travel, slim dress watches, automatic calendars, and the rise of Japanese manufacturers alongside Swiss, American, German and Soviet industries.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking

Atlas type guide

Wristwatches

Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.

After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.

What to look for

  • The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
  • The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
  • Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
  • Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.

Dating clues

  • Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
  • Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
  • Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

Read next:Detached lever escapementIdentification Centre

Related records