Skip to content
Omega Speedmaster Ed White “Double Chocolate”, 1966 — 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 “Double Chocolate”, 1966

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Omega (maker)
Date
1966
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Materials / technique
Stainless Steel
Dimensions
Diameter 39.5 mm
Stock no.
CUR59
Credit line
Dealer listing, Watches of Knightsbridge (CUR59)
Catalogue title (original)
1966 Omega Speedmaster Ed White “Double Chocolate” (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 CUR59), this is a wristwatch by Omega, made in Switzerland, dated 1966. 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 39.5 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

Omega Speedmaster Ed White “Double Chocolate” reference 105.003-65 with brown dial and DON bezel. The original calibre 321 manual wind chronograph movement with serial number 24,0xx,xxx corresponds with the Omega Archive Extract dating the watch to November 1966.

Specifications — Watches of Knightsbridge

Reference: 105.003-65; Metal: Stainless Steel; Movement: Cal. 321, Manual Wind, Serial No. 24,0xxx,xxx; Case diameter: 39.5mm; Bracelet/strap: Omega 1067 Flat-link Bracelet w/ 532 End Links

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