Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Omega wristwatch, ref. 145.012-67, Orange Chronograph Hand Minute And Hour Counters, circa 1968
- Maker / attribution
- Omega (brand / maker)
- Date
- c. 1968
- Historical period
- Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- stainless steel
- Auction house
- Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
- Lot
- Lot 347-25
- Credit line
- Auction lot record: LOT 25, Monaco, January 18, 2022
- Catalogue title (original)
- Omega. Ref. 145.012-67 SP Speedmaster Professional, Orange Chronograph Hand, Minute And Hour Counters, So-Called “Ultraman”, Stainless-steel (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva (lot Lot 347-25), this is a wristwatch by Omega, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1968. 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. The record is illustrated with 4 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
Antiquorum catalogue description
Stainless steel, manual-winding, vertical “tonneau”-shaped, gentleman’s wristwatch, water-resistant with screwed case-back, movement protected inside a soft iron calotte (protective container) against magnetic fields, bezel with black insert, black colour dial with radial luminous indexes, orange chronograph hand, subsidiary seconds at 9 and three horological complications:• 1/5 second chronograph (activated by the two round-shaped push-pieces located on the case-band), with orange chronograph hand and tachometric scale graduated on the bezel for 500 units per hour• Half-instantaneous 30-minute counter (subsidiary dial at 3 o’clock)• Dragging 12-hour counter (subsidiary dial at 6 o’clock)Case-back stamped in the centre with the Omega logo, a seahorse and the name “Seamaster”.
Lot specifications (Antiquorum)
Model: “Speedmaster Professional” so-called “Ultraman”; Reference: 145.012 – 67 SP; Movement No.: 26 078 160; Material: stainless steel; Bracelet: Black leather “tropical” strap; stainless steel Omega buckle; Caliber: 321 (based on Lemania 2310); Dimensions: 47.5 x 41.7 mm. / 39.8 mm. (bezel); Signature: Case, dial and movement; Accessories: Omega later fitted box
Inscriptions & marks
Case, dial and movement
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
Chronographs and split-seconds watches
A chronograph is a watch with an additional seconds hand that can be started, stopped and returned to zero independently of the timekeeping. Louis Moinet built an early example in 1816 and Nicolas Rieussec a recording 'chronographe' in 1821; Adolphe Nicole's heart-shaped reset cam (patented 1862) made the modern return-to-zero possible. Split-seconds (rattrapante) chronographs add a second hand that can be stopped for intermediate times; flyback chronographs restart instantly.
Chronographs were essential tools for doctors (pulsometer scales), artillery (telemeter), engineers and sport. In wristwatches, Valjoux, Venus, Lemania and later the automatic chronographs of 1969 (Zenith El Primero, the Chronomatic Calibre 11 group and Seiko 6139) are milestones.
What to look for
- Push-pieces on the case band or a single button in the crown (monopusher).
- Subsidiary registers for minutes and hours; tachymeter, telemeter or pulsometer scales.
- Column wheel versus cam control visible in the movement.
- Calibre markings of specialist makers (Valjoux, Lemania, Venus, Landeron).
Dating clues
- Pocket chronographs with heart cam reset: after 1862.
- Wrist chronographs: from c. 1910; two-button designs from the 1930s.
- Automatic chronographs: from 1969.
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:Flyback chronographChronograph
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