Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Omega wristwatch, ref. St, Speedmaster Moonwatch, circa 1969
- Maker / attribution
- Omega (brand / maker)
- Date
- c. 1969
- Historical period
- Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- 18k yellow gold
- Auction house
- Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
- Lot
- Lot 347-27
- Credit line
- Auction lot record: LOT 27, Monaco, January 18, 2022
- Catalogue title (original)
- Omega. Ref. St 145.022-69, Speedmaster, Moonwatch, Chronograph, Minute And Hour Counters, Yellow gold, So Called “Appolo 11” (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva (lot Lot 347-27), this is a wristwatch by Omega, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1969. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: 18k yellow gold. 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
18K yellow gold, 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 brown insert, gold colour dial with radial applied indexes, subsidiary seconds at 9 and three horological complications:• 1/8 second chronograph (activated by the two round-shaped pushpieces located on the case-band), with 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 and the mention “the first watch worn on the moon” and “Omega Speedmaster – Apollo XI 1969”.
Lot specifications (Antiquorum)
Model: “Speedmaster Professional” “Moonwatch” so called “Appolo 11”; Reference: ST 145.022 – 69; Movement No.: 29 171 313; Case No.: No. 904 (by Charles Dubois & Cie, Le Locle); Material: 18K yellow gold; Bracelet: 18K yellow gold Omega “Holzer” bracelet with deployant clasp; Caliber: 861 (based on Lemania); Dimensions: 48.6 x 42.3 mm. / 39.7 mm. (bezel) / Length 190 mm. (approx.); Signature: Case, dial and movement; Accessories: Omega original fitted box (“lunar crater”)
Inscriptions & marks
Case, dial and movement
Historical context
Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.
Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology
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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