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Omega wristwatch, ref. ST145.012, Speedmaster Professional So Called “Ultraman”, April 1968 — view 1 of 3
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Omega wristwatch, ref. ST145.012, Speedmaster Professional So Called “Ultraman”, April 1968

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.
Maker / attribution
Omega (brand / maker)
Date
April 1968
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Materials / technique
steel
Lot
Lot 352-14
Credit line
Auction lot record: LOT 14, Forte dei Marmi
Catalogue title (original)
OMEGA REF. ST145.012, SPEEDMASTER PROFESSIONAL, SO CALLED “ULTRAMAN”, STEEL (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva (lot Lot 352-14), this is a wristwatch by Omega, made in Switzerland, dated April 1968. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: steel. The record is illustrated with 3 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

Extremely fine and rare, manual winding, steel, three sub dials chronograph, wristwatch.

Lot specifications (Antiquorum)

Model: Speedmaster professional; Reference: 145.012-67; Movement No.: 26071784; Bracelet: Original Omega bracelet ref.1039, length circa 165 mm; Caliber: 321; Dimensions: 42 mm; Signature: Case, dial movement signed; Accessories: Extract from the Archives confirming the presence of the orange hand

Inscriptions & marks

Case, dial movement signed

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.

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