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Vintage Omega Speedmaster Mark II Professional, c. 1973 — view 1 of 4
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Vintage Omega Speedmaster Mark II Professional, c. 1973

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.
Maker / attribution
Omega (maker)
Date
c. 1973
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Materials / technique
stainless steel
Lot
Item 65175342
Credit line
Auction lot record: lot 17, Fine Vintage Watches & Timepieces, MBA Seattle Auction House (2018), via LiveAuctioneers
Catalogue title (original)
Vintage Omega Speedmaster Mark II Professional (English)

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

Record summary

Catalogued by LiveAuctioneers auction archive (lot Item 65175342), this is a wristwatch by Omega, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1973. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) 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

Lot description — MBA Seattle Auction House

Vintage Omega Speedmaster Mark II Professional Chronograph Wrist Watch Ref. 145.014. Manual 17 jewel movement, caliber 861. Serial number 32841704, circa 1973. Stainless steel case with replaced leather band. 41mm case with gray racing dial and red/orange calibrations. Non running condition with scattered surface wear. Est. $750-1,500

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

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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