
Penelope Andrews
Head of Department
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Sold for £51,200 inc. premium
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Head of Department

Head of sale, Knightsbridge

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Global Head

Senior Specialist
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Despite being known as the Moon Watch today, the Speedmaster was initially Omega's take on a chronograph wristwatch to be worn and used by racing drivers, originally released in 1957.
The current lot features a 'Racing Dial', recognisable by the 'alternating' minute track to the outside. Unlike most minute tracks, this iteration is split into intervals that protrude in and out from the dial edge. They take this particular form in order to make them as visible and easily-readable at a glance as possible, handy for the driver or navigator using it for its intended purpose.
The 145.012 Red Racing Dial Speedmaster is one of the rarest Omega watches ever produced. So rare are they that at one point they were assumed to be prototypes that mistakenly left the factory. There are two types, one with 'Professional' to the dial and one without, referred to as 'Pre-Professional.' This example is a Professional and recent estimates put the total production numbers for this iteration at just 5-10. Alongside the white alternating minute track, it is the red hour markers, teamed with red hands, which marks out these incredibly rare watches.
This example comes from the son of the original owner. As he recounts it, his father was prompted by his employer to visit a jeweller of his choice to select a watch thanking him for 50 years of service. On attending a small family-run jeweller in Hamilton, a town in the west of Scotland, he chose the Speedmaster, unaware of its rarity, as was the jeweller presumably. He wore the watch frequently, eventually leaving it to the vendor who kept it in a drawer for approximately forty years until early 2024.
Complete with box and International Guarantee, this lot presents a wonderful opportunity to own an incredibly rare and very significant piece of Omega history.