Important Collectors Wristwatches, P...
Geneva, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Du Rhône, Oct 15, 2006
LOT 36
Omega, "Speedmaster" Collection, Ref. 3599.97, No III/V HC. Made in 1998. Extremely rare and impressive attaché case containing 23 Speedmaster watches.
CHF 80,000 - 100,000
EUR 50,000 - 63,000 / USD 65,000 - 80,000
Sold: CHF 164,000
C. Three-body, polished and brushed, screw-down case back, tachometer graduation on the black bezel, to 500 units per hour, sapphire crystal. D. Black, with luminous indexes, subsidiary dials for the seconds, the 30-minute and the 12-hour registers, each watch bearing the logo of a space mission. Luminous ?bâton? hands. M. Cal. 1861, rhodium-plated, 18 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, monometallic balance, shock absorber, self-compensating flat balance spring. Dial, case and movement signed.
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: |
|
Case: 1 |
As new |
Movement: 1 |
As new |
Dial: 1-01 |
As new HANDS Original |
Notes
In tribute to the 40th anniversary of the legendary 'Speedmaster Professional' in 1997 and the 150th anniversary of
Omega, an exceptional collection of 23 Speedmaster watches was assembled, presented in an attaché case covered in
genuine spacesuit material.
A special series of 22 Speedmaster watches, each with a different official NASA logo on its dial at 9 o'clock, symbolizes
the most important space missions, from Gemini V in August 1965 to Skylab SL-4 in November 1973. The collection
also includes a replica of the original 1957 Speedmaster with matte black dial, satin-finished steel bezel with
tachometric scale, applied OMEGA logo, luminous hands, and arrow-tipped hour hand.
The spacesuit material covering the attaché case will take on a patina with time. The Omega Speedmaster attaché case
was produced in a numbered limited series of 50: 40 examples for commercial sale, plus 5 'Out-of-business', including
this one, and 5 'Artist's proof' examples.
The Omega ?Speedmaster?,
was launched in 1957 with a case designed by Claude Baillod and the Cal.321 chronograph movement. In 1958 the sales of what was to be the most well known chronograph began with a huge demand. 1960 saw the engraved steel bezel replaced with one with a black insert, the hands were changed from the iconic ?Broad Arrow? shape to "dauphine" and the case diameter grew from 39 to 40 mm. In 1965 work began to design a new movement and in August 1968 began the assembly of the first Cal.861 movements. The first time a ?Speedmaster? ventured into space was on the wrist of Wally Schirra aboard Mercury VIII. This flight took place on the 3rd of October 1962 and was the instigator of NASA?s decision to issue all future astronauts a ?highly accurate, legible, resistant and reliable wrist chronograph?. To this end NASA sent an incognito purchaser to Corrigan?s, a large watch retailer in Houston to buy watches from a dozen different Manufacturers. At this stage the brands were not aware that the tests were taking place to ensure that the watches used were there standard production. After the tests, which included being boiled then frozen, subjected to pure oxygen environments then 0 oxygen, as well as shocks of 40G in six positions, the only watch to survive was the Omega. The only proposed changes to the watch were the addition of luminous markers to the subsidiary dials and a rotating bezel, however nether change was made due to time constraints. Interestingly Omega was unaware that NASA had chosen their watches until one was spotted on the wrist of Edward White during his June 1965 Gemini IV space walk. This mission also made the ?Speedmaster? the first watch to be worn outside a spacecraft. At was in early 1966 that, after close scrutiny of photographs from that mission, Omega made some inquiries and found that the ?Speedmaster? was ?flightqualified for all manned space missions?, the name was then changed to ?Speedmaster Professional?. At the same time Omega also added a crown and pusher guard to the side of the case, this was the last major ecstatic change to the ?Speedmaster Professional?. In the ?Speedmaster?s? nearly 50 years of production there have been approximately 250 different references encompassing a multitude of limited editions; marking its famous moments on Earth as well as in space, case shapes, calibres and additional complications thus making the ?Speedmaster? one of the most desirable and collectable of Omega?s ?Master? series of professional grade watches. In 1997, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the legendary 'Speedmaster Professional', a first series of forty sets with case back engraved ?Replica? were made. In 1998, a second series of five sets, named ?E.A? collection for ?Epreuves d?Artistes?, was made with identical models and case back engraved from 1/5 to 5/5 in Arabic numerals. At the same period, a third series of five sets, including this lot, named the ?H.C? collection (for ?Hors Commerce?) was made with identical models and case back engraved from 1/5 to 5/5 in Roman numerals.
The Omega ?Speedmaster?,
was launched in 1957 with a case designed by Claude Baillod and the Cal.321 chronograph movement. In 1958 the sales of what was to be the most well known chronograph began with a huge demand. 1960 saw the engraved steel bezel replaced with one with a black insert, the hands were changed from the iconic ?Broad Arrow? shape to "dauphine" and the case diameter grew from 39 to 40 mm. In 1965 work began to design a new movement and in August 1968 began the assembly of the first Cal.861 movements. The first time a ?Speedmaster? ventured into space was on the wrist of Wally Schirra aboard Mercury VIII. This flight took place on the 3rd of October 1962 and was the instigator of NASA?s decision to issue all future astronauts a ?highly accurate, legible, resistant and reliable wrist chronograph?. To this end NASA sent an incognito purchaser to Corrigan?s, a large watch retailer in Houston to buy watches from a dozen different Manufacturers. At this stage the brands were not aware that the tests were taking place to ensure that the watches used were there standard production. After the tests, which included being boiled then frozen, subjected to pure oxygen environments then 0 oxygen, as well as shocks of 40G in six positions, the only watch to survive was the Omega. The only proposed changes to the watch were the addition of luminous markers to the subsidiary dials and a rotating bezel, however nether change was made due to time constraints. Interestingly Omega was unaware that NASA had chosen their watches until one was spotted on the wrist of Edward White during his June 1965 Gemini IV space walk. This mission also made the ?Speedmaster? the first watch to be worn outside a spacecraft. At was in early 1966 that, after close scrutiny of photographs from that mission, Omega made some inquiries and found that the ?Speedmaster? was ?flightqualified for all manned space missions?, the name was then changed to ?Speedmaster Professional?. At the same time Omega also added a crown and pusher guard to the side of the case, this was the last major ecstatic change to the ?Speedmaster Professional?. In the ?Speedmaster?s? nearly 50 years of production there have been approximately 250 different references encompassing a multitude of limited editions; marking its famous moments on Earth as well as in space, case shapes, calibres and additional complications thus making the ?Speedmaster? one of the most desirable and collectable of Omega?s ?Master? series of professional grade watches. In 1997, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the legendary 'Speedmaster Professional', a first series of forty sets with case back engraved ?Replica? were made. In 1998, a second series of five sets, named ?E.A? collection for ?Epreuves d?Artistes?, was made with identical models and case back engraved from 1/5 to 5/5 in Arabic numerals. At the same period, a third series of five sets, including this lot, named the ?H.C? collection (for ?Hors Commerce?) was made with identical models and case back engraved from 1/5 to 5/5 in Roman numerals.