Omega Speedmaster Mark II

The History

Needless to say, the Omega Speedmaster is one of the most storied and well-regarded watches of all time. Its relationship and history with NASA, the moon, and space travel, in general, is something we’re all familiar with. But what about the Speedmasters to follow? The Mark II is the Original Speedy’s more fun, but lesser-known brother. Created in 69’, the Mark II, was supposed to succeed the original speedy as the preferred NASA space watch, the main upgrade being its increased case size and shape. Because the original Speedmaster (rarely referred to as Mark I) was a tried and true watch that already had proven space exploration capabilities, the tests needed for the Mark II would have been far too time-consuming and costly. In a way, Mark II is the greatest watch to never do “It,” the upgraded version of a timeless watch that never got the chance to be the icon its predecessor is.

The Reference

The ref. 145.014 was a short-lived production run launched at the tail end of perhaps the most iconic decade in watch history, 69’-70’. There are a few different dial variations of these Mark  IIs. Some come equipped with a racing dial featuring orange or maroon checkered accents and grey gradients while others fall closer in line with the original Speedmasters black dial and white accents. What we have today is the latter, a classic three-register chronograph with tachymeter bezel and steel bracelet.

The Case

The case is a cushion-shaped with a diameter an eyelash shy of 42mm and thickness of nearly 15mm, creating the sought after dynamic of modern size with a vintage appeal and feel on the wrist. The rugged stainless steel case is in great condition, more than 50 years later, with a few scratches below the dial. Overall it shows strong lines and bevels. The watch is mounted on a Joske (J/M marked, Holzer style) 5-link bracelet which will fit up to a 7 1/2 inch wrist.

The Dial and Hands

The dial and hands of this dial may look familiar. Why? Because it’s the exact dial, hands, and movement that went to the moon, juxtaposed into a different case. The classic golden-like, patina, lume-filled indices and hands atop the black dial are as timeless and as recognizable a watch combination as any. The text at 12:00 reads ”Omega Speedmaster Professional Mark II” changing up the font in each line for some additional funk. At 6:00 you have “T Swiss T” notifying the wearer about the non-harmful amounts of tritium. The crystal is scratched around 1:30, but otherwise, the dial is in original and great condition featuring that original black matte dial, classic registers, and original lume plots.

The movement

One of the most famous movements is housed in the closed caseback, the Omega 861 movement, a lemania-based, movement that reached the moon and enjoyed two decades of miraculous production. The watch is running and keeping good time with all functions of the chronograph currently working. The service history is unknown but a recent timegrapher test is included in the photo gallery.

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