After many moons of absence, I couldn't let this thing collect any more dust on my desktop. Happy to take any corrections or additions in the comments, and hope this thing can float around in the wild to show some light on a great movement and a family of great Omegas.




































There's that!

 

@Andy K - better late than never?

 

Very cool. Actually taking my 176.005 to get fitted with a new crystal tonight. Hope to get it back in a couple weeks. Since it has service hands and dial I am also going to have the case touched up.

 

Great stuff, and really well-presented! I learned quite a bit about the non-Omegas from this. Your explanation of the difference between 1340 and 1341 is the best I've seen.

Question: Do you know the source for the production numbers (80,000 1040 plus 2,000 1041)? I remember seeing an article that had those figures. It was a pdf of an article about Lemania chronograph movements that was linked from some site (Desmond's?), but I cannot seem to find it.

Another thing I love about your write up is the mention of the timing right before the quartz crisis hit. Another article I can no longer find mentioned that the Swiss watch industry peaked in total exports and market share in 1973, and then things started going downhill, rapidly. I love that the 1040 represents the peak era.

 

Certainly worth the wait. This was like an early Christmas present!

The icing on the cake is the fact that you used one of my pics. My 007 and Yachting are famous! Seriously, thanks for this.

 

What a fantastic write up. So much to digest and some great pics!

Thank you for making and sharing this.

 

Yours were great comparison pictures, and I had to thieve one for the 010 vs 007 comparison.

I'll get back to you on the production numbers question. The 2000 number for the 1041 is widely known because the watch was a limited edition anniversary model. As for the 1040, the actual production figure is 82,200, which can be found a few places (including Desmond's blog, I believe, as well as: http://www.lesmala.net/jean-michel/speedmaster/history.htm ) - but I think I can find you a more authoritative reference (i.e., I believe it's listed in A Journey Through Time).

Hopefully more folks add photos and information about any 176.XXX/cal.1040 watches here, as a repository of sorts.

 

From AJTT:

 

cal.1040/1041/1045 info from AJTT:

 

Advertisements reproduced in AJTT:

 

Speedmaster 1040/1041/1045 usage from the chart in AJTT (which may include some info not represented in my chart above):

 

Huge fan as well.

 

Some additional info from the books pictures below (to be viewed as less authoritative than AJTT):

 

Wonderful post! Thank you so much for putting that together. Really enjoyable read and very educational for this recent, but enthusiastic, vintage Omega collector.

Finished reading it about an hour ago and in the past 10 minutes I purchased this one:
(as discussed on this thread https://omegaforums.net/threads/176-007-question-re-silver-dial-version.29844/page-2 )







I'd been planning to bid for it anyway, but the excellent OP certainly made me all the more determined
I'm aware the hands are wrong, but plan on getting them replaced at some point in the near future...

Absolutely delighted to join the "007" club!

 

Well that's embarrassing. I own AJTT and somehow never looked in that section.Thanks!

 

I like that idea! I currently have three 1040s and one 1041:

My first was the 007. Mine has unusual order of the dial text, "Omega Seamaster Automatic", where most (nearly all) steel 007s are "Omega Automatic Seamaster." You mentioned that most 001s are silver dialed. I agree, but I've also observed that all of the blue-dialed 001s have the "Omega Seamaster Automatic" text. So I've started to wonder if my dial is original to the 007 case or was swapped at some time.



Next is my Yachting:



Then my Big Blue:


And finally my 125:

 

^^^^^^^
Wow! Incredible selection, Andy!
If I could choose any models from the archives, those would be right at the top of the list!