Hi Everyone,

I recently passed on a 145.022 on ebay because I thought the font on the caseback looked a bit off. I'd love to hear some thoughts on whether this one is genuine, or whether there may have been different makers or dies of this particular caseback at the time it was produced.

Here's the listing for the watch in question:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Omega-Speedmaster-Original-MoonWatch-Apollo-XI-Ref-145-022-ST-69-039-Rare-Vintage-/123306472085?epid=11022498091&hash=item1cb5a37295:g:vXIAAOSwSP9bb8h9&nma=true&si=jv%2FnSWRNuDa5lCW9Owu6JRT%2BDco%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

And here is the only photo of the caseback from the listing:

A few things stood out to me about the above caseback. The font looks thicker, plainer and less stylized than some of the others I've seen. It also seems that the letter "A" reaches a sharp peak at the tops, as opposed to the flat tops of the "A" in other straight writing casebacks.


Below is a caseback from a watch on offer by the Davidoff Brothers, which I trust to be a legitimate, proper example. Note the thinner, more 60's style font, and the flat tops of the letter "A". Also note the difference in the "M" in the two. In the top photo, the middle part of the "M" extends all the way to the baseline. In the photo below, the middle part of the "M" does not. This seems to be the norm for these casebacks, so it made me question the one in the auction.


Thanks in advance for your opinions, wisdom, insight and general watch nerdiness.
-GW

 

Hi GW

Link to some info on speedmaster101 - http://speedmaster101.com/145-022-straight-writing/

Also some pictures of a "Straight Writing" service replacement case back - 145.0022

 

https://omegaforums.net/threads/145-022-69-apollo-xi.37910/

 

Back in 2015, when we had our Speedy exhibition, we noted that there were 2 diff ‘Apollo XI’ casebacks. Also, some casebacks observed have been polished & black paint refilled, which makes the lettering look a bit fatter in my opinion.
The one from EBay did (not sure if stilll there) have what appears to be a polished back. Always a pain to see on photos.

 

So it seems like the one in the auction listing was legit after all.
Solid info. Thanks everyone. I appreciate you all weighing in.

-GW

 

Mine, for reference...

 

Wow, what a beauty.
Thanks for sharing.

-GW