Indeed considered a "Grail" Speedmaster... In 1978 NASA conducted a new series of watch tests for the upcoming STS-program (Space Transportation System = Space Shuttle). Omega offered three different chronographs and the watch in Your photos is the so called " Alaska III " project, where a radial dial was chosen. The Speedmaster won again and NASA got 40 of these radial dial Speedmaster chronographs, which were used during STS-program. In fact, USAF test-pilot and former X-15 pilot Joe Engle was the first to wear one onboard Columbia STS-2 in November 1981. The radial speedmaster was also worn on STS-8, STS-61-C, ...
thanks tirantlizardrex, we are talking about the upper Speedmaster in the photo, as far as I know no "Automatic" Speedmasters were ever flown. The radial dials were added on 145.022 models but it's not clear if those were exactly 145.022-76 or earlier models? Moreover the number of 40 watches delivered to NASA in 1978, might include regular Speedmaster chronographs
That radial dial 145.022 is super cool - as a child of the 80s growing up with the Shuttle programme as the thing that NASA did, a radial dial shuttle flown watch... woof.
Yes exactly @oddboy, I was referring to the radial auto on the left, which although not exactly a 'holy grail' ref 376.0822 is pretty close. Anyone seen one of these before?
Yes, yesterday at the Omega Museum, but it was in a prototype case. That dial was never originally installed in a 376.0822.
A prototype with that dial sold for $36k USD in December 2015. Of course an extract saying it was delivered to NASA as part of the Alaska III project helps. http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/...5155&sid=6ce7d246-c458-4d21-a080-f9a5151d07ff