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Moon Schmoon, Tell me about the Speedmaster's Driving/Racing Heritage

Emeister
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Vercingetorix Vercingetorix
Or maybe the picture of Walter in blue is when he wearing the Albatross?
Guessing so now.
I didn't pay enough attention to the years and cars he was driving and meant to mention it was a long shot with the bracelet.
He's certainly had his share of watches and plenty of evidence of being happy wearing them on either wrist.

I'll be looking for footage of the Pikes Peak run tonight.
 
Emeister
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Found another picture of Walter R枚hrl with his Omega Speedmaster MkIII.
Trophy time at the Acropolis Rally 1975
Europameister.jpg


Anyone else think co-driver Jochen Berger might be wearing a Speedmaster 125 ?
 
Jones in LA
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Thanks for the info. on Walter R枚hrl, @Emeister ! I had never heard of him before and now I'm glad I know a little bit about him.

Here's a shot of R枚hrl blasting up Pike's Peak (in Colorado). There's nothing watch-related in the photo, I just thought it was cool looking, and I've run to the top of Pike's Peak (in the Pike's Peak Marathon), and we own a Quattro-equipped Audi 馃榾

Audi_S1_Pikes_Peak.jpg

image credit: SA 3.0/Wikipedia Commons
 
Vercingetorix
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Emeister Emeister
Found another picture of Walter R枚hrl with his Omega Speedmaster MkIII.
Trophy time at the Acropolis Rally 1975
Europameister.jpg


Anyone else think co-driver Jochen Berger might be wearing a Speedmaster 125 ?
In true Nasa fashion I think Walter R枚hrl winning the Acropolis Rally was faked. Notice how the shadows don't line up.... Just kidding
 
Emeister
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Emeister Emeister
Anyone else think co-driver Jochen Berger might be wearing a Speedmaster 125 ?

Think I've been able to answer my own question. 馃榿
Jochen berger.jpg Jochen_Berger.jpg

and looks like he wore it for the rest of his life. 馃槑 (RIP - deceased 26/07/2010) 馃檨
https://www.autokaleidoskop.cz/Historie/Jochen-Berger-odesel-do-zavodnickeho-nebe/

So two different model Speedmasters with motor racing pedigree in the Acropolis photo above. And neither a Moonwatch. 馃槈

How Bad Ass were these men 馃槑
Bad ass.jpg
Edited:
 
Emeister
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Jones in LA Jones in LA
I've run to the top of Pike's Peak (in the Pike's Peak Marathon)

Now that's impressive. 馃憤
Only learned of the hill climb this year. Would love to get over there at some stage.

Great video @oddboy
Those spectators 馃槻
 
B
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Vercingetorix Vercingetorix
In true Nasa fashion I think Walter R枚hrl winning the Acropolis Rally was faked. Notice how the shadows don't line up.... Just kidding

Thanks Emister !!!

..thats my whatch...(First picture)..i remember the black leather bracelet.
 
rcs914
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blufinz52 blufinz52
I seem to remember reading that the Speedmaster was initially billed as a watch for auto racing, but not for the driver. As seen in the photo above the watch was worn by the passenger in some type of rally race, in which each car has to get to a destination in a specific amount of time, not necessarily the fastest.

Here's a bigger version of the ad from above:

Ad1958_p373_premiere_annonce_pub_speedmaster.jpg

And another post NASA that still mentions rallying:

il_570xN.697847792_o0bd.jpg

I'm curious which Omega model was $15,000 in 1968!
 
Foo2rama
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rcs914 rcs914
Here's a bigger version of the ad from above:

Ad1958_p373_premiere_annonce_pub_speedmaster.jpg

And another post NASA that still mentions rallying:

il_570xN.697847792_o0bd.jpg

I'm curious which Omega model was $15,000 in 1968!
Quartz Marine Chronometer?
 
skipper
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Not a lot of straight lugs here so... my father was given his 105.003 in 1965, and used it for all sorts of timing duties at the track, no doubt the most important of which was to remind him when to eat his sandwiches. I am now the custodian of this watch, and often use it to time laps during one of my regular jaunts to the Goodwood Revival meeting. I could do the same thing with my iphone but it wouldn't be quite the same... Anyway, here's Dad wearing the 105.003 (just visible below the cuff of his rather natty, pre nomex race suit) in Aug' 1967. It was his daily wearer back then and accompanied him to all race meetings and on stage rallies too.

And just for you fellow vintage car nerds, a little history of the car. It's a Series 2 Lotus Seven, running a full race 995cc BMC Formula Junior engine. The '67 season was his most successful, he was second in the up to 1150cc class of the Guards Sports Racing Car Championship and also held the up to 1300cc Sports Racing Car Class record at Firle Hill Climb. He sold it on 19/12/1967 for 拢510....

PICT6067 (Large).JPG
 
Foo2rama
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That's a sexy 7! Ever tried to track it down? I know being a race lotus the odds are poor it survived.
 
skipper
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No I haven't, but funnily enough I was reading through the April 2003 edition of Low Flying (the L7C magazine) one morning, when I came across an article about my father's first Lotus 7, a Series 1. At some point it had found its way to Switzerland and had been fitted with flared wings and a Ford 1340cc engine. Steve Garrett subsequently bought it at a Coys auction and restored it back to original condition, and I was fortunate enough to be able to see the finished article in the flesh at the 2008 Le Mans Classic meeting, see below. Would love to know about the Series 2, but the odds aren't good, as you say...

30th July 2008 054 (Large).jpg 30th July 2008 052 (Large).jpg
 
Emeister
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馃憤 Willy Mairesse.
Worth borrowing this pic from Fratello
speedytuesday_willy_mairesse01.jpg


And a couple more quickly found on google.
Willy1.jpg WillyMairesse2.jpg WillyMairesse1963.jpg
 
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