Omega Speedmaster 145.022 (The Quiz) on an auction!

ibis888

I'm no expert but I like this game so here goes:

It seems to have the C3 "tall & open S" dial vs. the older C2 "medium S" dial and it definitely has the C5 "short Q" caseback vs. the earlier C4 "horizontal tail" caseback. It also seems to have the B2 bezel.

With all of these clues put together, it would seem reasonable that you have a 145.0022 from the 80s and not a -78. According to MWO, the -78s have a C4 caseback with the horizontal tail on the Q which this watch definitely doesn't have.

The spear ended chrono hand is kind of interesting to me.... is that some sort of service replacement back when they were still using tritium? Is it possible that late 70s/early 80s watches came with these from the factory?

The case looks really nice, the entire package looks really good, to me at least... I would probably want a pretty decent discount on fair market prices if I couldn't see the movement before purchase though.

Aludic

Okay, I'll play too.

Well, a lot has been said about this piece (I'll call it a quiz watch for now) already and either way, it is a nice one and it appears to be a late 70s piece, either -76 or -78. That would match up with the early 1171 bracelet (trapezoid logo) as well as with the C4 case back. Sorry @ibis888, I am afraid I disagree... It's hard to judge in the poor pictures, but the high middle peaks in the W's are easily spotted.

Apart from the nice dial, the case is what stands out to me and could be a giveaway regarding the reference. Given how sharp the case is and the fact that there are some points of wear, I am going to assume our quiz watch isn't polished and if it has been, it has been done very lightly. When one compares the 'feet' of the lugs (where the case lugs on the wrist) of the quiz watch case with the 145.022-78 shown above, it stands out that the surface area of the feet of the lugs is bigger (wider) on a 145.022-78. I can confirm one of my own 145.022-78's has the same, the case of a -78 seems a bit more beefy. So, I am inclined to believe this isn't a -78 but a -76. Note that it is pretty difficult to identify a 70s / 80s Speedy by its case profile with such poor side pictures. 😉

The colour of the lume is another reason I'm leaning towards a -76 rather than a -78... Many -78s, including the one shown above, feature a rather characteristic mint greenish lume. The quiz watch is more appealing to me.

Either way, cool 70s Speedy, @hansaboy! And it will need a correct chronograph seconds hand. 😉

rexquando65

I vote for the spear Chrono hand. My faithful friend says hello.

ibis888

This is great info. I was going off of the "short Q" vs. the "horizontal tail Q" as discussed in MWO. I didn't know about the Ws and Ds. It does seem like the caseback is the primary way to tell the difference between some of the -76, -78s?

Oh and PS:

DIBS. Beautiful watch.

ibis888

This is great info. I was going off of the "short Q" vs. the "horizontal tail Q" as discussed in MWO. I didn't know about the Ws and Ds. It does seem like the caseback is the primary way to tell the difference between some of the -76, -78s?

Oh and PS:

DIBS. Beautiful watch.