My 7 year old son has been fortunate enough to have been passed on an Omega Speedmaster Professional from a lady in the USA. (We live in the UK) and I have been trying to try and find out a bit more about it including the date of it. I have a few watches so had the tools needed take the back off without marking it. The cover has inside in ST 145022 whilst on the bracelet it has the number 633. I can't see any serial number though as under the cover is a large anti-magnetic shield and I don't know how that comes off so didn't attempt to remove it. The watch is in wonderful condition and works amazingly well.

As for the story behind it, the watch belonged to an former NASA test pilot called John Winfield, his initials JW are also etched onto the clasp of the watch. The lady who passed them on to my son said that her late husband was a dentist in California for 37 years and J. Winfield was one of his patients. At some point in the 1980s Mr Winfield passed over his watch (the Omega), his flight suit and his leather flight jacket as a gift to his dentist. These items have then sat in a safe for many many years as no one in the family wanted to wear the watch.

By chance I started emailing this lady about something else completely different and mentioned that my son liked watches and then she asked if she could send him a watch. I said that was very kind although had no idea what it would be or that it would also come with a flight suit and flight jacket - both of these are also in great condition. The lady said she sent them as well as she believed that the 3 items should stay together,

I have been trying to trace the history of Mr Winfield and have contacted NASA and a couple of other organisations, the American Airforce though cant give out details unless you are family. I contacted them as I am told in addition to being a test pilot for NASA, Mr Winfield was also a pilot during the war and was in the US Airforce.

I would like to try and find out more about the watch so when my son is older he knows more about its history.

These are some of the photos, including the flight gear that accompanied the watch if it is of interest. I hope that someone may be able to advise more about the watch.











Flying Jacket that came with the watch:


You can tell on the jacket that it was once covered in dozens of badges as there are little holes where they have all been unpicked. Just this one badge was left on it: I looked it up and it relates to Tom Cats.



This is the flight suit that came with the watch which also has a label in it saying U.S.Property

 

Cool story! The dust cover just slips off. Sometimes gravity is enough to do it. Show a photo of the movement and serial number and it will be easy to determine the approximate date of the watch.

By the way, it looks like the watch may have been serviced in 1994 (hands maybe replaced at that time?), so the timing of the story (i.e. sitting in a safe since the 1980s) may not be exactly right, but this is extremely common with oral histories like this. However, there's no question the watch was well-maintained and treated with great care.

 

Watch reads to me as early 80’s to me, normal production piece, I’d guess personally purchased not a NASA purchased piece. Unless it was serviced and received a new caseback it’s no earlier then 1980.

Insignia reads he was a naval pilot first, flying F-4 Phantoms if the history checks out, they got them early in 1961 and moved to the F-14 Tom Cat in 81.

The patch predates F-14 operations as is was the custom Squadrons that got the Tom Cat included it into the new insignia, as you can see in a google search.

What city was the dentist in? I might be able to give you more clues.

 

Your son is absolutely in the running for best watch owned by a 7 year old.

The tritium Speedys are great value and this one has a very cool history. It’s iconic and a terrific heirloom regardless of value.

I think the addition of the jackets add value to the watch given their collective history - but not so much as to deter your son from actually wearing it in 10-15 years.

 

Yup looks like a standard early- mid 80's model. The dust cover will come off with a razor blade or sharp knife.

 

seriously... who likes their dentist that much?

 

Thanks for all the replies, and I found the cover did come straight off. The watch almost looks brand new inside although the serial number is so tiny.

 

looks like an 84 or 85 production watch, from the serial number

 

Thanks that is most interesting, I will ask where the Dentist was,

 

Thanks. which bit dates it?

 

I just went through all the emails from the lady who sent the watch and the dentist was in Van Nuys Blvd in San Fernando Valley.

Also my huge apologies, I have made a mistake above, whilst looking for where the dentist was I noted the watch has been in the safe since the 1990s, not the 1980s. My apologies, I guess that now fits in with the date of the watch,

 

Approximate serial number table: http://chronomaddox.com/romans.html

 

Serial number I cannot quite make it out the exact 3rd number... but research done by one of our forum members can date a watch to about 1.5 months accuracy. yYu can plug in the serial number on the movement (46,?76,399) I can't read the 3rd number. The website is ilovemyspeedmaster.com

This checks out with what is observed about the watch. This model the 145.022 was produced from 1969 until today. There are minor changes made and well documented in the fonts used, some minor changes to the movements, and markings on the case.

This watch was used and certified for flight on the Space Shuttle, and before that before that the Apollo Soyuz missions, and is still certified as the only watch allowed for EVA use. Today it is still worn by many astronauts during the launch and landing of rockets, and Russians during spacewalks (NASA no longer uses watches on spacewalks.) One of these watches went around the moon, but the moon worn watches that look identical are a little older and used a slightly different movement.

 

I forgot that ilovemyspeedmaster.com went as late as this.

 

Looking at the watch with a magnifying glass it looks like the third number could be 8. I tried the website you mentioned which makes it Feb 1985 which fits in nicely with everything else on this page. Thank you so much for all the answers. My son is keen to wear it when he is older (probably about another 9 - 10 years) so we will have it serviced then for him. (The flight gear we have packed into air tight boxes)

 

Awesome! Please don’t have Omega service it as they will update to modern parts and hurt the value. Come here and we can assist you with a service recommendation.

 

NASA pilot in the SFV... closest would have been Edwards AFB. It was the landing spot for the Shuttle for much of its history. The Airforce and NASA still both run programs out of it.

At the time the NASA center was called Dryden Flight Research Center. It’s now called the Armstrong flight test center. Nothing insanely notable from 75-85. It was after the lifting bodies that proceeded the shuttle. Mostly they test wing design there. Odds are he was a chase plane pilot, they used F4’s and T38’s then.

 

Ah OK, thanks, it won't get serviced for a few years yet although I will definitely seek further advice when the time comes.

Funny you should mention that as in one of the emails from the lady who sent us the watch she wrote, "Where we lived in Southern California, we were in the flight path of the Space Shuttle when it would land at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert. We would hear the sonic boom as it re-entered the atmosphere and knew to run into the house and watch it land on TV".

 

In fact Your Doctor & Dentist are important people for one's flight career... Healthy teeth (not too much fillings) are important for jet pilots

 

I know several physicians who have accepted artwork from patients in lieu of payment.

One New York doctor has built a significant art collection. He had a patient who was an art dealer, and they had a conversation and came to an understanding. The dealer then told several artists about the doctor, and since many of them did not have insurance, they would pay with their paintings...

Not hard to imagine that some dentists (and their patients) may find themselves coming to a similar understanding...