Speedmaster 145.012-68.....does it exist?

Would like to bring this up again. How likely is a April 68 delivered/produced ( according to the EOA) 145.012-68 with a serial of 26071xxx in your opinion or from your knowledge? Isn’t that a bit early for the 68 iteration?
I'd guess it's a 68 caseback on a 67 but might be wrong.

That was my first thought, too early for a 68..and it matches my experience with the dealer owning it, always something unclear, undisclosed or wrong described with his Speedies, of course always in favour of a higher sales.price..

It's 26071418, delivered April 10th, 1968...two days after my 145.012-67, # 26070681...

Sorry for bumping an old thread like this but recently I saw a 145.012-68SP which the seller said had the 861 movement. I might be mistaken, but I always thought the 145.012-68 was the last of the 321's, and the 145.022-68 was the first of the 861's?

The seller just posted a picture of the caseback and not the movement and it said 145.012-SP. Could of course be so easy as a replaced caseback though..

Sounds like a misplaced - and quite rare - caseback. The cases for 321 and 861 are substantially similar and casebacks will fit generally (some exceptions may apply. Batteries not included. Some assembly required.)

Ok using my imagination if no photos 😉 Agree could be replaced part. You will need movement photo to really know what’s being offered.

Welcome to OF @steffe

Thank you for sorting it out, much appreciated! And also thanks for the welcomes, will be fun to be part of this forum as well!

145.012.68 which is a rare reference. It was made in Mid to last few months of year 1968 (November/December; The true transition period from 321 to 861). People have mixed and confused so much information from 145.012.67, early 145.012.68 and 145.022.68 in the blogs when they talk about 145.012.68 in general. In mid 1968 the watch case backs were engraved 145.012 (not with 67 or 68 in end), they had 321 movement, stepped dial, metal applied logo, long hour marker, and people started calling them 145.022.68 just for comfort as the year was 1968 (actually some were the late 145.012.67 productions which reached the market in start to mid of the 1968). The True 145.012.68 are the unicorns. Early version had the fully reference engraved case back (145.012.68). It had a 321 movement. It had the stepped dial with long hour markers and the applied logo, But later (November/December 1968 versions / last ones) had the printed logo on a stepped dial and long hour markers (don't confuse it with short hour marker dial of 861 movements which were also made at similar time with reference 145.022.68). Very few people have the last version of 145.012.68 watches with (321 movement, stepped dial, long hour marker, and the "printed" logo) and people confuse them by telling that its a later service dial but it is not, because the later service dials have had shorter hour markers and they were the ones used for 871 movement watches in 1970s as well.

Apologies if this has been addressed previously, but I've noticed that many of these 145.012-67/68s (including my own) have 'washed' dials with no lume.
Any idea why?

Omega should update their own website photos then. They show the 1968s Speedie with printed logo as well as the non-don bezel. It is highly possible that a Don, Stepped dial with long hour marker with printed logo was also made before this version in 1968. There should be an explanation of Stepped dial, Printed Logo and Long Hour markers dial otherwise. Saying it that they were later service dial is a guess work because later service dial have had short hour markers like all 871s from 1970s (none were the stepped dial , long hour markers with printed logo). Anyways its a over 50 years old data and we gather the information and improve our knowledge.

Mine is not completely washed, most of the markers are full of lume, but several are missing 50% of their lume. I have noticed the same. Maybe a factory defect on the late 321 dials?