So I meet a chap with a lovely 145.022-69 Speedy a few weeks ago. I know it is a -69 from the DON but lack of AML of course (I patted myself on the back in a slightly smug way when I worked this out, all that time on Sp101 and reading MWO has sunk in I thought). He has owned the watch since the early 1970s and will never sell he says. I like the look of it and make a generous offer to buy half expecting he will chuckle shake his head and that will be that.

Fast forward to today and after scrabbling around for a big pile of cash I now own a very nice unmolested late Pre-Moon. Here it is, I am sure you will agree it is a very lovely 145.022-69:



Happy days, I think, I paid a little more than maybe I should have but I like it so all is good. Next I finally ge the back off:




Anyone spot the slight mistake here? I seem to have a surplus column when and my -69 turns out to be a 145.012-68 with what I think is a 26.551,XXX serial. I was under the impression all 321s came with AML dials but the serial is plausible for a 145.012-68 it seems, or is it? This one looks pretty nice and original to me with seemingly untouched slightly patchy creamy lume which matches the hands nicely . Can anyone shed any light on what may have happened here? Could some late -68 models (and this does seem a late one as the .022s start at 26.555m) have left the factory with printed logo dials? Or has it just had a dial swap in the dim and distant past?

Dial close up:

 

Service Dial and Service hands..but apart from that, a 145.012-68 321-cutie!

 

Wrong minute and hour hands.

 

Yes you are right, the chrono hand did occur to me like a slap once I got the back off. The seller did say that it had an Omega service about 20 years ago for a winding issue but would they have dropped in a tritium service dial with step then? Were there even printed logo tritium step service dials I wonder?

 

does it really has a step? I just noticed it has long indices..interesting.

 

Yes I guess I will have to accept that at a previous service the dial and hands were likely changed but at least it was done in period.

Long indices should have been a clue too.

 

20 years ago was 1998...(s__t!)...somehow don't think so...maybe in the early 70's (assuming service dials followed suite of regular dials)...but that is a long-indice-step-dial no AML (as @mr_yossarian says) ... the plot thickens.

DIBS!

 

Its a faint step but it is there, there is definitely a weakness in some of the lume paint at the join, best pic:

 

Although I know both Flat end and Drop end chronograph hands can appear in the 145.012...
I'm always amazed to see earlier Drop end chrono hand in later 145.012-68 , and later Flat end chrono hand in earlier 145.012-67

 

its a stunner padders nice score

 

Having just done a cursory search it seems the 145.012-68 is actually pretty rare indeed, there are very few Google hits and it was conjectured it doesn't even exist. Here is a thread from on here about it, clearly it does of course but there ain't many out there. Might be worth getting an extract after all:

https://omegaforums.net/threads/speedmaster-145-012-68-does-it-exist.21591/

 

Did you use wayback machine ? It's rare, it exist and it is well documented, latest since MWO. A good catch!

 

MWO has an additional table for the batches/serials online. Great to check if Serials/References match.

http://www.moonwatchonly.com/omega-...view-of-the-speedmaster-moonwatch-production/

 

Mine says hi



Nice catch. Btw, to me, your hands don’t just look like service hands to me, but wrong. The minute hand is short and the tip of the hour hand is different.

 

Nice score! Rare reference. All you need is an aml dial now!

 

Hour and minute hand Mk2?

 

I actually like that service dial. I'd get correct hands but leave the dial as is. Probably not as valuable as the correct AML but much less common and an interesting quirk.

 

Being a 26.551 it does seem to be in range for a 321 movement -68 alright so it looks like the case, bezel and movement belong together, the dial and hands are a bit more of a mystery though! It would bother me a lot more if it didn't look as good as it does but as suggested above, I may do something about the hands eventually.

 

nice score!! Eventually is fine...enjoy it!!

 

Very nice and very rare reference - well done. Definitely worth getting an extract imo.
Interestingly my -68 has the same dial, but I still suspect it's an early service dial.