Are there any other Flighty owners here that’ve had their watch since new? Just wondering if there are any other original owner pieces out there
Cool, when did you buy that? I bought mine in 1977, I was 16yrs old. I paid Aus $385 probably @ 5 x my weekly take home pay back then.
Hello Dear All, It was my 145.013, bought In January 2018 at Annecy to a professional seller, I have sold last year to a colleague (ex-Omega watchmaker), I have send it to Omega at Bienna in 2019 (no polishing, the case was too used for them). Delivered in December 1970 to San José, Costa Rica, my favorite Omega chronograph with the Speedmaster 125…
Thanks Chaneltime, it looks like the language barrier might’ve got in the way, what I was trying to find out was, is there anybody else here who purchased a Flightmaster back in the 1970s when it was brand new. That is brand new, never worn, with no previous owners, from the agent / dealer.
I’ve understood you. The problem is the Flightmaster was a expensive watch at the time (about 1250 French Frs, 25% more than a 145.022). According to the book of Marquié and Rossier, launched in 2018 or 2019, Flightmaster Only, the total production for the Flightmaster is about 37500 ex. (14800 ex. included for the 145.013). The model is out of production since 1977 ou 1978, since about 45 years ago…You are lucky, and probably the youngest owner of this model…
Ok got you now, yeah I don’t think there would’ve been many teenage buyers of Flightmasters back in the day. In fact it was only by chance that I saw it in a suburban jeweller shop window, even more luck than management was involved when the jeweller in question was in an industrial working class area, not known as a destination for high end luxury goods and it was an area I didn’t often frequent. Up until I saw it I had no idea Flightmasters existed, even though I already had a Speedmaster.
I will post pictures of the watch before the restoration, I have collected old parts with the watch (dial, hands and caseback included).
I purchased this watch 10 yrs ago locally from the original owner who used to work for Omega back in the day. As mentioned, these weren’t exactly flying off the shelf, he purchased it as a final close out from the factory.
I, like a few others have bought mine from the children or grandchildren of original owners (often in dire need of a service) - it seems like the original owners loved these watches (often to near destruction) but their kids and grandkids (in my experience) not so much.
For my Speedmaster 125 first batch production (June 1973, again a special watch, produced at least 17700 ex), I’ve bought it from the son of the original owner, deceased shortly before. It was a watch collector, I ask him if he was really ok to sell his father’s watch. Personally, I not hot to inherit of the J12 Chromatic H2979 of my father (even as watchmaker) because it reminds me of him..
Yeah, no one should be in a hurry to inherit, but when it does happen it’s nice to have something to remember them by. I have my father’s old Seiko Sports 100 digital, I repaired it but left it in all it’s battle scared glory, it’s not my sort of watch but I always wear it on dad’s birthday
Two days ago I bought my first flightmaster. I got it from a friend, I'm over the moon! Ref. 145 026 from 1971.
Follow-up of my " Time Peace - How Omega got behind the Iron Curtain " article (September 1971 IAF Lucerne in Swiss Press). 50 years ago... May 1973, before heading to the Paris Air show, which had a full-size Apollo-Soyuz docked hardware mockup on display, the first Soviet-Russian cosmonaut delegation visited Omega HQ in Bienne Switzerland. June 1973, the Omega flightmaster pilot watch sat on the wrists of the Soyuz 19 prime crew training for ASTP - Apollo Soyuz Test Project in the Soyuz simulator of Star City ! More soon during our MoonwatchUniverse GTG/talks/lectures ! . . Spacefarers's wrist watches slideshow .
Just got my copy of Flightmaster only, I am late to the Flightmaster party but this book is a great lead into it. Really loving the watch as well, .
flightmaster Only THE reference work for the Omega flightmaster, extremely detailed... but a bit vague on how exactly Omega got behind the Iron Curtain We now know it all really started with the September 1971 IAF conference in Lucerne leading up to a visit at Bienne HQ in May 1973, prior to the Paris Air Show.