1970 Omega Speedmaster Mark II Tropical Brown Dial 145.014

It was 1969, and we had just had one of man's finest achievements: stepping on the moon. Omega felt they needed to design a watch that encapsulated the future, showcasing their commitment to a modernist innovative design; step forward to our 1970 Omega Speedmaster Professional Mark II 145.014 with a 41.5mm tonneau-shaped case, its lines between polished and brushed transition seamlessly, the sides have polished chamfered edges with a brushed centre and radially brushed top surface, making the case a much more dynamic case than you normally find on a Speedmaster. A lug-to-lug length of 45mm and a case thickness of 14mm give the watch an impressive wrist presence. Down the right side, we have pushers and a signed crown that are flusher with the case than on other models. The flowing lines continue as the case encircles the flat crystal without a bezel above the attractive matte Tropical brown dial. The stunning Tropical dial is created by a reaction of the dial to long-term exposure to the sun's UV rays, which is an organic patina, making each watch dial unique and, therefore, collectable. A raised outer Tachymetre chapter ring sits above the white second's track with baton indexes marking the hours coated in Tritium, at 3 o’clock a 30-minute register, at 6 o’clock 12-hour register and finally, a running 60 seconds register at 9 o’clock, each register is slightly recessed creating depth and interest to the dial. Slim white baton hands with Tritium infill complete with a tapered chronograph seconds hand. On the reverse, we have a screw-down case back with an engraved Hippocampus in its centre, a seahorse that represents Neptune, the God of the sea; it was conceived by Pierre Borie after seeing a picture of Neptune riding a chariot pulled by seahorses; it is the reason why the seahorses are wearing a bridle. Inside a manually wound Omega Cal. 861, 17 jewels were based on the Lemania 1873, and it was the direct Calibre replacement to the 361 Omega used on the moon. The watch comes paired with its 20mm aftermarket leather strap and pin buckle.

This watch is sold as "Watch Only" and, therefore, comes with no original Omega box or original Omega paperwork. The watch comes paired with its 20mm aftermarket leather strap and pin buckle. The watch is from Circa. 1970 and is in worn condition with some marks; as you would expect, the watch is all original, and the dial and handset are in fantastic vintage condition with an even tropical brown patina, as you can see from the photographs, this brown is more visible in certain lights than others and is quite subtle. The watch comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.

The Omega Speedmaster Mark II, reference 145.014, has to be one of my favourite early Speedmaster references as it provides all the essence we know and love of the Speedmaster, but throws in a heavy serving of 1970s design flare and futuristic imagination to top it off. This specific reference has developed a lovely warm tropical brown tone which is incredibly evident in certain lights and far more subtle in others, this is the type of "tropicalisation" I like personally as it isn't too loud or attention-drawing. Do not hesitate to book an appointment to see this wonderful example on your wrist today!

Reference : 145.014
Movement : Manually Wound Omega Cal. 861
Age : Circa. 1970
Year : 1970
Case Size : 40mm
Case Thickness : 14.5mm
Lug to Lug : 45.5mm
Lugs : 20mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box and Papers : None
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
The wrist model's wrist size is 7inch

Formerly known as the La Generale Watch Co. in 1848, it was founded by Louis Brandt in La Chaux-de-Fonds. When he died in 1879, his sons carried on his dream. In 1880, they moved to 96 Rue Jakob-Stampfli, where they remain today. The brothers produced their first mass-produced calibre, the Labrador In 1885. Just a few years later, in 1892, they produced the first minute-repeater. In 1903, they renamed the company Omega until 1982, when they officially changed their name to Omega SA. During WW1, Omega watches were used as official timekeepers for the Royal Flying Corps and the US Army. In 1930, Omega and Tissot merged together to form Société Suisse pour l'Industrie Horlogère (SSIH). In 1931, another group was formed - Allgemeine Schweizerische Uhrenindustrie AG (ASUAG). Where SSIH was primarily French-speaking, ASUAG was founded by the more German-speaking members of the Swiss watch industry. In 1948, they introduced the first edition of one of its most symbolic watches: the Seamaster. Omega first introduced the Constellation in 1952. At the time, it was Omega's flagship timepiece. The first models had a Cal. 354 bumper movement in them. Later, in 1955, Omega introduced the Automatic Cal. 50x, followed in 1959 by the Cal.55x (no date) and 56x (date) versions. Many of the Constellations came with pie-pan dials, diamond indexes, and fancy lug configurations. All the gold Constellations of that time have the Observatory of Geneva's hand engraved on the back. The stainless steel and stainless steel/gold versions had a gold medallion on the back with the Observatory of Geneva. The eight stars above the Observatory stand for the many exploits of Omega in the world Chronometer competition. Celebrating the fact that all Constellations are Chronometer Certified. In 1962, when astronaut Wally Schirra wore a Speedmaster on his Mercury Sigma 7 Mission, making it the first Omega watch to enter space. After rigorous tests, NASA used Omega for all their Apollo missions, including the 1969 Moon landing of Apollo 11. Today Omega is still an astronaut's first choice. In 1969, President Nixon famously said it was “too valuable” and turned down the first-ever all-gold Speedmaster Professional Deluxe. As a response to the ever-growing threat of electronic watches to the manufacturers of mechanical watches, Omega and many Swiss brands such as Rolex and Patek Philippe formed Centre Electronique Horologer (CEH). Prototypes began to appear in 1967, and their production started in 1968. Then, In 1972, Omega introduced the reference 198.030, which included the Omega calibre 1250, a ‘tuning-fork electronic movement which was made under licence from Bulova. Later we saw a merger of SSIH and ASUAG into SMH, or Société de Microélectronique et d’Horlogerie. This merger took place in 1983. In 1992, the company acquired Blancpain, and in 1998, it officially branded itself from SMH to the Swatch Group. Then, in 1999, they purchased and integrated Breguet into the Swatch Group.