OMEGA, STAINLESS STEEL 'SPEEDMASTER 'ULTRAMAN'', REF. 145.012-67 SP SERIAL NO....
CIRCA: 1968
CASE MATERIAL: Stainless steel
CASE DIAMETER: 40 mm.
BRACELET MATERIAL: Stainless steel
BRACELET SIZE: Approx. 160 mm. overall length
DIAL: Black with orange chronograph hand
MOVEMENT: Manual
FUNCTIONS: Chronograph
BOX: No
PAPERS: No
Lot Essay
Instantly recognisable by its vivid orange chronograph seconds hand, the Omega Speedmaster reference 145.012-67 has become known among collectors as the ‘Ultraman’, one of the most distinctive and coveted variations of the vintage Speedmaster.
The nickname derives from the Japanese television series Ultraman, created in the mid-1960s by Eiji Tsuburaya, co-creator of the original Godzilla series. The programme follows Shin Hayata, a member of the Science Special Search Party who merges with the extraterrestrial Ultraman and transforms into the towering silver and red-orange superhero when Earth is threatened. The character’s distinctive colour scheme became an icon of Japanese popular culture and provides the connection with the Speedmaster’s unusual orange hand.
Reference 145.012-67 is itself an important model in Speedmaster history. It was the final Speedmaster reference fitted with the celebrated calibre 321 and was worn during the Apollo 11, Apollo 14 and Apollo-Soyuz missions. It is further distinguished from its predecessors by its ‘SP’, Spécial Poussoirs, or ‘special pushers’, case construction, incorporating revised chronograph pushers designed to improve water resistance. The ‘Ultraman’ examples were produced in 1968 and are associated with a narrow movement serial-number range between approximately 26.076.xxx and 26.079.xxx.
Estimate
Time, Location
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CIRCA: 1968
CASE MATERIAL: Stainless steel
CASE DIAMETER: 40 mm.
BRACELET MATERIAL: Stainless steel
BRACELET SIZE: Approx. 160 mm. overall length
DIAL: Black with orange chronograph hand
MOVEMENT: Manual
FUNCTIONS: Chronograph
BOX: No
PAPERS: No
Lot Essay
Instantly recognisable by its vivid orange chronograph seconds hand, the Omega Speedmaster reference 145.012-67 has become known among collectors as the ‘Ultraman’, one of the most distinctive and coveted variations of the vintage Speedmaster.
The nickname derives from the Japanese television series Ultraman, created in the mid-1960s by Eiji Tsuburaya, co-creator of the original Godzilla series. The programme follows Shin Hayata, a member of the Science Special Search Party who merges with the extraterrestrial Ultraman and transforms into the towering silver and red-orange superhero when Earth is threatened. The character’s distinctive colour scheme became an icon of Japanese popular culture and provides the connection with the Speedmaster’s unusual orange hand.
Reference 145.012-67 is itself an important model in Speedmaster history. It was the final Speedmaster reference fitted with the celebrated calibre 321 and was worn during the Apollo 11, Apollo 14 and Apollo-Soyuz missions. It is further distinguished from its predecessors by its ‘SP’, Spécial Poussoirs, or ‘special pushers’, case construction, incorporating revised chronograph pushers designed to improve water resistance. The ‘Ultraman’ examples were produced in 1968 and are associated with a narrow movement serial-number range between approximately 26.076.xxx and 26.079.xxx.
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
