Lot 80
Omega. A very rare stainless steel mechanical chronograph wristwatch with racing dial
Speedmaster Professional Ref.145.012-68SP, Movement No.26541096, made circa 1968
Auction: 20 May 2026 from 14:00 BST
Description
Cal.321 hand-wound 17 jewel movement, black dial with red baton indexes, inner luminous batons, subsidiary dials for running seconds with red seconds hand, 30 minute and 12 hour chronograph registers with white hands, red hour and minute hands, white central chronograph seconds, stainless steel case with screw-down reverse featuring central Speedmaster motif, faded bezel with DON ( Dot Over Ninety) on stainless steel Omega Ref.1125 bracelet with 533 endlinks, folding Omega clasp. Case, dial and movement signed.
Accompanied by an Omega presentation case, Omega wallet with operating instructions, spare link, Ref.519 bracelet endlinks, and numbered Omega UK service warranty dated 2024.
Dimensions
Diameter 42mm, approx. bracelet size 200mm.
Provenance
Offered for the first time at auction by the original owner who purchased the watch in England new, it has been worn and enjoyed on a regular basis until the owner watched the same model with rare red racing dial appearing on the BBC Antiques Roadshow with a valuation in excess of £50,000. The watch has remained in safe storage since.
Footnote
Although so few examples of the Omega Speedmaster with red racing dials such as this lot are known, they can be categorized into two distinct versions. The earlier Pre-Professional model with applied Omega logo and Swiss Made dial dedication, of which, in researching, nine examples are known to have appeared at international auction. The later Professional examples have white printed Omega logo and T Swiss Made T designation, according to our research, only 5 examples of Professional Speedmaster with racing dial, including the lot offered, have appeared at auction making it one of the rarest vintage Speedmaster's known.
It is interesting to note, the first example of a Speedmaster Professional with racing dial to appear at auction was February 2005 in London, although the movement number is not noted, it was offered by the original owner, who purchased it new in the UK in 1970. Researching all other Professional examples to appear, noted below, all were originally sold in the UK.
According to our research, the known Professional examples to appear at auction have the following numbers.
Ref.145.012-68SP. Number 26541096 ‘Professional’ (lot offered) Purchased in the UK
Ref.145.012-67. Number 26541088 'Professional', confirmed UK delivery in 1968
Ref.145.012. Number 26048428 ‘Professional’ Purchased in Scotland December 1969
Ref.145.012-68SP. Number 26076720 ‘Professional’ Purchased in London, 1970
Ref.145.012-67SP, no number listed, ‘Professional’, purchased in UK, 1970