SOTC # 2 of 16: 1974 OMEGA SPEEDMASTER PROFESSIONAL 145.022
/OMEGA SPEEDMASTER PROFESSIONAL 145.022 on an OMEGA LEATHER NATO
Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, I recall hearing stories about the Apollo missions to the Moon, watching various Space Shuttle missions take flight. It was an amazing time to be a kid. I also remember finding my Dad’s Omega Speedmaster one day, and from that day forward, I would spend hours playing with it; starting, stopping and resetting the chronograph over and over again. I was shocked when my Dad told me that his Speedmaster is the same watch that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin wore on the Moon. In my naivety, I literally thought that my Dad’s Speedmaster was THE WATCH that they wore. And thus began my fascination with watches that later became a passionate hobby of learning and collecting.
So when the idea of a birth year watch came up, a 1974 Omega Speedmaster 145.022 was the natural choice. I spent a good six months researching, learning and scouring through listings on Chrono 24 and Ebay. I had very specific criteria on production year (1974), condition and the seller must be local in LA or SoCal so I can inspect the watch personally.
One day, on a lazy Sunday in March 2011, I found the perfect Speedmaster 145.022 on Ebay. It was from 1974, good overall condition with the case a bit over polished, nice patina on dial and hands, had the original bracelet, and the seller was local. All of the stars finally aligned! I contacted the seller, agreed to a cash price, met up a few days later and I brought home my ‘74 Speedmaster.
Supposedly it was owned by a veteran, who served for the Air Force and originally brought at a base exchange store in the 1970’s. To this person, I thank you for your service to our nation. When this gentleman passed away, the watch was passed down to his son. Apparently it needed service, so it was serviced at a jewelry store where it was a bit over polished. For whatever reason, the son didn’t want to keep the watch, so he sold it on Ebay to a gentleman in Orange County, who resold it to me for a slight profit. When it was up for servicing, I took it to the great guys at Los Angeles WatchWorks and asked them to restore the case to its original glory. The results are fabulous.
This is one of a few watches in my collection that I would never part with due to its sentimental value and the hunt to get it. And no other watch will ever have such a historical significance and connection to man’s greatest achievement to date than the Omega Speedmaster.
/ TOMMY