{"product_id":"omega-speedmaster-professional-as03102","title":"Omega Speedmaster Professional","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhy We Love It\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eTake a poll amongst wristwatch collectors, and we'd bet the consensus would be that there might be nothing more important or iconic in a watch collection than an Omega Speedmaster. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis particular Speedy, a Reference 145.022-69ST, was released the very year Apollo 11 touched down on the lunar surface, and is the last model to feature a 'Pre-Moon' caseback with Omega's signature Hippocampus engraving.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe movement that powers this watch is the same Calibre .861 that powered the watches worn by Jim Lovell and his crew during the harrowing Apollo 13 mission the following year. \u003c\/span\u003eIt should be noted that the Speedy is\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003estill\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ebeing worn by astronauts today, which makes it just as relevant to the history of space exploration as ever.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eWith a strong case and rich patina, this is a solid example of an Apollo-era Speedmaster perfect for anyone looking to get into Speedmaster ownership without spending up for an earlier Calibre .321 model!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eThe Story\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eWith the 50th anniversary of the Moon Landing looming like the Death Star on the horizon, focus is now on space-related ephemera. Major auction houses will no doubt hold sales of anything that an astronaut might have even\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003ebreathed\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eon. Now, with demand for those items soaring high, it might put a damper on anyone’s aspirations to own a piece of history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eBut there is a piece of space history that anyone can own: The Omega Speedmaster.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eSince 1965, this little machine has been issued to the crew of every manned space mission. Ed White, Buzz Aldrin, Jim Lovell—these are just a few heroes who strapped the Speedy to their wrists as they headed to the final frontier. As one of Omega’s longest-running models, the Speedmaster has seen variants as numerous as stars in the sky, from special editions honoring spaceflights to the simpler black-dialed “Moon watch” that everyone knows and loves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThere's something to be said for the popular appeal of the Reference 145.022. Produced from the late 1960s to the 1980s, the Reference 145.022 straddles the period between the pre-moon and post-Moon landing Speedmasters. Like the references that came before it, the Reference 145.022 represents a pivotal era in the development of the Speedmaster.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eWhile the earlier References of Speedmaster contained the Caliber .321 movement, the Reference 145.022 was the first to contain the Caliber .861. Additionally, the sub-reference 145.022-69ST was the first to feature a caseback that commemorated the 1969 Moon Landing, which still adorns the backs of Omega Speedmasters today. Also, the 145.022 retained the tritium that adorned the dials of previous iterations; it wasn’t until the introduction of the Reference 3570 in the mid 1990s that Omega started using the non-radioactive SuperLuminova.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Omega","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":19822201864279,"sku":null,"price":7950.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0809\/1255\/products\/Omega_Speedmaster_Professoinal_AS03102_6.jpg?v=1559850855","url":"https:\/\/www.analogshift.com\/products\/omega-speedmaster-professional-as03102","provider":"Analog:Shift","version":"1.0","type":"link"}