{"product_id":"omega-speedmaster-professional-as03108","title":"Omega Speedmaster Professional","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhy We Love It\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe 'it' factor. Watches either have it, or don't. This Speedmaster Professional 145.022-69ST has got it. In spades!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003ePerhaps one of the most enjoyable parts of collecting wristwatches that were once mass-produced is seeing the wide variety of organic changes that occur naturally over time from age and use. Words such as patina, ghosting, stippling, crazing and tropicalization are used to describe the natural process of aging that can manifest on a timepiece as it ages and can turn a wristwatch that was once just a number on an assembly line into an entirely unique artifact.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThis Speedmaster, a pre-moon Hippocampus model dating to about 1970, is an excellent example of just that - an artifact from the golden age of lunar exploration. Featuring an incredibly crisp 41mm twisted-lug case, nearly flawless 'Dot Over 90' bezel, and a richly patinated dial that is beginning to show a warm tropical richness, this is an Apollo-era Speedmaster just like any other. Except moreso.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eReturned to our collection after being originally sold to a client years back, we're thrilled to see the rich coloration of the dial continue to develop, and can't wait to see it again in another five years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThis is a Speedy for someone who appreciates the subtleties of aging - absolutely lovely piece!\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":19825457004631,"sku":null,"price":9300.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0809\/1255\/products\/Omega_SPEEDMASTER_PROFESSIONAL_AS03108_6.jpg?v=1559850863","url":"https:\/\/www.analogshift.com\/products\/omega-speedmaster-professional-as03108","provider":"Analog:Shift","version":"1.0","type":"link"}