100th Auction
2019/11/15
Lot 50
Omega "Speedmaster Broad Arrow", Movement No. 16649302, Ref. 2915-3, Cal. 321, 39 mm, circa 1959
An important vintage wristwatch with chronograph, 30 min. and 12h counter, auxiliary seconds, tachy bezel and tropical dial, produced on June 11th, 1959 and delivered to Venezuela. This is one of the first Speedmaster models introduced by Omega to the market and also the third Speedmaster model reference 2915 - with Omega extract from the archives
Case: steel, srew back with Speedmaster logo, anti-magnetic soft iron cup, domed Hesalite crystal, folded "Omega" steel bracelet with endlinks stamped 6. Dial: black, earlier original luminous "broad arrow" hands.
Speedmaster Broad Arrow
This watch is one of the very few original "Speedmaster Broad Arrow" models ref. 2915 that have come on the market in recent years. The period Omega bracelet with which it is fitted makes the piece even more desirable than its contemporaries !
The famous Omega Speedmaster was launched in 1957; it was the result of a creative cooperation between Pierre Moinat, then head of Omega's "creative" department, Claude Baillod, who designed the case, and George Hartmann, who built the prototype of the watch. It was supposed to be "for men who reckon time in seconds", for example race drivers, athletes, engineers and scientists; the tachymetre scale is on the bezel and allows for extremely fast calculation of speed - which gave the watch its "Speedmaster" name. Only later did the course of events turn the Speedmaster into the "Moon Watch".
This Speedmaster Broad Arrow reference 2915-3 sits in a 39 mm water-resistant case and the black tachy bezel is graduated to 300 km/h. The distinguishing feature of this model are of course the broad arrow hands, which were originally intended for references 2915-1 and 2915-2. We must assume that the hands of this timepiece were exchanged on the customer’s request. The legendary, 1st generation calibre 321 movement is protected by an anti-magnetic soft iron cap. It is worth noting that the ring that supports the movement has two holes – which usually only applies to reference 2915-3. The early dial has a acquired a lovely patina and features the applied metal "Omega" logo as opposed to the usual printed version and a new, slimmer "Omega" signature where "O" and "G" are almost oval in shape. Another distinctive feature of this model is the simple "Swiss Made" below 6 o'clock, without "T" designation.
The "Broad Arrow" hands were replaced with "Alpha" hands in 1959; the steel bezel gave way to the black insert graduated to 500 km/h. Mercury 7 astronaut Walter Schirra wore the updated ref. CK 2998 during his space walk.
The Speedmaster has always been one of the most iconic watches on the market. At the time of its launch in 1957 it was most certainly a cutting-edge design - the original water-resistant sports chronograph watch. The fact that the tachymetre scale is on the bezel as opposed to printed on the dial makes the dial far more legible and simplifies the calculation of speed. This groundbreaking feature was embraced by most other watch manufacturers soon after its introduction; Rolex for example used it in their famous "Daytona" model in the 1960s.
The Speedmaster Broad Arrow is described and illustrated in Marco Richon's "Omega - A Journey Through Time", pp. 596-597, and in "Omega Saga", pp. 372-374; also in "Omega Sportswatches" by John Goldberger, pp. 95-107 (also featuring on the cover).
An important vintage wristwatch with chronograph, 30 min. and 12h counter, auxiliary seconds, tachy bezel and tropical dial, produced on June 11th, 1959 and delivered to Venezuela. This is one of the first Speedmaster models introduced by Omega to the market and also the third Speedmaster model reference 2915 - with Omega extract from the archives
Case: steel, srew back with Speedmaster logo, anti-magnetic soft iron cup, domed Hesalite crystal, folded "Omega" steel bracelet with endlinks stamped 6. Dial: black, earlier original luminous "broad arrow" hands.
Speedmaster Broad Arrow
This watch is one of the very few original "Speedmaster Broad Arrow" models ref. 2915 that have come on the market in recent years. The period Omega bracelet with which it is fitted makes the piece even more desirable than its contemporaries !
The famous Omega Speedmaster was launched in 1957; it was the result of a creative cooperation between Pierre Moinat, then head of Omega's "creative" department, Claude Baillod, who designed the case, and George Hartmann, who built the prototype of the watch. It was supposed to be "for men who reckon time in seconds", for example race drivers, athletes, engineers and scientists; the tachymetre scale is on the bezel and allows for extremely fast calculation of speed - which gave the watch its "Speedmaster" name. Only later did the course of events turn the Speedmaster into the "Moon Watch".
This Speedmaster Broad Arrow reference 2915-3 sits in a 39 mm water-resistant case and the black tachy bezel is graduated to 300 km/h. The distinguishing feature of this model are of course the broad arrow hands, which were originally intended for references 2915-1 and 2915-2. We must assume that the hands of this timepiece were exchanged on the customer’s request. The legendary, 1st generation calibre 321 movement is protected by an anti-magnetic soft iron cap. It is worth noting that the ring that supports the movement has two holes – which usually only applies to reference 2915-3. The early dial has a acquired a lovely patina and features the applied metal "Omega" logo as opposed to the usual printed version and a new, slimmer "Omega" signature where "O" and "G" are almost oval in shape. Another distinctive feature of this model is the simple "Swiss Made" below 6 o'clock, without "T" designation.
The "Broad Arrow" hands were replaced with "Alpha" hands in 1959; the steel bezel gave way to the black insert graduated to 500 km/h. Mercury 7 astronaut Walter Schirra wore the updated ref. CK 2998 during his space walk.
The Speedmaster has always been one of the most iconic watches on the market. At the time of its launch in 1957 it was most certainly a cutting-edge design - the original water-resistant sports chronograph watch. The fact that the tachymetre scale is on the bezel as opposed to printed on the dial makes the dial far more legible and simplifies the calculation of speed. This groundbreaking feature was embraced by most other watch manufacturers soon after its introduction; Rolex for example used it in their famous "Daytona" model in the 1960s.
The Speedmaster Broad Arrow is described and illustrated in Marco Richon's "Omega - A Journey Through Time", pp. 596-597, and in "Omega Saga", pp. 372-374; also in "Omega Sportswatches" by John Goldberger, pp. 95-107 (also featuring on the cover).
estimated
42.000—60.000 €
Price realized
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