Case: Stainless steel, brushed and polished, 42mm in diameter. Screw-down crown with guard. Chronograph pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock. Limited edition number and Speedmaster seahorse medallion on case back. Water resistant to 50 meters. Signed.
Dial: Black with white markings and red with three black subdials (for seconds, thirty-minute counter, and twelve-hour counter). Aged lume plots. Outer tachymeter scale with red accents. Hesalite crystal dome. Signed.
Movement: Hand-wound Omega mechanical caliber 1861. Rhodium-plated. 18 jewels. Hours, minutes, small-seconds, chronograph functions. Signed.
Reference: O31112423001001.
Case Number: 1XXX/2012
Diameter: 42mm. Thickness: 14mm.
Circa: 2018.
Condition: Like new. Presented with original outer carton, presentation box, additional strap, branded blacklight and strap changing tool, manual, and papers.
More about Omega:
The use of the name “Ultraman” is a reference to the Japanese series “The Return of Ultraman”, a science-fiction TV series produced in 1971. The original Speedmaster Ultraman, reference ST 145.012-67 included an orange chronograph hand and was thus dubbed the “Ultraman” Speedmaster after the popular hero.
Using the blacklight pen, which is included in the presentation box, the owner will discover the profile of Ultraman’s helmet on the small seconds counter at 9 o’clock. At 3 o’clock, the first three minutes of the thirty-minute counter are marked in red-orange, another nod to the series whose protagonist could only use his superpowers for a total of three minutes, after which Ultraman’s strength was severely reduced.
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Launched in 1957 as a sport and racing chronograph, the Omega Speedmaster has become one of the most well-known chronograph models ever. The first Speedmaster model was the reference 2915, featuring a distinctive luminous broad-arrow shaped hour hand. It was outfitted with the caliber 321, which would be used until 1968, when it was replaced by the caliber 861.
Starting in 1962, NASA began testing a series of chronograph watches from various brands (including Breitling, Longines, Rolex, and Omega) for their astronauts to wear to space. Only three watches passed the first round of “Qualification Test Procedures” and went on to final stages of testing. Omega’s Speedmaster chronograph was the only model to pass final testing, and went on to space. Following this event, Omega added the word “Professional” to the dials of their Speedmaster models, and gave them a new reference number – 145.012.
This rich history behind the Omega Speedmaster is one of the many reasons why the model has developed an almost cult-like following in the collectors and enthusiasts community. The popular hashtag, #SpeedyTuesday, coined in 2012 by Fratello Watches editor Robert-Jan Broer, is, today, almost omnipresent on social media every Tuesday. This “Speedy Tuesday” example was produced in a limited edition of 2012 watches to commemorate the first use of that hashtag.