Vintage Omega Speedmaster Professional "Straight Writing" 145.022-69 Cal. 861
After the historic Apollo 11 mission on July 20, 1969, Omega commemorated the achievement by producing a limited run of Speedmasters with a “Straight Writing” caseback, celebrating the first watch worn on the Moon. Made between 1970 and mid-1973, these watches stand apart from the later circular caseback design that became standard, offering a subtle but meaningful connection to one of humanity’s greatest milestones. Today, the increasingly scarce “Straight Writing” Speedmasters are prized not only for their rarity but for the story they carry—a wearable piece of space exploration history.
We're proud to offer an excellent example of this rare Speedmaster Professional, reference 145.022-69. This Speedmaster features the aforementioned rare straight writing caseback only produced from 1970 to 1973 and has a later serial in the series according to the reference book Moonwatch Only.
Condition is per the photos and as follows:
Case: 42mm stainless steel case in excellent vintage condition as shown. The case shows minor wear throughout with small scratches and nicks but retains crisp edges throughout and original appearing brushing on the case sides.
Bezel: Original and correct "DNN" tachymetre bezel in excellent condition with no major dings or missing paint as shown. (Configuration B2 from MWO)
Dial/Hands: Original stepped dial in very good condition (Configuration C1 from MWO) with a very light patina on the hour markers which have intact original tritium. There is a very minor paint break on the "10" marker in the running seconds sub-register which is shown in the photos. Hands are original with darker patina, there is some missing tritium on the minutes hand as pictured.
Caseback: Rare commemorative straight writing moonwatch caseback (145.022-69 inside) showing wear from previous tool marks. Caseback engravings are deep and crisp with mostly intact paint. (Configuration B1 from MWO)
Crystal: Very clean and clear acrylic crystal with no major scratching and no chips or cracks. The crystal is OEM Omega and has the embossed symbol in the center.
Movement: Omega cal. 861 hand wound chronograph movement in excellent condition and keeping good time. All functions work as they should and the chronograph resets to zero. 32.8M serial number indicates circa 1973 production. Original anti-magnetic dust cover is still present as shown in the photos. Service history is unknown.
Bracelet/Strap: Like new brown leather strap with SS buckle.
Box/Papers/Accessories: None.