Important Collectors’ Wristwatches, P...

Geneva, Oct 04, 2009

LOT 290

Alaska Project Omega, ?Speedmaster Professional?, No. 1808/1970, movement No. 77212789, Ref. ST. 311.32.42.30.04.001. Made in a limited series of 1970 examples in 2008, sold on September 6th, 2008. Very fine and rare, asymmetric, water-resistant, stainless steel wristwatch with round button chronograph, 12-hour and 30-minute registers, black bezel with tachometer, Apollo hands for the 12-hour and 30-minute registers and a stainless steel Omega bracelet and deployant clasp. Accompanied by a large red two-body thermo-protective case, two additional white Nato straps, tools, fitted box and warranty. To be sold without reserve

CHF 4,500 - 7,500

USD 4,200 - 7,000 / EUR 3,000 - 5,000

Sold: CHF 4,440

C. Three-body, solid, polished and brushed, black bezel with tachometer graduated to 500 UPH, lyre lugs, integral crown and pusher guard, screw-down back engraved with Speedmaster logo. Thermic case: Two-body, red eloxidized aluminum with 60-minute counter and two chronograph pushers on the band. D. White, zinc oxide-coated, with painted luminous baton indexes, sunk subsidiary dials for the seconds, the 12-hour and 30-minute registers, outer reserve for the minute/seconds and 1/5th seconds divisions. Black and white luminous baton hands, luminous red chronograph hand, luminous black Apollo hands for the 12-hour and 30-minute registers. M. Cal. 1861, rhodium plated, 18 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, monometallic balance, shock absorber, self-compensating flat balance spring, index regulator. Dial, case and movement signed. Dim. 42 mm. Thickness 14 mm. Approx. overall length 165 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AA

Very good
Case: 1

As new
Movement: 1

As new
Dial: 1-01

As new

HANDS Original

Notes

The Alaska Project the goal of this project, led by Pierre Chopard from 1971 to 1973, was to improve on the Speedmaster by creating a watch perfectly suited to the low temperatures in space. The Swiss patent CH 537170 was granted on 31 May, 1973, for an outer case designed to protect the watch from extreme temperature variations. The watch?s dial was coated with zinc oxide; this material provides the highest resistance to solar radiation. NASA?s response to the prototype, however, was that they saw no need to improve on the Speedmaster. The project therefore remained a prototype, but it did inspire the new limited series of 1970 pieces, the Speedmaster Moonwatch ?Alaska Project?, Ref. 31132423004001, launched at Basel World 2008.