Now Live: Omega Speedmaster Professional Ref. 145.022-69, Tropical Dial

Now live: a 1969 Omega Speedmaster Professional ref. 145.022-69 with a dial that has turned a deep, even chocolate brown. The 145.022 was the first Moonwatch built around the caliber 861, the movement family that would power the Speedmaster Professional for five decades, and a tropical dial like this one is exactly what vintage Speedmaster collectors hunt for.

Why It Matters

The Speedmaster earned its legend when NASA qualified it for spaceflight and it went to the Moon in 1969. Those first flight watches ran the caliber 321. In 1968 Omega replaced it with the caliber 861, a cam-operated chronograph that was simpler to build and service, and the 145.022 was the reference that introduced it.

The 861 and its successor, the 1861, went on to power the Speedmaster Professional until 2021, so the 145.022 marks the start of the Moonwatch as most people have known it.

Tropical dials are where these watches become individual. Over decades, light and heat can turn the original black to brown, and no two age the same way. An even, deep chocolate tone like this is the result collectors value most.

This Example

Honest vintage condition with wear appropriate to its age. The case keeps good definition, the dial has tropicalized evenly to dark chocolate, and the tachymeter insert has faded to a soft blue-gray. It runs as expected and is fitted to a brown leather strap.

Specifications

Reference

145.022-69

Year

1969

Case

42mm stainless steel

Movement

Caliber 861, manual wind chronograph

Dial

Tropical dark chocolate

Bezel

Tachymeter, faded

Strap

Brown leather

Price

$20,000

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