Omega Speedmaster 125
Omega Speedmaster 125
Special automatic Speedmaster issued in limited numbers with an unique movement.
The calibre 1040 was the first self-winding chronograph movement used by Omega and calibre 1041 was chosen for and only used in a commemorative edition celebrating the company's 125th anniversary. See Omega Speedmaster 125. Exclusively produced for Omega by Lemania.
History
The OMEGA Speedmaster 125, introduced in 1973 to celebrate 125 years since OMEGA’s foundation, was the world’s first chronometer-certified automatic chronograph watch. It was not a revolution but an evolution from the original Omega Speedmaster of 1957. The Speedmaster Professional reference ST 145.022 was not seen as the future by OMEGA. They had been introducing new versions of the Speedmaster, starting with the Mark II in 1969, still with caliber 861, and had gone automatic in 1971 with the Speedmaster Mark III using the Cal 1040.
Some watches have codes with letters and numbers stamped on the caseback. Most do not so it not easy to establish total numbers made. The codes appear to start with a single letter - from A to L except J which has not been seen in public. The initial stories of 2000 made has proved inaccurate. Observational data reveals that all Speedmaster 125s with an alphanumeric engraving have lower (earlier) serial numbers. Watches with codes on the back all have serials beginning with 35.07x.xxx or 35.59x.xxx, while ones without codes are observed in many other serial batches as high as 40.92x.xxx. The Speedmaster 125s with alphanumeric codes were produced in the four initial batches of Speedmaster 125s, from June through September of 1973. Over 11000 unnumbered Speedmaster 125s (without codes) were manufactured from 1974 through 1978, well into the era when caliber 1045 supplanted the 1040 as OMEGA’s automatic chronograph caliber of choice.
Features
The Speedmaster 125 was special. as seen in the specifications.
- The Case - massive, milled single piece of steel, with vertical brushing and highly polished bevels.
- The Bracelet - specifically made for the Speedmaster 125, is fully integrated into the case, and is much more substantial than other OMEGA bracelets of the era.
- The Dial - Ω logo is applied steel, as are the numerals in 125 and the letters in OMEGA. The letters and numerals are applied individually and not as a single, connected piece.
- The Movement - Cal 1041 and not the same caliber 1040 movement as found in the Speedmaster Mark III. The 1041 movement is identical to the 1040 in functionality and finishing, and the movement itself only differs cosmetically on three parts. The differences are in the text stamped on the rotor and bridges. The movements were submitted for and passed chronometer testing.
- The Price - The Speedmaster 125 was $425 at launch in 1973, a near 90% premium over the Omega Speedmaster Professional.
The 1041 movement was never used in another watch.
