OMEGA Speedmaster 18K Yellow Gold, Ref. BA 145.022-69, Gus Grissom Astronaut Gala Watch, 1969
Serial # 28080603
Circa: 1969
Reference No.: BA 145.022-69
DIAL: Solid gold dial with short black lacquer applied hour markers and gold applied Omega logo and OMEGA (Oval O) printed below. Black baton hour/minutes hands and straight balck chronograph seconds hand. OM SWISS MADE OM (OM = Or Massif, Sold Gold in French) printed at the bottom of the dial.
CASE: 42mm, 18K yellow gold, burgundy tachymeter bezel, special astronaut Virgil L. Grissom astronaut tribute with mention of Mercury 4 - Gemini 3 engraving on the caseback, № 4 and the quote:
“To mark man’s conquest of space with time,
through time,
on time”
MOVEMENT: Caliber 861, hand-wound mechanical chronograph, 17 jewels
BRACELET: Omega 18K yellow gold bracelet 1116/575
CONDITION REPORT: The overall condition is mint, with very light signs of wear. It appears to have only been worn a handful of times by the previous owner or by a member of the Grissom family before that.
NOTES:
Following the lunar landing, Omega issued its first numbered edition of 1014 Speedmasters: an 18K gold model with a special tribute caseback that was individually numbered. Omega offered, during an astronaut gala dinner they hosted on November 25th, 1969, at the Hotel Warwick in Houston, the first two to President Nixon and Vice President Agnew were refused due to their high value and returned while the following 26 pieces were gifted to astronauts and of which three were awarded to the astronauts who died during the Apollo 1 accident (Grissom, White, Chaffee). The first seven of these 26 were awarded to what are often referred to as the 'original seven', which were the first 7 American astronauts. The seven original American astronauts were Navy Lieutenant Scott Carpenter, Air Force Captain Gordon Cooper, Marine Lieutenant Colonel John Glenn, Air Force Captain Gus Grissom, Navy Lieutenant Commander Wally Schirra, Navy Lieutenant Commander Alan Shepard, and Air Force Captain Deke Slayton. This Speedmaster was awarded posthumously at the gala dinner to Virgil 'Gus' Grissom and was the number 4 gold speedster after the President (1), Vice President (2) and Alan Shepard (3). This example was owned by the family of Gus Grissom until it was sold at a space auction and then kept with a single collector for decades. We purchased this special watch at an auction in the US.
SOLD |