The Omega Speedmaster was introduced in 1957 alongside the Seamaster 300 and Railmaster as part of Omega's famous trilogy of professional watches.
Originally designed as a chronograph for motorsport, the Speedmaster was the first chronograph wristwatch to feature a tachymeter scale on its external bezel rather than printed on the dial.
This is an Omega Speedmaster CK2998-1 dating from 1959, one of the earliest versions of the Speedmaster and the first generation to feature the black tachymeter bezel and distinctive alpha hands that replaced the broad-arrow hands of the original CK2915.
One of the most interesting features of this watch is its original 'Base 1000' tachymeter bezel. Unlike the later Base 500 bezels, the scale on these early Speedmasters starts at 1,000 units per hour. These bezels were only used for a relatively short period and surviving originals have become particularly sought after by collectors.
The dial is another highlight. Originally black, it has developed a lovely, fairly light chocolate-brown tropical appearance over the years. It's completely original and unrestored, with attractive aged luminous hour markers and the correct early Omega Speedmaster applied logo and script.
Inside is Omega's famous calibre 321 manual-winding chronograph movement. The same movement that would go on to power the Speedmasters worn during NASA's early space missions, including the Apollo 11 Moon landing in 1969.
The Omega Speedmaster CK2998 also has an important place in space exploration history. In 1962, astronaut Wally Schirra wore his own CK2998 during the Mercury-Atlas 8 mission, making it the first Omega Speedmaster worn in space. (This was commemorated by Omega fifty years later with the release of the CK2998 'FOIS')
With its original Base 1000 bezel, alpha hands and beautifully aged tropical dial, this is a particularly interesting example from the earliest years of Speedmaster production.
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