Omega wasn’t keen to rest on its laurels of being the official watch used by NASA’s astronauts. The result, launched in 1969, was the Racing dial omega speedmaster professional mark ii 145.014 replica watch. With its smooth case, stronger and a more flush mounted mineral crystal, it definitely looks more apt for the job. Interestingly, Omega did seem to continue to push the Speedmaster Mark II as a possible space watch during its famous, and ultimately doomed, Alaska Project testing. The story apparently points to the fact that Omega wanted to follow up or supplement the Moonwatch with something more modern and purpose built to the needs of a space explorer and they wished to do it under the Professional moniker. According to lore, NASA was approached to take a look at the new Speedy but apparently could not fit the testing into its tight mission scheduling. Furthermore, and this is pure conjecture as I am an engineer, but I’d guess that NASA also took a “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it approach”. It is worth pondering, if only for a few moments, how different the collector view on the Omega Speedmaster Mark II would be today had it been indoctrinated as an official mission watch.

I’d even argue that almost everything “post-moon” under the omega speedmaster professional mark ii replica title in steel finds itself riding in steerage aside from a few notable exceptions such as “straight writing” case backs or limited editions. But at least in the case of the Speedy II, its status as a comparatively unloved watch that has hidden in the shadow of its more accomplished ancestor almost didn’t happen. So, when it comes to the offspring of the Professional such as the Omega Speedmaster Mark II 145.014, these have generally been viewed as estranged family members and values have remained at amazingly affordable levels.When it comes to vintage Speedmasters, it seems that everything basically falls off the radar screen after the mention of the Moonwatch.

Today’s takes a look at this revolutionary watch, briefly details its restoration, and doles out some proper plain old admiration for a watch that was significant enough to warrant a serial production reissue within the last couple years from Omega. However, priorities changed, time dragged on and I resisted buying one, or even seriously looking for one, for a long, long time.It was at least ten years ago that I stumbled upon a very rudimentary website depicting a chronology of wild, boldly styled 1970’s Omega chronographs and I enjoyed marveling at them, but one stuck out as especially notable: the Omega Speedmaster Mark II 145.014. Yes, amongst all of the crazy flying saucer-esque, deeply cased oddities, it was the omega speedmaster replica that caught my eye. And then – I snapped one up and haven’t regretted it since.