The time has come to let go of a very special part of my collection, as this beauty just doesn’t get the wrist time it so richly deserves anymore. SOLD
Up for sale is this all-time classic early 1960s ref. 2998-3 Omega pre-professional Speedmaster powered by the famed Lemania-based manual wind caliber 321 chronograph movement. This is the model refereed to as the First Omega in Space, as a 2998 was on the wrist of Mercury astronaut Wally Schirra during his Sigma 7 flight in 1962, a few years prior to the Speedmaster being officially approved by NASA for all manned space missions to follow. According to the official Omega Extract from the Archives, which obviously will be passed along to the new owner, this Speedy left the factory in 1961 and was delivered to Switzerland at that time.
This is an exceptional example of the classic and historically important Speedmaster reference 2998, with a well worn but unpolished case and a gorgeous original Radium stepped dial in absolutely Near Mint condition. The original luminous has developed a pleasing dark caramel patina, as has the matching lume of the original Alpha handset. This 2998-3 also features the correct & desirable dagger subdial hands, as well as the straight, non-luminous chrono sweep seconds. Another highlight is the original DON Tachy bezel, which shows wear commensurate to the rest of the watch with some ghosting and wonderful wabi-sabi.
Overall, the watch is in Very Good vintage condition and it comes on a slightly later (1963) 7912 flat-link bracelet with very hard to come by number “6” end links correct for the 19mm lug width of this straight, no-crown guards case. (If for some reason you don’t want the bracelet, I’m sure we can work out an appropriate discount for the head onIy.) I have also just had the movement preemptively overhauled for the enjoyment of the next owner, so it is ready to wear with all timekeeping and chronograph functions operating well.
CASE & CASEBACK: Classic 40mm wide x 48mm long, subtly beveled straight lug stainless steel case in Good+ vintage condition, showing no signs of polish but plenty of various nicks & minor dings commensurate with age and many years of regular use. Decades of cuff wear have “buffed” the original high-polish finish areas into a handsome uniform satin look. Bevels are still well defined and while there are certainly a fair amount of scratches and other nicks, this is to be expected in a 60-year-old sport watch that has clearly led an active life. Outer caseback features a crisp Hippocampus and SPEEDMASTER text but likewise has its fair share of scratches and marks, so also Good+ vintage condition. The inner caseback shows just a bit of minor corrosion to some of its edges and has all the Omega hallmarks of the period including, most importantly, the correct 2998-3 reference. The inner dust/anti-magnetic cover is also present and accounted for. If you’re looking for a safe queen Speedy then this watch is not for you. On the other hand, if you’re the type of guy who likes to actually wear their vintage watches, you can simply strap on this wonderfully rugged Speedy and not have to worry about babying it — it’s certainly ready for another 60-years of adventures.
DIAL & HANDS: Beautiful stepped pre-Professional black dial featuring Radium lume bars and iconic double dots at “12,” all sporting a gorgeous deep caramel patina. This dial is in sunning Near Mint condition — I rarely classify anything vintage as Mint, though it was a sore temptation with this amazing dial — with all print and finely calibrated track intact, bright applied Omega logo and only the slightest signs of aging to the textured luminous material. The Alpha hour & minute hands have luminous fill that perfectly matches the dial’s. They show just a bit of age to their metal surfaces and therefore I rate them as Excellent. The straight, white sweep seconds chrono hand is Near Mint, as are the desirable dagger-shaped small sub-register hands for the minute & hour totalizer and the constant seconds. The dial & hands lume glows under UV light as you’d expect original Radium luminous would — it lights up ever so briefly under direct UV exposure and then fades out nearly instantly when the UV light is removed. Dial lume & hands lume illuminate & fade identically. Simply a stunning 2998-3 dial & handset in spectacular unmolested condition and damn hard to find another as nice as this!
CROWN & PUSHERS: Correct 24-tooth signed Omega winding crown and correct small pushers in Very Good to Excellent cosmetic condition. The large crown winds and pulls out to the time-setting position as it should. The top pusher stops and starts the chronograph and the bottom pusher resets all chrono registers precisely to zero as designed. There is no hour register creep.
BEZEL: Correct Dot Over Ninety TACHYMETRE bezel insert shows wear commensurate with the age of the watch, with some nicks and especially some rubbing to the outer edges, particular between the 70 and 500 calibrations — Good+ original vintage condition with a lot of genuine, hard-earned character. Likewise, the steel bezel itself has some corresponding dings to its edges and is also Good+. Whether this kind of wabi-sabi is your cup of tea or not, you can certainly tell that this bezel has most likely been on the watch since the day it was assembled, which is the kind of originality that I always appreciate.
CRYSTAL: Genuine Omega-signed domed armored Hesalite crystal with silver appears older and has some residual scratches and nicks after a light polish but no cracks or chips — Excellent condition.
MOVEMENT: Legendary Omega cal. 321 chronograph movement with a 17 million serial number, which dates it to circa 1959-60, perfectly in range for a 1961 retailed watch. I’ve just had this lovely classic column wheel chrono movement serviced since it had been a while, so timekeeping is accurate, power reserve is strong and chrono functions are all operating flawlessly. This is guaranteed to be the case at the time of shipping.
BRACELET: Period & model correct ref. 7912 flat-link stretch bracelet dated 3/63 in Excellent condition with light stretch and good, tight expansion links, with just some light scratches here and there and to the big logo clasp. End pieces are the rare & matching genuine OEM Omega 19mm #6s, a significant value in their own right and pretty hard to come by these days. The bracelet is not the longest but should still fit up to around a 7 1/2” wrist at maximum adjustment. As mentioned above, if for some reason you don’t want this nice 7912 with matching 6 end pieces I’m sure we would be able to work out an appropriate discount.
EXTRAS; This classic pre-Pro Speedy comes with an official Omega Extract of the Archives confirming the movement serial number as matching the watch’s 2998 reference and the original delivery date of 1961 to a retailer in Switzerland. It’s a nice little bit of history & provenance to have and I’m very happy to be able to include it in the sale for the next proud owner of this wonderful Speedmaster to have.
