Omega

An unrecognized vintage Speedmaster configuration?

One of my favorite watches is the Omega Speedmaster (both Pro and Pre-Pro models). And among Speedmasters, my favorites are the so-called "straight-lug" references, especially ref. 105.003. The nickname for this reference is the "Ed White" Speedmaster because it's the version he wore during his historic EVA (extra-vehicular activity) in 1965 during Gemini IV becoming the first American to "walk in space".

The ref. 105.003 is one of the Pre-Professional models, that is, the word "Professional" is absent from the dial. This word would make its first appearance on the dial of ref. 105.012, the first Speedmaster with the now familiar (and iconic) lyre-shaped or "turned" lugs. Interestingly, there exists Omega advertisements/brochures showing that both ref. 105.003 and 105.012 were being sold concurrently.

The Ed White Speedmaster has these features in general (some terms used are from the Moonwatch Only book):

Case:

Ref. 105.003-65

Movement

Omega cal. 321

Dial:

Absence of the word "Professional" on the dial
Applied Omega logo
Pie-pan or step dial
Long hour indices
"T SWISS MADE T" under the 6 o'clock

Hands:

Drop (or diamond-shaped short end) chronograph seconds sweep hand

Pushers

Medium-sized

Bezel insert

"Dot over 90"

Tragically, Ed White died along with fellow astronauts Virgil "Gus" Grissom and Roger Chaffee when a fire erupted in their command module during a launch pad test. Below is a photo Ed White's actual Speedmaster he wore during the Gemini IV space walk and during the fire that claimed the Apollo 1 crew's lives.

Ed White's Speedmaster

The following Speedmaster pictured below is a watch I purchased more than 10 years ago. I remember the exact date because I acquired the watch with a winning bid on eBay! It was July 4th and while most people were out celebrating Independence Day here in the US, I was watch hunting.

The only thing I can recall about the seller was that we talked over the phone after I won the auction to discuss payment and shipping. Time has erased many details from my memory, but I do recall he was an older gentleman and he either worked and/or lived in Manhattan as that was the phone number's origin (caller ID) and from where the watch eventually shipped from.

You can see from the picture below that my 105.003 differs from the traditional Ed White Speedmaster in certain aspects. In particular, the chrono sweep seconds hand, bezel insert, and pushers are not the same as the accepted Ed White Speedmaster.

Here are the major differences found on the variant 105.003:

Hands

Flat chronograph seconds sweep hand

Pushers

Small (also found on some ref. 2998)

Bezel insert

"Dot next to 90"

My Speedmaster is a ref. 105.003-65 just like the Ed White version, so could the differences be due to authentic, but incorrect-era Omega parts being fitted during service/maintenance over the years? Possibly, especially since I don't have the entire chain of custody documented for this now 50-year old watch! However, it didn't bother me as it's still a great looking and wearing watch. Those specific parts could also be installed during the next maintenance if I was willing to find them.

Flash-forward 10 years and a few weeks ago when I took delivery of a new Omega Speedmaster "mook". For those unfamiliar with the term, mooks are Japanese Magazine-bOOKs for otaku or enthusiasts. There are mooks catering to almost every hobby out there. Watch mooks are very ubiquitous. This particular mook has a picture of an Omega Speedmaster ref. 105.003 in it that had characteristics that were eerily familiar.

Today I went to the bank vault to pull out my ref. 105.003 to compare it to the picture in the mook and they match! In particular, they have the same chronograph seconds sweep hand, bezel insert, and pushers.

My Speedmaster ref. 105.003 compared to the 105.003 in the Japanese mook

Unfortunately, I can't read Japanese so I didn't immediately recognize the significance of the Speedmaster in the mook. Luckily, there was a little legend in English below the photo. Unluckily, the printing was blurred when it got transferred over to the mook. With the aid of a loupe I was able to make out the writing and the Speedmaster in the picture turns out to have been worn by another astronaut! This is the Speedmaster NASA issued to Gordon Cooper, one of the 7 (and youngest) of the original American astronauts. He took part in the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. Cooper is probably best known for Faith 7 during the Mercury program and Gemini V. You can read more about Gordon Cooper here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Cooper

There are some high resolution photographs of Gordon Cooper's Speedmaster from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum where it is kept and displayed today.

NASM web page with Gordon Cooper's watch:

airandspace.si.edu

Gordon Cooper's Speedmaster

Here are a few more photos of my Speedmaster to compare to the photos of Gordon Cooper's above.

It appears there are two different "astronaut-linked" variations for the ref. 105.003-65. The well-known Ed White Speedmaster and now we have the Gordon Cooper Speedmaster!

Now, at least one item that needs clarification is whether what I'm calling the "Gordon Cooper" Speedmaster is a configuration found in ref. 105.003-65 only within a specific range of movement serial numbers.

This message has been edited by reintitan on 2015-10-24 22:01:48

An unrecognized vintage Speedmaster configuration?

An unrecognized vintage Speedmaster configuration?

Forgot to add a clear picture of the Ed White Speedmaster

Thanks for this very interesting post, my friend. I can't help you, but let's see what the experts have to say. [nt]

Very interesting and intriguing ...

Thanks Nilomis!

Research results...

Very interesting

You must consider that ...