Dr No
[Moderator Omega - Wristscan]
37504
Omega ref 145.013 '70 Flightmaster . . .
. . . acquired from the original owner, an American serviceman, who purchased it from a PX in Thailand in the early '70s while on tour of duty. He became a pilot in civilian life shortly after returning home, and employed this very Flightmaster as his instrument watch. When he gave up flying in the early '80s, the Flightmaster was put away in a drawer, only to be taken out occasionally for winding; a virtual 'safe queen' for over thirty years.
Note the 'mustard' without 'ketchup' pushers. The watch came fitted with cadmium yellow hands; he doesn't recall ever seeing red paint on the pushers, nor having serviced the watch, ever. Thoughts, anyone?
More to come later . . . planning on visiting my watchmaker later this afternoon for an inspection of the movement.
Art
Omega ref 145.013 '70 Flightmaster . . .
. . . acquired from the original owner, an American serviceman, who purchased it from a PX in Thailand in the early '70s while on tour of duty. He became a pilot in civilian life shortly after returning home, and employed this very Flightmaster as his ins...
I've had a couple of lucky finds over the years, Nicolas . . .
. . . but one found me . . . . . . with the purest of luck. ...
One of my favourite vintage Omegas, as said before
The DC-8, my prior flying hobby, the case shape... all conspire to make this a vintage Omega on top of my wish list. Now if only Omega decided to reissue it as the next step after the SM300...
Ah, but Omega has already reissued the Flightmaster . . .
. . . not . Yup, a quartz Flighty, ca 2012. All is forgiven for not knowing - it didn't make much of a splash! I don't know anyone that took the plunge. Best, Art ...
I see...
Related to the X-33 Speedmaster NASA watches? Not sure the Quartz version does it for me in the same way a proper reissue would...
Precisely. The Z-33 Spacemaster . . .
. . . just doesn't have the cachet. They were fairly expensive, too. That factor alone might've been their undoing; at a price more folks consider appropriate for quartz, it might have been more of a success. When it was introduced, I thought it would mak...
I suppose all the additional functions were then digital?
Such as chrono, second time zone...?
Enjoyment will have to wait awhile . . .
. . . 'til it's returned from my watchmaker's care. Other than a decomposed sealing ring . . . . . . it's actually in pretty good shape. Art ...
Very nice!
One of the few vintage watches that I find unique and interesting with the 5 crowns/pushers. Being a technical person, this one is really fascinating! Congrats on this. Looking like a great start to the year for you!
Likely the beginning . . .
. . . and end of the year, unless one of my targets (two particular vintage Omegas or a very special G O Karree) pops up. Here's hoping there's a few more in store for your year of 2016, Richard! Warm regards, Art
Huge congratulation! Super cool watch! :)
Here is a scan from the 1973 Omega catalog: A slightly different version compared with yours. Instead of day/night indicator (second times zone?) there is a running seconds on the sub-dial at nine. Best Blomman ...
Interesting that the 1159 bracelet is still showing up on the Mk II . . .
. . . in a '73 ad - I thought those were fitted only to the first year or two of production. The 911 Flightmaster in the ad has the 1162 bracelet, which is what I would've expected on the Mk II as well. These old ads are invaluable, blomman - thanks for s...
Somewhere I have some more info on the Flightmaster...
Will try to find the catalogs... Best Blomman
Here are photos of the 1974 and 1977 Omega catalog.....
Sorry for not scan these properly, but I don't want to break the backs of these... 1974 catalog (the 1975 catalog have the exact same page in it) 1977 catalog, unfortunately you can't see the crowns properly... Again, congrats on the 20K milestone! Best B...
Congrats Art, very interesting example
the history with it being the icing on the cake. Beside a movement service - if needed - I would only change the crystal. I love those tropical subdials !
The movement is running tolerably well, Jeff . . .
. . . but the o-ring has to be replaced, and the last service was most likely in '77, so I am having the movement overhauled. As for the crystal, I'm planning on keeping the one it has now, even though visibility is compromised by scratches and dings. Sam...
I'll keep my eyes peeled . . .
. . . for another, David. This one was just too good to pass up! Best, Art