Omega Speedmaster ?Broad Arrow
Christie?s, New York, 7 December 2017
Sold for $118,750
An increase in scholarship, numerous high profile sales and, of course, its legitimate claim to fame as the first wristwatch to have been worn on the surface of the moon have helped to make the Omega Speedmaster one of the most collectable of all post-war chronographs.
But while the later ?Professional? models are what most people associate with the Speedmaster name, it is the very earliest Reference 2915 watches that are generally the most sought after, not least because these celebrated ?Broad Arrow? versions were only produced from 1957 ? 1959 before giving way to the more familiar Reference 2998.
Being true tool watches, early Speedmasters often have a tale to tell ? and that was certainly the case with this example offered by Christie?s which was consigned by the family of the original owner. According to the vendors, he was a former RAF flying instructor based in Rhodesia but was subsequently employed by the tyre company Goodyear which sent him to work during the late 1950s in the Belgian Congo ? which, as confirmed by Omega, is where he bought his Speedmaster.
The Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) has a long history of unrest, and was especially ?edgy? during the late 1950s when riots and civil disorder were the order of the day ? a situation that led to the original owner of the Speedmaster being arrested and imprisoned on espionage allegations.
The Christie?s catalogue entry for the watch...
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