About This Watch:

The Omega Speedmaster Professional 105.012 has a special place in history, as it was the reference that would accompany the Apollo 11 astronauts on the moon. It was the reference worn by Buzz Aldrin during his moonwalk, while Neil Armstrong had to leave his Speedmaster Ref 105.012 in the lunar module due to the onboard Bulova clock failing during the flight. It is also the reference worn by Jim Lovell during the Apollo 13 mission. The Speedmaster 105.012 had several notable changes to its styling. It was the first reference to have the “Professional” moniker on the dial. The 105.012 was also the first Speedmaster to have crown guards. Omega also decided to use two different case manufacturers for reference 105.012 for one year only. In 1966, “CB” cases were made by Le Centrale Boîtes of Bien, while the majority of cases for the 105.012 were produced by Huguenin Fréres, who also made cases for previous reference Speedmaster timepieces. There were noticeable differences between both cases. The CB case has lugs that have an additional polishing plane on the upper side of the lugs. The CB case also has a small line between polishing planes on the lugs, which is not present in the HF cases.

The History: The Speedmaster was introduced in 1957 as a sports and racing chronograph, complementing Omega’s position as the official timekeeper for the Olympic Games. Its iconic place in history stems from its utilization by NASA for the Gemini Titan III crews and eventually by the astronauts on the Apollo 11 mission, which made it the first watch to be worn on the moon.

The Watch: This Speedmaster 105.012 is a CB case with the CB logo stamped inside the case back. The 105.012 features a 42mm stainless steel case with an acrylic crystal and the Caliber 312 movement. The 105.012 Speedmaster features the dot over 90 bezel, the step-down dial, and an applied Omega logo. The defining characteristic of the CB case version is the small line between the polishing planes on the top of the lugs, which is not present on the more prevalent “HF” case 105.012 watches.

The Details: This Omega Speedmaster 105.012-66CB case appears unpolished, with sharp case lines present throughout, including the distinctive line between polishing planes at the top of the lugs. This is only present in the CB case models, which were only produced in 1966 by CB. There are far fewer CB cases available, as the majority of the cases for the 105.012 reference were produced by HF. There is wear present on this timepiece that is consistent with a watch of this age. The dial has developed patina on the hour markers and hands. Included with this timepiece is a Forstner stainless steel bracelet.